Winterthur were promoted to the top tier of Swiss football for the first time since their 1984/85 relegation for the 2022/23 campaign — a season in which now-Grasshopper manager Bruno Berner led them to a ninth-place finish, keeping them safe and on track for another Swiss Super League campaign, now with an expanded 12-team format.
This season, Switzerland’s top six advance to the ‘Championship Round’ while the bottom six move to the ‘Relegation Round’; Winterthur, despite having the third-lowest wage bill in Switzerland’s top-flight, per Capology, and the lowest squad value in their division according to Transfermarkt, are challenging for a place in the Championship Round, currently sitting in seventh at the time of writing, two points off sixth-place Luzern.
Under new head coach Patrick Rahmen, Winterthur have been transformed from 2022/23 to 2023/24.
This transformation is visible in their remarkable upturn in the goalscoring department more than anything else, with FCW having bagged the joint-second-most goals (38) of any side in the Swiss Super League this term at the time of writing.
They’ve also generated the third-best xG (33.92) while tallying up the second-best xG per shot (0.122) in their division.
Last season, they ended up with the lowest goalscoring tally of any Swiss Super League side (32), the lowest xG (34.09) and the lowest xG per shot (0.103) — so this is truly a night-and-day comparison between the two campaigns.
As a result, this Patrick Rahmen tactical analysis piece and team-focused scout report will highlight some of the primary reasons for Winterthur’s positive turn in attacking fortunes in 2023/24.
We’ll shed light on exactly where Rahmen’s side is thriving in the offensive department and how they’re achieving their success, with a focused analysis of the 54-year-old ex-FC Basel and Switzerland U21 coach’s tactics as well as some key individuals.
Patrick Rahmen Build-up and ball progression
Our first two sections of this analysis will focus on Winterthur’s in-possession play, with our initial part centring on their build-up play and vital elements of their approach to ball progression.
While FCW have kept just the third-lowest amount of possession (47.2%) in their division this term, they’ve still demonstrated some compelling ideas on the ball, particularly when it comes to slicing through the opposition in a quick and efficient manner.
Their ability in this area has helped them generate the third-most shots (12.87 per 90) in the league this term, as well as the fourth-most touches inside the penalty area (17.69 per 90).
Rahmen primarily sets his Winterthur side up in something of a 4-2-3-1 shape.
In early possession phases, it’s common to see the centre-backs split quite wide while the goalkeeper steps out into the centre of a new back three.
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