Inside Chur’s Early-Season Balancing Act

The table tells a flattering story, and the fixture list lends it early credibility. Chur’s opening weeks have carried the hallmarks of a side comfortable with its own identity, capable of landing blows against more established opponents while rotating intelligently in the cup. A 3–0 dismantling of relegated Aarau on opening day set the tone, followed by a controlled 2–0 win away to title favourites Stade Lausanne-Ouchy that felt more significant than the score line suggested. Add to that a convincing home performance against last season’s third-place finishers, Young Boys U21, and a professional 2–0 cup victory over Kriens with a heavily rotated side, and the narrative appears settled: continuity, confidence, control.

Scratch beneath the surface, however, and the picture becomes more complex. The results have come, but the underlying performance metrics are already beginning to fray at the edges, revealing a side that is being subtly but deliberately tested by opponents increasingly familiar with Iñaki Arriola’s methods.

At the sharp end, efficiency has masked some of the emerging issues. Dion Cakolli’s five goals from 5.07 expected goals underline a striker operating exactly at expectation, but his output has been buoyed by an increasingly centralised creative structure behind him. Zidan Tairi’s five assists, four of which have been directly converted by Cakolli, point to a developing partnership that thrives on timing rather than volume. Adriano Onyegbule has settled quickly into this ecosystem, contributing three goals and two assists and offering a different type of connective tissue between midfield and attack. Brian Farinas, meanwhile, has already chipped in with a goal and an assist from deeper areas, reinforcing his value as a two-phase midfielder rather than a purely defensive screen.

That these contributions have come so early is no accident. The summer’s new signings have not been eased in but embedded immediately. Nicholas Ammeter’s presence for 100 per cent of available minutes speaks to both trust and necessity, while Brian Farinas, David Jacovic and Brandon Soppy have all featured in over three quarters of total minutes played. This is not rotation born of curiosity but reliance shaped by design. Arriola has doubled down on experience and tactical literacy, leaning heavily on players who can interpret space and tempo rather than simply occupy zones.

The most notable structural adjustment has come in response to Matteo Gambardella’s slow start. With just 0.33 combined expected goals and assists so far, and having been substituted in every appearance, Gambardella has struggled to influence games from his usual narrow-left role. Arriola’s response has been telling. Rather than reverting to wider balance, he has leaned further into central congestion, deploying three number tens behind the striker to prioritise progression through narrow channels. Onyegbule has been the chief beneficiary of this shift, operating as the most aggressive interior presence, comfortable receiving between lines and accelerating play vertically. 

This evolution is clearly illustrated in the comparative data now emerging from Chur’s early-season matches. A bespoke playmaking index, combining progressive passes, key passes and chances created and normalising them against crosses completed, highlights the philosophical divide within the squad and the shift towards creating from the centre – with little to no width on the left and just Brandon Soppy operating as a wide man from the right, albeit from a deeper starting role. Onyegbule stands out as a clear anomaly against the rest of the league, producing high central creative output with minimal reliance on crossing. In contrast, Brandon Soppy sits at the other end of the spectrum, leading the league with three completed crosses per game and offering width that is increasingly functional rather than creative. The accompanying central creation metric reinforces this split, showing just how heavily Chur’s most effective progression is now concentrated through the middle of the pitch. It clearly has worked. But will it continue to?

Because it is now that the first cracks begin to show. Chur’s rolling xG versus xGA average started the season in emphatic fashion, with attacking output comfortably outpacing defensive concession. Over the last two matches, that balance has shifted sharply. Not only has the attacking edge dulled, but Chur have also ‘lost’ both games on expected goals, a signal that opponents are beginning to disrupt their preferred rhythms and that a return to form for Gambardella may be a little bit more important than first thought. The spaces between the lines, once freely available to Tairi, Favara and Onyegbule, are now being aggressively screened. Defensive midfielders are holding position rather than jumping out, centre-backs are stepping in with greater confidence, and the time Chur’s playmakers previously enjoyed on the half-turn is being eroded. This is the step up in quality that they knew was coming and now need to act upon.

What emerges, then, is a side at an inflection point rather than in crisis. The strong start has been earned, built on coherence, continuity and brave selection. Twelve points are already on the board. Yet the league’s response has been swift, and the early data suggests that Arriola’s narrow, centralised creation model is already being probed. Whether Chur respond by reintroducing wider balance, rethinking Gambardella’s role, or doubling down on central overloads will define the next phase of their season. For now, the margins remain in their favour. The question is how long they can stay there once familiarity replaces surprise