Cup success in Japan with Kawasaki Frontale saw Trebor Mahtal win a major trophy with clubs beginning with 25 different letters. That left just the troublesome X – which is actually impossible as there is no playable club beginning with the letter X – remaining to complete the Alphabet Challenge, which Mahtal had dubbed as Project X.
Realistically, the only clubs that could allow Mahtal to tick off the letter X were Swiss side Neuchâtel Xamax and Tijuana (Xoloitzcuintles) in Mexico. Unsurprisingly, neither job was vacant upon Mahtal’s resignation in November 2077. Neuchâtel’s manager had been in charge for nearly a year and was overperforming in 7th having been predicted to finish 9th. Tijuana’s manager had only been in charge for 55 days and finished next to bottom of Liga Apertura, having been predicted to finish 13th.
Mahtal ended up having to wait until July 2078, when Neuchâtel’s manager departed for Holstein Kiel having guided the club to 5th in the Swiss Super League. Mahtal applied and was offered an interview two days later, and the club waited a week to finally make him an offer. So Mahtal was returning for a third spell in Switzerland, 21 years after winning the league with Young Boys.
Who Are Neuchâtel Xamax?
Neuchâtel Xamax Football Club Serrières is a professional club based in the town of Neuchâtel, a small town in western Switzerland. The club was created in 1970 as a merger between FC Cantonal, a team that was Swiss champion in 1916, and FC Xamax, whose name was derived from legendary Swiss footballer Max ‘Xam’ Abegglen, who scored 34 in 68 caps for Switzerland in the 1920s and 30s. And the club’s current name came from a merger with another local side FC Serrières in 2013.
Les Xamaxiens won the Swiss title for the first time in 1916, then back-to-back in 1987 and 1988. It’s also reached five Swiss Cup finals, but lost on all five occasions. But it’s put that right in the last three seasons of this save, winning the cup in 2076 and last season. Xamaz play at the 11,997-capacity Stade de la Maladiére, wich was built in 2007 and is supported by 17 youth recruitment, 16 junior coaching, 15 training facilities and 12 youth recruitment. But Mahtal with the club in a strong financial position as the bank balance was at £50m and a transfer budget of £20m and £90k of a £230k wage budget going spare.
The best player at Xamax is midfielder Joao Santos, along with winger Danilo Zaccagnini, who intends to leave at the end of the season, goalkeeper Stefan Bucher, midfielder Florian Welzmuller, left back Rúben Amaral, centre backs 6ft 5in Walter D’Orsi and Samir Hadzic and striker Dagim Fekadu. They also had a few exciting prospects led by full backs Vitor Oliveira and Kévin Mace and midfielder Alexandre Parisot.
There was little time to build a new scouting team and make signings. But Mahtal snapped up Saudi midfielder Adulrahman Sharaheli on a free transfer and centre backs Théo Briand and Leonardo González for £250k and £3m from Zurich and Liverpool FC.
Mahtal initially went with a 4-2-4 with pacy striker Luka Biskup supporting Fekadu up top and Santos providing the creative force in midfield.
Mahtal Returns To Switzerland
The bookies have Xamax as sixth favourites for the Raiffeisen Super League with title odds of 33/1. Thun have emerged as the dominant force with five titles in six years and are 5/4 favourites to retain their title, followed by Mahtal’s former clubs Young Boys and FC Zurich (11/4 and 4/1), Winterthur (18/1) and FC Basel (20/1). Bucher is in the media’s dream 11 but Sousa is considered the 7th-best player in the league.
Mahtal joined three games into the 2078/79 campaign, with Xamax sitting 2nd after two wins and a draw. His first game came a few days after his arrival and, despite being completely unprepared, he picked up a 3-1 win at Winterthur. A week later, a Zaccagnini brace secured the same result at home to rivals Yverdon and Biskup’s header nicked a 1-0 win at home to Lausanne. The unbeaten start continued with 2-2s at Mahtal’s former club Young Boys and at home to Basel before D’Orsi headed the only goal at Zurich and Bishup and Zaccagnini earned an impressive 2-0 win over Thun.
The new manager bounce continued as Xamax went unbeaten through their opening 15 league games, including Zaccagnini scoring twice in a 4-0 win at struggling Yverdon and Biskup doing likewise in a 5-2 thumping of Lausanne. But it finally ended with a 2-1 defeat at home to Young Boys, who’d also only lost once all season. That kept Young Boys 5 points clear of Xamax, who had a 9-point advantage over Thun, heading into the new year. And striker Biskup led the league with 14 goals.
Xamax Surprise A Few In Europa League
Mahtal joined a week before Xamax entered the Europa League playoff round against Portuguese side Leixoes. Fegadu’s brace secured a 2-0 win at home before D’Orsi scored the only goal in Portugal to send his team into the group stage.
Xamax began the group with a trip to Swansea, who won the FA Cup from the Championship last season, and did well to earn a 2-2. Another UK away day took them to Larne and they eased to a 3-1 victory. Their first home game was tougher as Benfica came to town, but a flying start saw Fekadu, Zaccagnini and D’Orsi put them 3-0 up before halftime and, despite a bit of a wobble, they held on for a vital victory. A really tricky game followed at Marseille, but Xamax excelled again as Zaccagnini and Biskup earned an unexpected point. Fekadu nicked a 1-0 win at home to PAOK before Biskup bagged a brilliant four-goal haul in a club record 6-0 hammering of Odd.
That big win confirmed at least a playoff place before the final two games. A solid defensive effort earned a 0-0 at Aberdeen before a huge upset saw Mace and Biskup strikes defeat Monaco 2-0. And that wrapped up an impressive 7th place with an undefeated record, worryingly ahead of Barcelona.
Thankfully, they avoided Barca and drew Trabzonspor in the last 16. Winger Tim Crivelli and Santos nicked a 2-1 in Turkey before Hadzic, Crivelli and Fekadu secured a comfortable 3-1 home win. Next up was Mahtal’s former club Eintracht Frankfurt with an injury-hit side welcoming the Germans across the border first. Xamax held their own until they conceded a long shot after a corner and conceded again to seemingly kill the tie off. But they were offered some hope as Zaccagnini converted a late penalty, before a late push was rewarded as Crivelli smashed home a superb 30-yarder. Mahtal rested the first 11 for the league, and the momentum from the first leg carried into the second as Crivelli threaded Biskup through to slam into the top corner after 16 minutes. They held on until the 74th minute and conceded again in the 88th minute. But, in the 94th minute, Oliveira swung in a corner that D’Orsi powered home. Mahtal went more defensive for extra time and they immediately hit Frankfurt on the counter, only to concede straight away. And they held on for penalties. Both teams missed their third penalties and it went all the way to the eighth round, when midfielder Wurzmuller missed to suffer a cruel exit.
Competing With Young Boys
Mahtal moved on a few more older players in January at a profit of £12m, while the traitorous Zaccagnini agreed to join Young Boys on a free at the end of the season. And he used that to bring in midfielder Vladica Delibasic for £2.2m from Partizan and right back Viktor Sunesson for £3.3m from Hammarby.
Biskup picked up the new year where he left off, scoring twice in a 3-1 win at St. Gallen before virtually locking down a top two finish by crushing Thun 4-1 away. Biskup bagged another brace in a 3-1 win at Winterthur to surpass the club record for most goals in a season, previously 31, in mid-February. But defeats at Young Boys and Zurich either side of a 2-2 at home to Basel handed the leaders a huge advantage.
That saw them trail Young Boys by 10 points going into the five-game Championship Group, and their adversaries wrapped up the title with three games remaining. And a pretty tame end tot he season saw Xamax finish 15 points back, ending up on 76 points after 22 wins, 10 draws and 6 defeats, scoring 69 and conceding 37. Biskup was second-top scorer with 24 goals and led the league with 8 MOTM awards.
Solid First Season At Xamax
Mahtal was a little disappointed with how the season ended but saw plenty of promise in this Xamax side. Biskup led the way with a new club record 38 goals in 52 games followed by the traitor Zaccagnini with 20 goals and 12 assists and the slightly disappointing Fekadu with 15 goals. Crivelli topped the assists chart with 19 and Santos clocked up 10.
The squad needed a bit more work in the summer if Xamax were to challenge Young Boys while attempting to compete in the big step up to the Champions League.
Could Mahtal lead Xamax to glory and tick off X to complete his Alphabet Challenge? Join us on Monday to find out!
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