After the coup over Italy, Switzerland will take on top favorites England in the European Championship quarter-finals on Saturday. Nati coach Murat Yakin is confident about the game and tells the media conference how he wants to approach the match.
Murat Yakin is brimming with confidence ahead of the quarter-final against England. "We kept up with the Germans and beat Italy. Why shouldn't we be able to beat the English as well?" said the national team coach at Tuesday's press conference. "We're in good form. My team is ready for a big fight."
Yakin expects a completely different game to the one against Italy. While the Italians rotated a lot during the tournament, Gareth Southgate more or less always uses the same players and the same style of play. "England have a vertical game and a high intensity. Our task is to press," says the national team coach.
The all-clear has been given for Granit Xhaka. The captain had to be examined for adductor complaints. The MRI showed that it is not a serious injury, but Xhaka will have to train individually for the time being. However, he is not in danger of playing against England. "We've been lucky with the injuries so far," says Yakin.
Find out how Yakin is managing to keep the reserves happy, what he thinks of his assistant coach Giorgio Contini and what he says about his contract situation in the live ticker below.
The live ticker to read
-
Liveticker
-
Liveticker closed
-
The media conference is over
The Nati will play against England in Düsseldorf on Saturday. Kick-off is at 18:00.
-
What will be decisive against England?
"It will be a different game to the one against Italy. It's up to us how we approach the rhythm. Italy played with different systems and players. When we saw the line-up, we knew we had a chance. England have a vertical game and intensity. Our task is to press. They are dangerous with their full-backs. We just have to be ready, but it will be a completely different game to the one against Italy."
-
Yakin on his statement: "We'll destroy the Italians if they play with a back four"
"That's not really my style, maybe it came out of emotion. I was simply euphoric. But we knew that we could cause Italy big problems if they played with a back four. But that's not really my style. We know that the English also play with a back four and we're excited to see what solutions they have in store for us. I think our opponents will also have to prepare for us."
-
Yakin on Southgate
"I have great sympathy for Gareth. We had good talks, we're on the same level and understand each other very well. When you have great players and so much choice and then you can't deliver the results, it's not easy in the UK. As a coach, you can only focus on the games and not on what's written in the newspapers."
-
Yakin: "My team is ready for a big fight"
"They have great players. The group stage is not so easy when the expectations are so high. They didn't have an easy game against Slovakia. But if you look at the players ... Bellingham, for example, the way he performs. In the end, we're in a good situation and it's my job to prepare for how we play. We kept up with the Germans and beat Italy. Why shouldn't we be able to beat the English? We're in good form. My team is ready for a big fight."
-
Yakin on his surprises
"Confidence is an important keyword. Confidence in me from the managers. There are strategic solutions and human solutions. The players who are on the pitch play with great joy. Of course, there is always a match plan and a strategy. But the human component also plays a part, I can feel that in training. You also have to have a bit of courage. I've noticed in the test matches that we need to adapt one or two things. For example, Ndoye needs to play more offensively so that we become even more unpredictable. You always need a plan, but it's great how the boys celebrate it on the pitch."
-
Yakin on the reserves
"It's the most difficult task to keep all the players happy. All the players want to play, even if it's only for a minute. It's important that the players fit in with the team in terms of character. With the goalkeeper, for example, it's the case that only one can play unless the number 1 is unavailable. We have made sure that we only bring in players who can also accept a reserve role. It's not easy to get inside the players' heads. You can only make it clear in discussions that everyone is needed and that the chance has to come at some point."
-
Yakin on co-trainer Contini
"We didn't just want to change the style of play, we also wanted to make some adjustments to the staff. So that we are also very efficient in training. I wanted someone I could trust blindly. I thought about Contini early on. I don't see him as an assistant, but as my partner. He is a stroke of luck for us."
-
Yakin on the success of the national team
"We can only concentrate on the football and don't have to deal with any background noise. It was important that the players came in with a lot of self-confidence. Yann, Manu and Granit have won titles, the Bologna players have had a great season. That was important."
-
Yakin on the differences between the final round and qualifying
"We were the favorites in the qualifiers and got off to a good start. You have to understand that the players who play in full stadiums week in, week out have to play in front of empty stands in the qualifiers. We were still focused, but then we had a few negative results. Nevertheless, qualification was never really in danger. But we brought it on ourselves that not everything went so well. But we were able to analyze it afterwards and now we are where we are. I think we've made a great start to the European Championships. We can also benefit from what we built up in the qualifiers. With a lot of possession and a dominant style of play."
-
Yakin on Akanji
"I visited him twice and also met him. We talked about his personal situation and his style of play. Also about his position in the national team. It was also about the fact that he has to take responsibility and can't leave Granit on his own. I asked him if he wanted to become a coach later on. But he doesn't see himself as a coach. Maybe that will come to him. With Granit, you can see that he also wants to take on responsibility off the pitch. Both are in a central position with me."
-
Yakin on speculation surrounding his contract
"Please respect the situation. There is no reason to talk about my future here. We had good talks and said that we would look at everything after the European Championship. I didn't accept the offer out of conviction. There are no other offers than the one from the SFA."
-
Yakin about the English
An English reporter wants to know what Yakin thinks of England's performance. Yakin: "It's not my job to judge that. I always look at my team. But England have had difficult games. We also know how strong the team is. But we are ready and focused on ourselves. The role of favorites is clear: the market values of the English are much higher than those of my players. But let's just play the game. It's an open game."
-
Yakin on praise for the national team
"It's nice to be praised. We've earned it through our hard work. It gives us courage and self-confidence. We're in a good mood, but now we have to focus on the next task and prepare well."
-
Update on Xhaka injury
Head of media Adrian Arnold welcomes the journalists and gives an update on Granit Xhaka. Xhaka is training individually due to adductor problems. The MRI has shown that it is not a serious injury. He is not in danger of playing against England.
-
Yakin is here
The national team coach enters the media room. We're ready to go.
-
Hello ...
and welcome to the Swiss national team's media conference. On Saturday, Switzerland will take on top European Championship favorites England in the quarter-finals in Düsseldorf. Nati coach Murat Yakin will be available to answer questions from the media in the run-up to the match. The game is due to kick off at 14:00.
