After the great European Championship campaign, national team coach Murat Yakin is on a well-deserved vacation. There, the 49-year-old spoke to "Blick" about his feelings after the bitter quarter-final exit against England and how he sees the goalkeeping battle for the number 1 spot.
On Monday, Murat Yakin received the necessary confidence from the association with a two-plus-two-year contract. His assistant Giorgio Contini will also remain on board for two years.
He negotiated the contract extension himself. "I agreed relatively quickly," said the Basel native in an interview with "Blick" and emphasized: "The salary was not the deciding factor"
A few months ago, the SFA made him a contract offer, which he rejected at the time and wanted to postpone talks until after the European Championship: "The timing wasn't right for me in the spring. Somehow I wanted this challenge to prove myself."
The national team coach is now enjoying a well-deserved vacation on Mallorca with his wife Anja and their two daughters. Until the day of the final match, he had only thought about the unfortunate European Championship exit in the quarter-final once more: "You have one chance in football, you don't get the opportunity to play a replay. That's part of the game. That's why it's a missed opportunity, knowing that we could have beaten the English."
Unlucky draw lottery spoke against the Nati
Yakin's conclusion: "It hurts because you know there was more in it. That's what sticks with you." But on the one hand, they should have taken the chance they were given, and on the other, they should also be grateful for the great moments they were able to experience, Yakin emphasized.
He also highlights his team's style of play: "We've recently seen a national team that has dominated opponents, even those with big names. I've been in football for 30 years now, and that's never been the case in that time." They had made progress in all areas, and that was something to be proud of.
The defeat against the Three Lions was only sealed in the penalty shoot-out. Yann Sommer was unable to save a penalty, while antipode Jordan Pickford defused Manuel Akanji's shot - with unsportsmanlike conduct.
"These are just gimmicks. Some people need that. But it had nothing to do with the English gentleman," said Yakin, adding: "But we knew what we were up against, our players know Pickford and know that he's special. It's part of football that things don't always run smoothly and according to the rules."
Akanji was the first to contact him to take the penalty. That deserves respect first and foremost. Captain Granit Xhaka, on the other hand, would have been the last to take the penalty due to his muscle problems, admits Yakin.
For the outside world, such an "exceptional situation" is difficult to comprehend; only those who have experienced the long walk from the center to the penalty spot know what he is talking about. For Yakin, two things spoke against the Nati before the penalty lottery: "The fact that we scored in front of the England fans and that we were only allowed to score second. Both were decided by the draw."
Kobel substitution was an option
Gregor Kobel, a feared penalty-killer, was left on the bench. According to Yakin, substituting the BVB professional was an option. Out of respect for the number 1 Sommer, however, they decided against it: "He deserved the opportunity to take this penalty," explained Yakin.
Yakin cannot yet say whether the changing of the guard in goal is imminent: "I will talk to both of them after the vacations. The question is not who will be in goal in three days' time, but who will be in goal at the World Cup in two years' time."
Xherdan Shaqiri, who announced his retirement from the national team on Monday, will certainly not be at the 2026 World Cup: "I regret Shaqiri's retirement in all respects because he is an exceptional footballer and I also hold him in extremely high regard as a person. As things stand today, I don't expect another player to retire."
