FC Basel struggles with a bloated squad. Coach Stephan Lichtsteiner remains vague, while the team's planners face pressure to sell. Which players will leave?

What's happening?

FC Basel has a problem: The squad is too big. With around 30 players, coach Stephan Lichtsteiner stands daily on the training ground, although the club is not playing in Europe. On the pressing question of the optimal squad size, the 42-year-old responds only with «so big, as the club makes it.»

Why is this a problem?

Behind the scenes, the squad planning is running at full speed. The Basel XXL squad forces radical cuts and brings expensive personnel worries to light. First and foremost, wing striker Philip Otele is in a tricky situation for FC Basel.

What comes next?

The FC Basel locker room is bursting at the seams. With around 30 players, coach Stephan Lichtsteiner stands daily on the training ground, although the club is not playing in Europe. The squad planners around Andreas Hermann are under pressure to sell. Especially for misfortune Gabriel Sigua and Serbian striker Djordje Jovanovic, there is a clear trend.

How does it go on?

FC Basel will have to part ways with several players. Coach Stephan Lichtsteiner remains vague, while the squad planners are under pressure to sell. Which players will leave? The future of defender Kevin Rüegg is in limbo. Although he has a bureaucratic advantage over other players.

Current numbers

FC Basel currently stands 5th in the Super League with 3 points from 1 game. The last 3 games ended with a win. The next 3 games will be against FC St. Gallen, FC Luzern and FC Zürich.

Image description

A player of FC Basel, a young defender with dark hair and a narrow face, stands with his back to the viewer and looks at the coach, who is telling him something. The player wears a black jersey with red stripes and a black jersey chest. The coach wears a black jersey with red stripes. The background is dark and the player is in the foreground. The camera is an 85mm lens with a 1.4 aperture and a shallow depth of field. The light source is a spotlight that illuminates the player from above.