In the football talk Heimspiel, Giorgio Contini explains how he and national team coach Murat Yakin worked out the tactical ideas for the European Championship campaign in the run-up to the tournament.
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- In the football talk Heimspiel, Giorgio Contini reveals the special conditions under which he and Murat Yakin developed the match tactics for the European Championship campaign.
- For Yakin, Contini was more than just an assistant coach. Contini was given a lot of trust right from the start. Contini accepted his role gratefully, but also knew where his limits were.
- Contini considers the search for a suitable successor to himself to be difficult. The task as assistant coach is a balancing act.
Giorgio Contini has already been head coach at St. Gallen, Lausanne and GC. In February 2024, he moved to the SFA - and acted as Murat Yakin's assistant coach in the national team. This could have been perceived as a step backwards in the hierarchy, but he saw it as a challenge and an opportunity, the 51-year-old explains in Football Talk.
In the end, Contini played a big part in the successful European Championship in Germany with the quarter-final qualification. "There were so many wonderful moments, it was a sensational experience," enthuses Contini, adding: "It also gave me the confirmation that my work and personality - regardless of the level - is also appreciated." The national team stars are not only outstanding footballers, but also great people, says Contini.
More than just an assistant coach
Between Yakin and Contini - the two already worked together in the 2011/12 season in Lucerne - there was no classic division of roles, i.e. with a clear boss and an executive assistant.
"It was clear from day one that Muri was giving me the chance to be who I am, i.e. that I wasn't just there as an assistant. Even though I saw Muri as the boss and knew where my place was. My role was clear, I knew where my boundaries were. And yet you can say anything to each other and trust each other," says Contini, summarizing the working relationship. His conclusion: "It was a perfect match between Muri and me."
Finding the right match plan was always a big task: "You simply have to have the best players, who perform regularly and play on the international stage, in the first eleven. And then you have the problem when you have Granit (Xhaka), (Remo) Freuler and (Michel) Aebischer - that's three for just two positions," explains Contini.
Difficult search for Contini replacement
"You have to tinker with that," reveals Contini. The two tactical foxes not only discuss tactics in the office, but also in the fresh air. However, there weren't really any summer temperatures at the European Championships. "It felt like 6 degrees in the evening. We wore winter jackets and went under the heater to exchange funny ideas," he smiles.
The mutual trust was the basis for the success of the collaboration, says Contini. Contini has now been head coach at YB since the end of December, while Yakin does not yet have a new sparring partner. Contini on the search for his successor: "That's the difficulty: finding someone with whom there is an interpersonal fit and who is able to classify it - what can he do, what is he allowed to do and to what extent."
