In a Christmas interview with "Blick", national team coach Murat Yakin talks about the search for a successor to assistant Giorgio Contini and his relationship with Xherdan Shaqiri.
24.12.2024, 11:05
24.12.2024, 11:33
SDA
It did not come as a complete surprise, but is still a major challenge for national coach Murat Yakin: the transfer of his assistant Giorgio Contini to Young Boys, which was announced last week. Yakin knows what he had in Contini.
It was clear to him that he wanted to be head coach again, says Yakin in an interview with "Blick". Such changes were part of the business. Contini joined the Swiss national team in February after spells in charge at St. Gallen, Lausanne and GC, among others, and played a major role in the successful European Championship in Germany, where they qualified for the quarter-finals. "He was a stroke of luck," emphasizes Yakin. "We had blind faith in each other and I really appreciated the fact that he was enthusiastic about this project."
One or two people as successors
The search is now on for a successor. "We are still working on the details of the strategy for the upcoming international season and for the World Cup qualifiers (for the 2026 World Cup)," Yakin revealed. The requirements profile for the new assistant coach depends on this. "We need one or perhaps two people who can work with me and the rest of the staff to implement this plan precisely and successfully."
The national team was successful in the summer, but weakened in the fall, as it did a year ago. For Yakin, who extended his contract in the summer, there are reasons for this: Injuries, little luck with the referees and the retirement of three mainstays Fabian Schär, Yann Sommer and Xherdan Shaqiri.
Praise and incomprehension for Shaqiri
The latter in particular did not go off without a hitch. In an interview, the 33-year-old wizard, who has scored 32 goals in 125 international matches and is flourishing once again at FC Basel following his return from the USA, expressed his disappointment that he had not received any reaction from Yakin to his resignation. The latter denies this. He had thanked Shaqiri and Sommer via the "exclusive players' council chat", congratulated them and wished them all the best. Shaqiri's statements therefore made him "a little sad".
However, Yakin also emphasized that Shaqiri had always behaved in an exemplary manner, even when he had less and less playing time in the national team. "You can't easily replace the presence that players like Sommer, Schär or Shaqiri had," he emphasizes. "A Shaq radiates something positive, be it in the hotel, in the dressing room or on the bench. That's just the way it is, that's a quality of his." However, a comeback does not seem to be an issue for either of them.
The suffering of the children
Thanks in part to the successful European Championship, things remained quiet around the national team coach in late fall; this time there were no calls for his resignation. He can deal with such things himself, but it was very difficult for his family last year, especially his two daughters. "My children suffered a lot," regrets Yakin.
The national team will continue with one or two test matches at the end of March. The World Cup qualifiers start on September 5 at home against Kosovo.
