What We’re Learning About Chur’s Tactical Evolution in Super League Year Two

The first round of Super League fixtures is complete and Chur sit fifth, with 16 points from 11 matches. Five wins, one draw and five defeats places them firmly in the pack, a reflection of a season that has been competitive without ever quite settling into rhythm. They have scored 17 goals – the fourth-best tally in the league – and conceded 13, ranking fifth defensively. The numbers suggest balance, though the week-to-week experience has been far less even.

The campaign began positively with a controlled away win at Sion, before a damaging home collapse against Lausanne, where Chur conceded three times in the final ten minutes after leading late. A solid victory at Servette followed, then two poor performances in succession — at home to Zürich and away at Stade Lausanne-Ouchy – where attacking connections broke down and defensive distances grew too large.

Those defeats proved to be a turning point. Chur responded with a 4–0 win over Luzern and a 3–0 victory against Grasshoppers, matches that showed clear changes in both structure and intent. A 2–2 draw with Basel, again surrendering a two-goal lead late on, reinforced ongoing concerns around concentration in closing phases. Defeat at Thun followed, before a narrow win over Winterthur and a 2–0 loss away to Young Boys to close the opening cycle of fixtures. Chur have rarely been outplayed, but they have not yet learned how to consistently control moments when matches tilt in their favour.

Mario Silva has been the most decisive attacking presence, scoring nine goals and assisting three more in 13 appearances. His output has given Chur a reliable edge in games where margins have been thin. Daniel Haas has recovered well from a slow start, now with five goals from nine starts, while Xabier Iriondo’sfive goal involvements underline his growing influence in central areas. Monserrate’snumbers are more unusual: six assists from 12 appearances, nearly 2.0 expected goals, and no goals scored. He has often been involved in the creation of attacks rather than their conclusion, frequently receiving deeper or wider than the final action.

Between the defeat at Stade Lausanne-Ouchy and the home match against Luzern, Chur altered several key aspects of their approach.

The most visible change came in the front line. Mario Silva was fixed to the left flank, with Iriondo moved into more central zones. Earlier in the season, the pair rotated freely, often occupying similar spaces and limiting vertical access. The new arrangement prioritises isolation on the left, allowing Silva to attack full-backs directly with pace, while Iriondo operates centrally.

This adjustment also addressed issues between the central striker and the attacking midfielder. Haas’ early struggles in link-up play were partly structural, with the #10 frequently positioned too close to him, compressing space and slowing combinations. By dropping the attacking midfielder deeper through individual work and a change in OOP shape, Chur created clearer vertical lanes, allowing Haas to pin centre-backs while the ball-carrier advanced from underneath.

Chur continue to build into a 2-3-5 shape, though responsibility within that structure has shifted. The left-back still moves inside, but is less involved in early progression. Instead, the ball is moved more quickly toward Farinas in the pivot, where attacking sequences are now more likely to develop. Defensive players have been instructed to play forward earlier, even at the cost of pass completion and possession volume. Since the Luzern match, possession figures have declined and defenders are carrying the ball less. Attacks are shorter, more vertical, and more frequent. Expected goals and goals per 90 have increased during this period, reflecting a more direct attacking profile.

Without the ball, Chur now settle more regularly into a 4-1-4-1. Two compact lines protect central areas, with a single screening midfielder positioned between them and one forward tasked with initiating pressure. This has increased the number of players behind the ball and shortened distances during defensive transitions.

The shape has also sharpened counter-attacking patterns. Recoveries are followed by quicker forward play, with runners breaking from structured positions rather than reacting late. The deep-lying playmaker operates higher out of possession and drops into a defined pocket when Chur regain the ball. With the left-back less involved in distribution, he has taken on greater responsibility in the first forward pass, shaping attacks earlier and more decisively.

Their start represents a solid return, though it has been achieved unevenly. Chur remain vulnerable late in games and still show signs of a side adjusting to expectations rather than simply reacting to them. What is clear is that this is not a team standing still. Arriola has been willing to intervene early, alter roles, and accept short-term disruption in pursuit of clearer structures.

If there is a defining feature of Chur’s second Super League season so far, it is not regression, but movement – tactical, positional, and conceptual. The question for the months ahead is whether these changes settle into something stable, or continue to evolve as the league demands new answers.