This should concern any observer, because Duranville, a player of unquestionable talent, was once tipped by Vincent Kompany—now Bayern’s manager—as a future Ballon d’Or winner. Although the winger has been hampered by a series of injuries throughout his professional career, he must now raise his game across the board—especially by showing greater seriousness.
“He was playing in a very playful manner and was also taking risks with a lot of backheels, through balls, one-twos and three-way moves,” says Schauffert. “As a result, he occasionally lost possession in a way that could have been avoided. On the other hand, FC Basel’s play in the second half of the season was characterised by numerous individual errors and poor decisions. Duranville was no exception.”
Basel, who began the campaign as double champions, slumped to fifth in the championship round with a negative goal difference and 19 points adrift of Thun. Lichtsteiner’s points average of 1.05 after 19 games is extremely poor, leaving the club to miss every target and brace for a major overhaul at all levels.