European Qualifiers: Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic fires warning to players
Wednesday 8 October 2014 18:43, UK
Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic has warned players against complacency as he bids to get his reign and his side's Euro 2016 qualifying campaign up and running.
The Swiss opened their Group E programme with a 2-0 home loss to England in Basle last month.
That was Petkovic's first match in charge after he succeeded Ottmar Hitzfeld following the World Cup in the summer.
Switzerland, who reached the last 16 at Brazil 2014, will now hope to assert themselves in the group with back-to-back away games in Slovenia and San Marino over the next week.
Petkovic, a Bosnian who has previously coached Young Boys, Samsunspor and Lazio, told FIFA.com: "We've got to be well-prepared if we want to pick up three points against a strong Slovenian team, while Latvia and Estonia are both capable of springing a surprise at home.
"If we don't fully apply ourselves in these games, then we'll be in trouble. Even against San Marino, we've got to have the same mindset as against England, namely being fully focused and committed."
Switzerland are ranked 10th by world governing body FIFA, while England are a lowly 18th.
They were strongly fancied in the group but Petkovic concedes second place may already be the most realistic target.
He said: "I've said from the start that England are the clear favourites in the group.
"They also have a young team, though they're relatively more experienced players who all play for big clubs. You could see how that individual quality made the difference against us.
"We've got to focus on finishing second in the group. On paper at least, perhaps we look better than other teams, but Slovenia, for example, have a lot of talented individuals - though fortunately they lost their first game."
Slovenia lost their first game 1-0 in Estonia. Their clash with Switzerland in Maribor will be the eighth time the sides have met, with the hosts having won just one and lost five of them.
The two countries are also familiar opponents having met in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. Switzerland prevailed on both occasions.
