Winter or fall champion is not an official title. It therefore does not appear in the regulations. Nevertheless, it is prestigious - especially among the fans. The Young Boys had actually already won the title of "winter champions" the weekend before last. However, the 19th round was played before Christmas due to the tight fixture schedule caused by the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The big questions among fans: Will YB fall back to second place after all? And cement its reputation as the eternal number 2? Will league giants Basel be back at the top at the end of 2017 after all? Even though the Young Boys still had a comfortable 7-point lead on December 1. After a successful race to catch up by Basel, this had melted away to just two points.
Adi Hütter's men provided the answers impressively on Sunday: Young Boys deservedly won 4-2 in Luzern, keeping Basel, who were also victorious against GC, at bay in the table.
YB will start the second half of the season as leaders and are therefore the hottest title contenders. However, it is anything but clear that a "winter champion" will also become Swiss champion. In the last 15 years, there have often been upsets. In 2005/06, FCB did not even have an 8-point lead at the turn of the year to win the title, while in 2009/10 YB gave up a 7-point lead. Lucerne (2010/2011) and GC (2012/2012) also surrendered their leading position in the second half of the season.
FCB's engine (eight wins in a row across all competitions) really got going at the end of the year. It is also likely that Basel will hit the transfer market in January to strengthen their already broad squad. Meanwhile, the Bernese will be mainly concerned with keeping their team together.
YB are on course for the title, but the Bernese can feel the breath of Basel on their necks. The second half of the 2018 season promises to be exciting.
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