FC Basel starts the championship with a defeat – Captain Xherdan Shaqiri criticizes his teammates

As footballer Willem Geubbels left the pitch in the 83rd minute, the St. Gallen crowd paid tribute to him. They chanted his name and bid the striker farewell with a standing ovation. Perhaps they saw Geubbels for the last time on Saturday evening; the 23-year-old Frenchman wants to leave the club; a transfer is likely to bring FC St. Gallen a few million.

The crowd applauded Geubbels for his outstanding performance. Shortly before, in the 75th minute, he scored the redeeming 2-1 for St. Gallen with a header. And thus seriously spoiled FC Basel's start to the season. After Geubbels' substitution, there wasn't much to see at Kybunpark. Except for a jubilant St. Gallen fan on one side and a disgruntled Basel fan on the other.

Basel's frustration is understandable, as they could have, indeed should have, won this "intense, close 50-50 game," as new FCB coach Ludovic Magnin later described it. They had excellent chances to do so, but Philip Otele (3'), Albian Ajeti (49'), and substitute Kevin Carlos (73') all missed from completely unmarked positions in front of goal. They simply don't have Geubbels up front.

And so, FC Basel's start to the Super League has failed for the third time in a row. Saturday's match seemed like a carbon copy of the season's start two years ago. Back then, Basel also lost 2-1 to St. Gallen, with goals from Lukas Görtler and Geubbels for the Eastern Swiss side.

This time, Görtler initially scored an own goal to make it 0-1 (40'). But it was the St. Gallen captain who also scored the equalizer after the break (56'), bringing the energy back to the stadium with hard-fought tackles, rousing gestures, and petty exchanges with an increasingly irritated Xherdan Shaqiri.

At FC Basel, however, it seems as if not all of the players are back in competitive mode yet. Basel captain Shaqiri threw up his hands several times early on, criticizing his teammates. After the match, the 33-year-old said: "Sure, we have young players in the team, but they also have to be able to handle the pressure."

In particular, the substitutes – unlike St. Gallen – are performing far too poorly. Shaqiri says: "Not everyone was 100 percent today. When you come on, you have to be ready. Some players weren't ready to help the team." Those are harsh, honest words. Shaqiri chooses them because he knows that expectations have risen in Basel after winning the double, and the pressure is immediately intense .

If further defeats follow, Magnin will likely soon feel the effects. The French-speaking Swiss said after his unsuccessful competitive debut as FCB coach: "I can't remember ever having so many chances in St. Gallen without picking up points." His team must react immediately next Saturday in the home game against GC.

However, Magnin and the club have focused their preseason preparations primarily on the end of August. That's when FCB will be competing for a place in the premier league of European club football. If they win the home and away playoffs, St. Jakob-Park will host the Champions League for the first time in eight years.

Participation in the Champions League is also important for FC Basel for financial reasons. Despite cost-cutting measures, Basel's structural deficit remains around 15 million Swiss francs, and millions from the Champions League would be welcome. Especially since there would be a lot of it: the starting fee alone is 18.62 million euros. In the eight matches of the league phase, FCB would receive an additional 2.1 million euros for each win and 700,000 euros for each draw. However, if Basel loses the play-off and plays in the Europa League starting in September, the income would be only around a fifth of that.

FC Basel's determination to reach the Champions League is evident in their squad composition: They've managed to keep the strong attacking lineup of Shaqiri, Otele, and Bénie Traoré together, and their previous transfers seem prudent. With signings like Keigo Tsunemoto (Servette) and Koba Koindredi, whom Magnin brought from Lausanne, FCB has also cleverly weakened their league rivals.

But Basel still has one weak point: central defense. The club desperately needs alternatives in this position to the error-prone Jonas Adjetey and Nicolas Vouilloz, as well as the frequently injured Leon Barisic. Especially if it wants to compete on the European stage. It's hardly a coincidence that Shaqiri said after the poor start in St. Gallen: "We conceded both goals far too easily. We have to defend them better." Adjetey had wandered through the penalty area when Geubbels made it 2-1.