He is one of many Shaqiri predecessors as an FCB returnee. Zdravko Kuzmanovic (36) talks about exaggerated expectations and explains why Shaq didn't behave very cleverly at the presentation.
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- blue Sport spoke to former FCB player Zdravko Kuzmanovic about Xherdan Shaqiri's return to Basel.
- "A super transfer," says Kuzmanovic. However, Shaqiri should know that not only he but also FC Basel has changed in his 12 years abroad.
- Kuzmanovic emphasizes that Shaqiri "doesn't fit in at all" with FCB's transfer strategy. This could lead to problems with Taulant Xhaka or Fabian Frei.
Zdravko Kuzmanovic, Shaqiri will be back in FCB kit at St. Jakob-Park for the first time on Sunday. What do you think?
Kuzmanovic: A super transfer! It's great that a Basel player is coming back. And what a superstar he is: Shaq is a 125-time international. That's really great for the club, its fans and the league.
The demands on him are huge. Is Shaqiri up to it?
The expectations are gigantic. Shaq will be able to help the team with his class, his wit and his creativity, no question about it. And he will have his moments of genius. But you shouldn't forget in Basel that Shaqiri is no longer 20 like he was back then, he's 33. He can't single-handedly turn the whole FCB around. Just because he's back now doesn't mean everything will suddenly be great again.
There are many who see it differently. Because of his return, many in Basel are now dreaming of the title again ...
... You can always dream, but I recommend keeping your head down. Shaq will need time to get back to one hundred percent. He hasn't played for a long time recently. He's also spent the last two and a half years in the MLS. Nothing against Major League Soccer, but it's miles away from the top European level.
When he was introduced to the fans, Shaqiri himself talked about titles. Was he well advised?
That wasn't very clever of him. He made an already very difficult task even more difficult for himself. As long as things are going well, okay. But if things start to go less well and the results don't materialize, these statements will blow up in his face.
His fitness level has been criticized more often recently. For example, national team coach Murat Yakin said at the European Championship that Shaqiri wouldn't be able to play two games within a few days.
I don't know how fit Shaq is. But if he's overweight, he should urgently lose weight. The Super League can't be compared with the top leagues in Europe, but at least it's very physically demanding. In Switzerland, you have to be able to run for 90 minutes.
Should Shaqiri now be given the captain's armband?
I don't think so. I played with Shaq at Inter - he's a very calm guy. He's no Granit Xhaka.
You returned to FCB in the summer of 2015 after eight years in Germany and Italy. What does Shaqiri have to prepare for?
He needs to know that it's not just him who has changed in his 12 years abroad, but also FC Basel. The club has been completely restructured and no longer has much to do with the dominant FC Basel of the past. Back then, he had many great and experienced players around him, such as Huggel, Frei, Streller and Stocker. Back then, he played in a team that absolutely wanted to win titles, had to win titles. Today, the team is not nearly as stable as it was back then. FCB relies entirely on youth, on talented players who can be sold on at a profit.
That's why Shaqiri doesn't fit into FCB's transfer strategy at all.
Not at all. The only experienced outfield players apart from him are Taulant Xhaka and Fabian Frei. But FCB are no longer relying on these two. That could lead to problems.
Why is that?
Frei and Xhaka are two absolute FCB legends. They have been hearing for weeks now that at 35 and 33 they no longer fit into the concept and philosophy of FC Basel and that they can look for a new club. And now they're bringing Shaqiri back on a three-year contract. Shaq will soon be 33, and I don't know whether Frei and Xhaka will be very understanding of this. I hope that Shaq will make an impact in Basel, otherwise this constellation could become difficult.
Your recall campaign didn't quite work out; you left FCB in January 2016 after just six months. Why was that?
It worked out in sporting terms. We won all of our first eight games and were always in first place. There were other reasons why I went on loan to Udinese back then, coach Urs Fischer and I weren't on the same wavelength at all. But let's not go there, that's long gone.
