Assurance at the back

Switzerland's Patrick Muller (r) fences off Dean Saunders of Wales, during their Group 1, Euro 2000 qualifier in Zurich, 31 March 1999. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE)

Switzerland boast a gifted playmaker in Hakan Yakin, and a pair of prolific strikers in Stephane Chapuisat and Alexander Frei but it was on their solid defence that qualification for Euro 2004 was firmly built.

Their back line is anchored by Stephane Henchoz, who forms with Patrick Muller one of the toughest central partnerships in the game.

As a youngster Patrick followed in the footsteps of his older brother Marcel and football became such a passion that he even slept with his ball.

Servette Geneva spotted his talents playing in the youth teams at FC Meyrin in the suburbs of the city and fought off the efforts of several other big clubs in the country to sign him up.

His decision was also based on his education and the desire to remain close to his family instead of moving to a Zurich club where the language would have been Swiss German instead of his mother tongue French.

However, after helping Servette on their way to the 1999 Swiss title he succumbed to the attraction of playing for Grasshoppers and joined the Zurich club in December, 1998 for a season and a half.

Titles on a regular basis

Roman Kratochvil (R) of Inter Bratislava fights for the ball with Patrick Muller (L) of French team Olympique Lyon in their first-leg match of the third preliminary round of the Champions League in Bratislava, Slovakia, 07 August 2000.

One of the biggest clubs in France, Lyon fancied Muller as the man to shore up their defence despite his slight stature (1.82m/69kg) and he made the short trip to central France where he began winning a title every season.

le défenseur lyonnais, le Suisse Patrick Müller (D), est félicité par son coéquipier le gardien, Grégory Coupet, après avoir marqué le but donnant la victoire à l'Olympique Lyonnais lors de la finale de la Coupe de la Ligue de football les opposant à l'AS Monaco, le 05 mai 2001 au Stade de France à Saint-Denis.

It began with the French League Cup in 2001, the club's first trophy since 1973 and Muller it was who scored the winner in extra-time against Monaco at the Stade de France.

The club followed up with their first league title in 2002 under Jacques Santini and then defended their crown the following two seasons under new coach Paul Le Guen.

Muller was a key part of those triumphs and was often in central defence although he also played at full-back or in a defensive midfielder's role.

Patrick Muller (L) of Switzerland vies with Russian Marat Izmaylov (R) in a World Cup qualifier match in Moscow 06 October 2001. Russia won 4-0.

Consistent, appreciated for his kind demeanour and availability, he was even offered the captain's armband.

At national level, he made his debut for Switzerland in April, 1998 against Northern Ireland and soon became a regular in defence alongside Henchoz.

Strikers at Euro 2004 will no doubt find the "Swiss wall" difficult to pass as the duo from Lyon and Liverpool form a solid barrier.