World Cup 2022

ENGLAND’S Wags have been ordered to ditch short skirts and low-cut tops for the World Cup, according to reports. The tournament in Qatar is approaching and fans travelling over to watch are preparing for a World Cup like no other.
Sasha Attwood, Jack Grealish’s girlfriend, is among those who will be supporting the Three Lions in QatarCredit: https://www.instagram.com/sasha__rebecca/?hl=en
Eric Dier revealed he became engaged to Anna Modler earlier this monthCredit: @annamodler
Harry Kane will be cheered on in the tournament by wife Katie GoodlandCredit: PA
Strict laws in the Middle Eastern country mean that supporters are being advised about their behaviour and dress sense.
Some wives and girlfriends of England’s World Cup squad have been receiving advice to get rid of certain clothes, according to the Mail.
Short skirt and low-cut tops are among the outfits that one stylist has told the Wags to leave behind to help them dress modestly.
Tight shorts and revealing skirts have also been advised against.
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The report said that personal stylist Connie Jones, 31, has spoken to Luke Shaw’s partner Anouska Santos, John Stones’s partner Liv Naylor and Marcus Rashford’s fiancée Lucia Loi about dressing in Qatar.
All three will bring clothing, make-up and jewellery from Ms Jones’ company Connie Personal Shopping Company, which she runs from her studio in Manchester.
The stylist also reportedly advised the Wags to consider wearing a scarf to help not reveal their figures.
But the custom of Wags wearing football shirts with the names of their partners on the back will be allowed, despite the stricter clothing rules.
Anna Modler has enjoyed a whirlwind romance with Eric Dier
Sasha Attwood is Jack Grealish’s girlfriend and a popular influencerCredit: Getty
Katie Goodland married childhood sweetheart Harry Kane in 2019Credit: The Sun
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The partners of the Three Lions will be spending much of their time in Qatar on a luxury £1billion cruise ship.
Footballers’ wives and girlfriends are due to be among 6,762 guests on board the brand new MSC World Europa.
Five-star packages to stay on board while the vessel is docked off the coast of Doha cost up to £6,000.
Passengers can dine at 33 on board restaurants and bars when they stay on the £1billion luxury cruise ship.
Marcus Rashford’s fiancée Lucia Loi is among those reported as seeking clothing adviceCredit: PA More

SERBIA topped their group in the UEFA Nations League, and also topped their FIFA World Cup qualification group, finishing above Portugal to do so. Serbia made their World Cup debut in 2010, but have failed to hit the heights expected.

As Serbia, they have qualified for two World Cups so far, failing to get past the group stage.
However, they are enjoying arguably the most successful time in their short history, and many fancy them to get through the group stage, in which they face Brazil, Switzerland, and Cameroon. 
Current manager Dragan Stojković has been at the helm since 2021 and can take a lot of credit for his team’s form, winning 13 of his 20 games in charge so far. 
His squad has a good balance of youth and experience, so let’s learn how they play on the pitch.
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Predicted Starting XI
They usually have a line of 3 at the back. In many of the recent Nations League matches, they played a system of 3-4-2-1, with Aleksandar Mitrović leading the line alone. 
However, he has also experimented with 3-5-2 which allows for Dušan Vlahović to join Mitrović in attack to create a frightening partnership. 
The number one goalkeeper spot really is up for grabs, but Vanja Milinković-Savić should be the first choice, however, Predrag Rajkovic could also be the regular.
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How Serbia could play in Qatar
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We will likely see a back three of Milos Veljkovic, Stefan Mitrović and Strahinja Pavlovic, with Filip Kostić and Andrija Zivkovic at the wings. 
Skipper Dusan Tadić will operate in an attacking midfielder role.
Attacking Phase
Historically, Serbia have been a team that’s relied upon the physical side of the game rather than the technical side.
As we can see below, they are a team that likes to take advantage of being in the attacking third.
Serbia will look to progress with confidence and a high presence further up the pitch.
They have displayed an element of patience in their approach play which has allowed them to commit more players forward.
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Serbia will use wingers to attack and rely on physical presence in the box
Serbia will look to attack from wide and utilise their physical presence in the box.
Their approach play when reaching the midfield against a deeper defence has good variation, but wing play is still their end game.
Also, physicality and aerial superiority are two strong traits of this Serbian team in attack.
Serbia will look to attack quickly and break lines where possible.
This example shows the tactical elements of both previous examples. With the opposition parked inside their own half, this acts as an invitation to Serbia to play as they wish.
A line-breaking pass is fired into Kostić as he finds himself in an unbelievable amount of space, giving Serbia the chance to take the attack to the next level. 
This is a strong skill of the Serbians — recognising a chance and taking advantage of opposition downfalls, punishing any mistake.
Clever movement inside the box allows the winger to pick out a cross
More wide play from Serbia with some clever movement of the players inside the box.
From there, their attack is simple yet precise and effective.
Everyone shows a tremendous understanding of the tactics and their individual roles. The attack finishes with a neat cut-back cross before the ball is buried in the net.
Serbia are direct in their attacking approach, but not direct in the sense of just lumping the ball forward.

Defensive Phase
As we have seen, the Serbian tactics demand a certain level of consistent energy.
Out of possession, they look to smother the opposition.
However, there are questions relating to their defensive work. Some stats are good, but there are points where they still need to improve.
The solidity of their defensive system will be tested especially in the first game against Brazil.
Transitions
Quick breaks when they regain possession are key to Serbia’s attacks
Serbia will look to break quickly when they regain possession.
After winning possession in their own half near the centre circle, the reaction of all and any Serbian player in front of the ball tells the story.
Not one of them is caught on their heels as the team looks to hit the opposition quickly, taking advantage of any lack of shape. 
With multiple runners in the move, it is extremely difficult for the disorganised opponents to effectively shut down the move or mark the runners, which is where Serbia become deadly. 
Due to their highly aggressive players in attack, they could be one of the deadliest counterattacking teams at this year’s World Cup.
Attackers
Serbia’s attack is probably the most predictable in the whole competition.
Serbia, however, lack some depth below Mitrović and Vlahović.
Midfielders
In recent fixtures, some notable names have either been absent or not featured as much as some would expect. 
While the creativity and all-around solid nature of Sergej Milinković-Savić is essentially irreplaceable, there are other midfield names they can bring in with a slight tactical alteration. 
Players who have been included in recent fixtures like Filip Đuričić and Ivan Ilić will offer another dynamic from the bench. Filip Kostic is another important name.
Defenders
The line of three defenders is expected to be formed by the usual regulars, Pavlovic, Stefan Mitrovic and Veljkovic. 
The main competitors in contention for squad places are Strahinja Eraković and Nikola Milenkovic; both have played parts in the Nations League and World Cup qualifiers triumphs.
Key Player
While there are arguments for players like Dušan Vlahović and Dusan Tadić could be considered key players for Serbia, Aleksandar Mitrović should be the difference maker.
His aggressive play style could benefit the Serbians in multiple areas, and his link-up play with the wingers could be a huge part of any success they have.
Tournament Prediction
Serbia seems to be the second-best team in Group G, after Brazil. They seem to be more solid than Switzerland and Cameroon.
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They will face the strongest team of Group G in their debut, and if they collect at least a point in the first game, that could boost their morale to go far in the competition, maybe reaching the quarter-finals.
It’s fair to say they are expected to qualify for the knockout stage. If they are lucky enough to avoid Portugal or Uruguay in the eight-finals, they have a good chance of making it to the quarter-finals.
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SOUTH Korea will face a tough group.Portugal, Uruguay and Ghana won’t be easy adversaries, and in spite of the talent of their star Heung-Min Son – if match fit after suffering a facial injury in the Champions League against Marseille – Uruguay and Portugal are more likely to qualify for the Round of 16. 

Time will tell, however, if they will be lucky enough to defy the odds and try to face some of the teams from Group G, which could be Brazil if they finish second in Group H.
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Predicted starting XI
Recently, South Korea have played with a 4-4-2 formation as well, but we believe they might go for a 4-2-3-1 considering the personnel available.
And because of the World Cup, Bento should be more reserved to get one more player in midfield, having more flexibility to switch between the two.
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But we do not completely rule out the chance they come with a back five if they feel Portugal and Uruguay are much stronger opponents — they could do that with a winger dropping deep to help the defenders.
From the defence to the attack, South Korea have good players from top European leagues. Centrally in the last line, Min-jae Kim is highly-rated thanks to his performances at Napoli, where he has shown great ball-playing and defensive techniques.
His performance will be crucial to the defence. 
In midfield, they have Olympiacos’ In-beom Hwang available, but we should not overlook Woo-young Jung, playing for Al Saad and who’s experienced the coaching of Xavi and Juanma Lillo as a holding midfielder. 
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South Korea’s predicted line-up
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Jung Woo-Young should also have the experience to drive the team in different phases of play.
South Korea have many good attacking players, including the Premier League duo Heung-min Son (Tottenham) and Hee-chan Hwang (Wolves), Mallorca attacker Kang-in Lee and Freiburg striker Ui-jo Hwang could also help the team when needed.
If Son cannot start the tournament, expect Wolves’ Hwang to get the nod.

Attacking phase
We have formed a good picture of South Korea’s playing style.
They try to play on the front foot with a strong mindset to breach the opposition lines.
They are fairly direct and try to hit spaces behind the opponent if possible with a high long pass.
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South Korea boast a temporary back three when they are attacking
With the ball, South Korea always construct with four deep players.
They are consistently pushing the full-backs high and wide to occupy the outside zones.
As shown in this image, on the left of Min-jae Kang and Young-gwon Kim, South Korea used the midfielder, Woo-yeong Jeong dropping out to receive, so they had a temporary back three with In-beom Hwang behind the opposition’s first line.
Players for South Korea always prepare for runs
South Korea are a very aggressive side, they always have players preparing for runs behind the last line to catch the defenders out. 
Apart from structurally driving the team forward, Bento also allowed Heung-min Son some freedom as a wild card.
The Tottenham star could pick up the ball in the deeper area similar to Lionel Messi’s role, to work on his stuff and also combine with teammates in close proximity to go into advanced areas.
Attacking the penalty area with three to four bodies is crucial to South Korea’s play
In this image, you could see the winger released the left-back, and now Jin-su Kim is ready for a cross.
South Korea would love to have three to four players attacking the penalty zone — at least.
By getting lots of bodies in the box, they have a better chance to make first contact to score, and be first to the rebounds. 
Defensive phase
South Korea are an aggressive side without the ball, with promising numbers in terms of recovering area.
Moreover, they are such a high-pressing side who like to play with intensity without possession.
South Korea play with intensity without possession and press hard
Without possession, South Korea are consistently in a 4-1-3-2 when pressing high, although we believe they will drop off to a 4-4-2 more in a midblock against stronger opponents.
But when they pushed, they gave good energy and did it with two strikers to pressure the ball, to guide the ball to the outside and close the opponents there.
In the first image, we saw Heung-min Son chasing the centre-backs, so he invited the pass to the outside and keep pushing there, where Hee-chan Hwang also prepared himself to confront the defender as it happened.
Also, the far-side winger should come infield to maintain compactness, balancing the shape.
In this image, Chang-hoon Kwon moved in as the team was pressing on the other side, so he would not be isolated and kept the three-man second line as a unit.
South Korea press out wide when defending in the midfield areas
In the next image, we saw South Korea defending in the midfield areas, pressing out wide with the same concepts. 
A four-man last line can leave South Korea’s defence exposed
However, South Korea also had their weaknesses in their four-man last line. 
Transitions
In offensive transitions, South Korea always look to hit behind the last line as soon as possible to use the quality of their attackers, with most of them playing in top leagues in Europe.
For example, it would be very favourable if Heung-min Son is played into open spaces, charging towards the opponents as he does in the Premier League. So, Bento’s side possesses counter-attacking threats.
Heung-Min Son is protagonist and who South Korea look to to get on the ball
Heung-Min Son is always the protagonist and the player that all teammates try to give the ball to when they have a chance as we can see above.
If South Korea’s full-backs push too high in attack, they will concede spaces behind
In terms of rest defence, South Korea almost had a 3-1, based on how we explained their offensive organisation earlier.
But that would be a problem when the full-backs push too high to attack the flanks, as they are going to concede spaces behind in that scenario.
For example, UAE were able to develop a counter-attack from that weakness. Once the ball was regained, they moved it outside and supported it with runners forward.
In that instance, Jae-sung Lee struggled in a 1v3 situation, confronting runners when dropping back.
Their opponents in the World Cup would also be looking for similar conditions to attack South Korea in the transitions.
Attackers
We all know Heung-min Son will be the most important player in the South Korean squad; the Tottenham Hotspur star has experienced some ups and downs in this campaign.
South Korea also have other attackers such as Hee-chan Hwang from Wolves, but the Wolves player has not started any Premier League game since August, and his form is in doubt.
They also have Ui-jo Hwang from Olympiacos but the 30-year-old is yet to score any goal this season too, so similar to Heung-min Son, whether or not these players can pick up their game rhythm soon will be crucial.
Midfielders 
In midfield, South Korea rely on the partnership of In-beom Hwang and Woo-yung Jung.
Both have been important players in their respective teams – Olympiacos and Al Saad. 
Juanma Lillo also trusted Woo-yung Jung in his midfield; he has decent ability to recover possession. 
Defenders
South Korea’s defence is mainly formed by players in K-League 1 such as Hong Chul and Moon-hwan Kim, but this season Min-jae Kim impressed the whole of Europe with his sharp performances at Napoli. 
Key player
It was without a doubt that we had to pick Heung-min Son as the one to watch in the South Korean team, regardless of who else makes the squad.
The 30-year-old attacking player was the pride of Asia, when he won the Premier League Golden Boot last season alongside Mohamed Salah. 
Individually, he is a very good player and plays an important role in Bento’s side.
We expect Heung-min to be the main source of threat, given what he showed us in the Premier League.
Defensively, he will not be jogging and relaxing. Instead, as the team’s captain, Heung-min Son will set himself as a good example to the rest by leading the press or executing defensive responsibilities.
If he shines in key moments, South Korea will definitely have a better chance to qualify for the group stage, which would be the dream of their supporters.
If he cannot play a full part, you can write off South Korea’s chances of getting out of the group.
Tournament prediction
Although Uruguay and Portugal should be the favourites to qualify from the group stage, we should not overlook South Korea’s chances either because they have a motivated and committed squad with good quality.
They also have plenty of players in their prime with good experience in European football. 
The last time they made it into the last 16 was in 2010, and in their last six World Cup matches, South Korea has only achieved one win.
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Nevertheless, we believe they should at least add another one to the tally in Qatar and if they managed to resist the favourites, there could be surprises.
However, most pundits predict that Uruguay and Portugal are the most likely sides to qualify to the Round of 16, but if their main man Son plays and performs well, he could make the difference for South Korea.
For even more detailed analysis of all 32 teams in the FIFA World Cup 2022, download your copy of the November Total Football Analysis magazine here More

URUGUAY will have an interesting World Cup. In the last few years, they are a team that always had famous names in their squad, most notably, Suárez and Cavani.Now Suárez is likely to have a new teammate as a striker alongside him and Real Madrid midfielder Valverde is in top form which now makes him their key player in 2022.

The South Americans will face Portugal, South Korea and Ghana in Group H and they are expected to reach the Round of 16 easily.
Predicted starting XI
Diego Alonso has tried and tested many different formations during his time in charge.
He has played a 4-3-3 on plenty of occasions, however, but 4-4-2 can also be used. 
Fernando Muslera, 36, has been the first-choice keeper for over a decade and should be the regular again.
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Godín and José María Giménez, of Atlético Madrid, should bring some team chemistry from their previous club relationship to the national team.
There is a lack of pace in this area which is something that could cause problems. 
The left-back is a highly contested spot with Mathías Olivera and Matías Viña both being capable. Olivera has played more regularly recently.
The midfield area is filled with some hard-working quality midfield players.
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The central area is likely to be covered by Rodrigo Bentancur and Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde.
Both players complement each other well and provide energy which allows Uruguay to play so aggressively. 
The wide areas are a position that seems to change quite regularly, Nicolás de la Cruz and Facundo Pellistri likely to be the regulars. 
Onto the front line where it is expected to be made up of national heroes of the past and the future with Suárez and Núñez the likely partnership. 
The manager also has Edinson Cavani, Agustín Álvarez, and Diego Rossi available to play as strikers, so they have good squad depth in the position.
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Attacking phase
Uruguay are particularly strong in possession when making passes in the attacking third.
They also have good positioning, and the defensive players have good options to ping the ball forward.
Uruguay’s defenders have plenty of options to pass out of defence to
To do this, the strikers chop and change positions and that is always confusing for the opponents’ defensive players. 
The team’s midfield is a strong point. Valverde is having an incredibly versatile season at Real Madrid.

The player has a great capacity to finish as well as create chances and contribute with the man-marking. 
Furthermore, when Uruguay are looking to sustain possession in the middle of the pitch they create a diamond with their two centrebacks and two central midfield players.
When in possession, Uruguay like to create a diamond to create different passing angles
Doing this gives them a solid base to build upon and creates several passing angles. 
This shape creates a central overload and allows Uruguay to keep possession easily. 
Uruguay boast good team chemistry, as the full-back runs into space looking for a long pass
The above image shows the full-back making a run into the space and waiting for a long pass, which shows good team chemistry. 
Pellistri prefers to be a threat centrally than being a traditional winger
The above example shows how wide player, Pellistri, picks the ball up in a more central area than a traditional winger would and, due to good positioning, becomes a threat to the opponents.
Defensive phase
The stats are very telling about Uruguay without possession. They rank highly for interceptions which shows this will be one of their strengths.
The image below shows Uruguay trying to pressure in the attacking field.
An aggressive press helps Uruguay win possession back quickly
Two players are looking to directly apply pressure to the man receiving the ball with one man applying pressure to the next potential pass.
This aggressive press wins possession back high up the pitch and a goalscoring opportunity is created from this turnover. 
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Dropping to a flat back five allows Uruguay to be more solid at the back
Highlighted in yellow, Canobbio drops deep to create a flat back five.
Nicolás de la Cruz, playing wide left, tucks inside to create a narrow midfield three.
This formation allows Uruguay to be more defensively solid. 
As we can see below, working hard out of possession leads to Uruguay keeping short distances between each other as they shuffle across from side to side.
As they work hard out possession, Uruguay’s players keep short distances between each other
The Uruguayan defence plays extremely narrowly and encourages their opponents to play the ball out wide.
The risk that this carries is that if some quality attack is displayed then they will be broken down as they lack some speed at crucial moments, especially with the centre-backs. 
Transitions
Upon regaining the ball, Uruguay focuses on progressing by making the most of their short and long passing skills.
Transitions begin with short passes before a longer ball is launched
The example above involves three quick short passes before a longer one.
The nearest player is pressed by three Uruguay players
The image above shows how three players look to press the nearest opponent.
Attackers
Uruguay have strong names like Edinson Cavani, Luis Suárez, and Darwin Núñez.
The latter is starting to find his feet at Liverpool and he’s an important player in his national team.
Agustín Álvarez and Diego Rossi will also provide good cover and will gain valuable experience from being a part of the squad.
Midfielders
Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Torreira and Matías Vecino provide the central midfield with lots of depth and quality.
Valverde and Bentancur are likely the first-choice midfield partnership but all four are more than capable of playing throughout the duration of the tournament. 
Out wide, Nicolás de la Cruz, Facundo Pellistri and Agustín Canobbio will provide the main support for Alonso. 
Defenders
Fernando Muslera will most certainly be the regular goalie, and Diego Godín and José María Giménez in will be the regular centre-backs, forming an experienced couple. 
The left-back spot could be taken by either Matías Viña or Mathías Oliviera.
On the right, Damián Suárez could be challenged by Guillermo Varela. Both options provide a good cover.
Key player
Valverde is the key player for many reasons.
Not only he contributes defensively, making passes, keen assists and scoring goals, but also has a good age and is in top form.
One of the strongest weapons of Real Madrid these days is the capacity of Valverde to be a central midfielder as well as a winger when necessary. Uruguay will have a versatile player in top form.
Tournament prediction
Uruguay should progress to the Round of 16 and they have a good chance of reaching the quarter-finals. 
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They are the best team in their group together with Portugal, and if they are lucky to avoid Brazil in the eight-finals, then they surely have great chances of making it to the last eight.
The team has lots of experienced names that will need to be used carefully, but if the presence of the veterans is well-managed, they could go far in the World Cup.
For even more detailed analysis of all 32 teams in the FIFA World Cup 2022, download your copy of the November Total Football Analysis magazine here More

MURAT YAKIN will be hoping that his men make it to the knockout stages for a third consecutive time, after reaching the Round of 16 in the last two editions of the World Cup.They have a competitive group that consists of African giants Cameroon, Serbia and big favourites Brazil.

With a decent squad at their disposal, Switzerland will be hoping to exceed expectations in this tournament. 
Predicted starting XI
There are a couple of obvious choices from each department.
After Yann Sommer’s injury in the Bundesliga, it remains unclear whether or not he’ll be ready for the tournament.
Therefore, Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel is likely to be their number one. 
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In front of him, the obvious defenders would be Ricardo Rodriguez and Manuel Akanji together with Kevin Mbabu, Silvan Widmer, Nico Elvedi and Fabian Schär are also expected to make it into the final squad.
Among the midfielders, Granit Xhaka is going to be their main man. Freuler and Djibril Sow will be partnering him.

The other options could be Denis Zakaria who is also expected to make the squad.
The attacking department will be spearheaded by Breel Embolo while other viable options include Haris Seferovic, Ruben Vargas and Noah Okafor. 
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How the Swiss could line up in Qatar
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Attacking Phase
Switzerland are not a very dominant team when it comes to playing with possession. 
They tend to use the long ball very often and at the same time, they don’t play many progressive passes.
Even when they play long balls they don’t look to play it quickly due to their conservative approach. 
Most of their chances come from crosses with the likes of Rodriguez and Widmer delivering dangerous balls from out wide.
In most situations, Switzerland look to play the ball out from the back by inviting the opposition to press.
Switzerland’s centre backs split as the goalkeeper helps the backline
Their shape is typically a 4-1-4-1, with Xhaka staying deeper in case of defensive turnovers and Freuler pushing forward next to Djibril Sow in attacking midfield. This helps to stretch the defence horizontally.
Xhaka’s importance to the team is huge; during their attacking phase, his positioning and ability to find players in space is crucial for Switzerland to move into the final third.
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A passing lane is created for a forward to receive the ball when a midfielder drops deep
We know they are very conservative on the ball. So Xhaka’s ability to progress the ball for them is very important to their attack.
We can see him dropping as a centre-back in lots of situations. This means that the player marking him has to commit forward leaving space behind him. 
The likes of Shaqiri can benefit from these sequences as he can drop into these central regions and drive forward.
Attacking players can benefit from this tactic and drive forward centrally
If they want to progress past the group stage against Brazil, Serbia and Cameroon, they need to get their attack firing at their best.
Their ability to get the most out of the likes of Embolo and Ruben Vargas will be crucial to their attack succeeding on the big stage.
Defensive Phase
Switzerland are less intense in pressing, but have conceded very few goals overall as they block the shots very well and Yann Sommer has done a good job of preventing goals. 
Switzerland deploy a ball-oriented pressing structure where they look to overload the ball side in most instances and try to force a turnover. 
The issue with this form of pressing is that it leaves a lot of space for the opposition on the far side and that can cause a lot of issues.
An example of that is given below where Switzerland has a lot of players committed to the ball side but have left huge space in front of the defence.
Switzerland’s ball-oriented press can leave a huge space in front of the defence
In their low block, they maintain a 4-4-2 system which is not that unusual.
They can transition into this shape quickly from the 4-2-3-1 and this formation also ensures quick counter-attacks are always a possibility. 
In a low-block Switzerland maintain a 4-4-2 system
Transitions
They use a similar set of principles even during transitions.
An example of this can be seen below where the Swiss players are tracking backwards while having the right body orientation so that Spain’s attackers don’t have the right options to pass or make runs into. 
Swiss stars track backwards and cut out Spain’s attackers passing and runs
During an offensive transition, Switzerland generally look to commit just their three forward players to the counter-attack.
By doing this, all three players are moving towards the centre instead of the wingers staying wide. 
With the likes of Embolo, Vargas and Okafor, Switzerland has several offensive players providing very good acceleration and high speed. An example of this can be seen in the image below.
Switzerland are blessed with pace offensively
With the pace and power from the likes of Embolo, Okafor and Vargas along with Xhaka and Sow providing creativity for them, Switzerland look to be a very threatening team on the break. 
Attackers
Overall, Switzerland have a decent attack with some exciting young talents and a couple of experienced campaigners.
The only concern is that they do not have forwards in their definite peak period with all the options either entering their peak or just leaving it, including Embolo who should be the regular striker.
Midfielders
Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka is their key progressor of the ball. Closely following him behind is Remo Freuler who has also seemed to be a good progressor for his club, Nottingham Forest. 
Zakaria, one of the most highly-rated defensive midfielders in world football, is not very progressive with possession. 
He does pretty well in finding teammates with progressive passes but does not record a lot of passes into the final third. Along with them, Djibril Sow will probably start. 
Defenders
Overall, Switzerland’s defensive department is stacked with some experienced faces and they have a variety of options available apart from Akanji and Rodriguez who are expected to be sure starters. 
Key Player
Despite having the likes of Embolo and Akanji in the squad, Granit Xhaka will be their key player and probably their best player going into the tournament.
While Arsenal under Mikel Arteta had a turbulent 2021-22 season, the Swiss was one of the low-key best performers at the club. 
And again in 2022-23, Xhaka provides outstanding performances.
Overall, his positives completely outweigh his certain negatives and the stats show why Xhaka is probably the best Swiss player going into the tournament.
Switzerland would be expecting him to be at his best for them to qualify and make it into the knockout stages.
Tournament prediction
With Brazil in their group, Switzerland would be the second favourite ahead of Cameroon and perhaps Serbia to qualify from their group into the next stage. 
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They will probably fight with the Serbians for the 2nd place in this group, and depending on what happens in Group H, they may have a chance to qualify for the quarter-finals. 
For even more detailed analysis of all 32 teams in the FIFA World Cup 2022, download your copy of the November Total Football Analysis magazine here More