David Degen was a guest in the first episode of the "Achzädreyenünzig" podcast. The FCB president spoke about his club's goals and the future of coach Fabio Celestini.
David Degen is currently in a great mood, as the FCB boss states in the "Achzädreyenünzig" podcast: "If you look at the table, the mood couldn't be better. Before the three wins, we had a difficult phase, but now the team and Fabio (Celestini) realize that something is in the air this season." They are now starting to think ahead, admits Degen.
Will it be enough for titles this year? Last year was "extremely difficult", he says, and many cogs had to be turned in the summer that are now slowly coming together.
Degen: "Our goal was to finish in the top 6, and we achieved that. You have to adjust your goals." A title is not a must, but: "We are 4 points ahead with 7 rounds to go, now I want to be champion," he says. He himself is highly motivated. If someone could make him champion by running on Mount Everest, he would pack his bags, jokes the 42-year-old.
Last Sunday, he was in the dressing room and congratulated the players. He noticed a special energy. "The players feel that they can achieve something this season," says Degen.
During the national team break (mid-March to the end of March), there were many discussions within the club. There are always intensive, critical and controversial discussions. In the end, only the success of the club counts, explains Degen. Recently, there has been some unrest from outside. Despite the promising starting position in sporting terms - they are in the semi-finals of the Cup - the club did not want to go into the future with Celestini, according to rumors circulating in the media.
"Don't know if Fabio wants to leave in the summer"
"The fact is: Fabio has a contract until 2026. As things stand, Fabio will be our coach in the summer. I don't know Fabio's view on whether he wants to leave in the summer, we don't know that. That's not an issue for us. We want to get everything we can out of the last few games and give it a go. Of course, we have held loose talks within the sports commission to be prepared for all eventualities. That's part of the football business. But we are one hundred percent behind Fabio," emphasizes Degen. He is all the happier that Fabio and the team have not let any of the unrest show.
Many FCB fans are surprised that club icon Taulant Xhaka has been given little playing time and has not even been in the squad for the last nine league games.
Line-up is up to the coach - "would take Tauli with me"
"That's purely up to the coach. I've never interfered, even if others say I have. To be honest: I would probably take Taulant on the bench a few times, even if he doesn't play," says Degen. This is because the 34-year-old midfielder still has energy and motivation and knows what Basel means. Degen's wish for Xhaka, who will end his career in the summer: "I really hope for Tauli, indeed for everyone, that we can give him a nice send-off. That would certainly give him a lot."
Degen admits that he would like to dictate the line-up to the coach, but he doesn't and shouldn't do that. "On the day I do that, I have to be on the line myself," emphasizes Degen. "But we have intensive discussions in the sports commission and tell the coach things that we see. In the end, he has to get out of the office and think about it."
"A good coach adapts his philosophy to the squad with its strengths and weaknesses - not the other way around," emphasizes Degen. He himself would never deploy players in such a way that they have to show their weaknesses, but in such a way that these are reduced to a minimum. And try to emphasize the players' strengths.
Find out whether the players can play to their strengths on Saturday evening in the classic against FC Zurich on blue Sport from 8.30 p.m. Find out why Degen doesn't like looking back on his football career and whether he has found a girlfriend in the rest of the premiere episode.
