Liverpool winger Xherdan Shaqiri failed to impress for his country against Spain last night, as the spoils were shared at St. Jakob-Park.
Switzerland somehow managed to come away with a point in the Nations League clash, despite Spain having the lion’s share of possession and having 20 shots to the hosts’ seven.
Remo Freuler gave Vladimir Petkovic’s side the lead on 26 minutes and withstood a lot of Spain pressure for the rest of the game.
They finally cracked in the dying embers though, with Gerard Moreno converting Sergio Reguilon’s cross after Sergio Ramos had missed to penalties.
With Spain having most of the ball, life was difficult for Switzerland’s attackers, with Liverpool’s Shaqiri particularly ineffective.
bluewin.ch have provided some player ratings from the game.
They gave Shaqiri a 5/10 for his performance, stating ‘he must do better’. They noted him creating a couple of chances, but added he ‘did not weigh enough on the defense’. According to their key, a ‘5’ rating is ‘average’.
TBR’s View – Shaqiri will have easier times
Spain are the sixth-ranked nation in the world according to FIFA, and everybody knows how difficult they can be to play against with their passing style.
The way they keep the ball makes it difficult for players to get anywhere near sometimes, so it is little wonder Shaqiri didn’t really impress all that much.
Liverpool fans won’t mind too much, so long as the £13 million signing (BBC Sport) comes back to the club fit and fighting – especially with the mounting injury problems.