A year ago, Cedric Itten was YB's hero in the Champions League play-off. Now the 27-year-old looks at his opponents and says why the Bernese are ready for the task despite their unsuccessful start to the season.
21.08.2024, 05:00
21.08.2024, 11:07
SDA
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Young Boys face Galatasaray in the Champions League play-offs and will be looking to advance in the first leg in Bern on Wednesday.
- Cedric Itten talks about the difficult start to the season with the champions and explains why he's not worried despite losing his starting spot.
- You can watch the first leg against Galatasaray live on blue Sport. Kick-off is at 9 p.m., and we'll get you in the mood for the clash in the countdown from 8.30 p.m.
Cedric Itten, what's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of last year's Champions League?
My goal in the away game against Red Star Belgrade (2:2). Scoring in the Champions League for the first time meant a lot to me. And of course the two games against Manchester City, the best team in the world alongside Real Madrid. Those are magical moments for a footballer.
What do you particularly remember?
It starts with the anthem: Like many others, I used to watch the Champions League as a boy and admired the players on TV. When you're suddenly standing there yourself and the music starts, you just get goosebumps. Especially in a stadium like the Etihad. The atmosphere there reminded me of my great time with Glasgow Rangers.
They scored another important goal. With the 1:0 in the play-off against Maccabi Haifa, you opened the door to the Champions League.
That was probably one of the most important goals of my career. I knew that it could bring the club a lot of attention and a lot of money. And we players had the chance to represent the whole city at the highest level of football.
To return to the top flight, YB now has to beat Galatasaray. A high hurdle.
It's certainly the toughest of all possible draws. What's more, we first play at home and then away. That's why I think Galatasaray are the favorites.
Four years ago, you also met Galatasaray in the play-offs with Glasgow Rangers.
That's true. We qualified for the group stage of the Europa League with a 2:1 home win.
What lies ahead for YB?
It's difficult to draw comparisons. But we know for sure: Galatasaray's squad is full of good players and the atmosphere will be charged away from home. We have to counter that. That's why it's important to travel to Istanbul with a good result and the necessary self-confidence. Then we have to try to take their individual players out of the game, not allow any desire to play and act as a team.
Is YB ready? After five rounds, the team is still without a win in the championship.
It certainly hasn't got off to the best of starts. But there have also been a lot of unfortunate things, when I think of the red cards in the games against Sion and Yverdon, for example. Then players dropped out injured, others joined us - we still have to find our feet. But we're on the right track, as we showed in the Cup with the 10-0 win against Printse-Nendaz. What's more, we now have a completely different competition. We can forget about the championship for two weeks, play freely and concentrate fully on this big goal.
When analyzing the unsuccessful start to the season, the keyword "frugality" comes up again and again. What do you say to that? Is there a lack of fire in Bern after years of dominance?
No. We had a tough preparation and every player works hard every day. From my point of view, little things went against us at the beginning and we got into a bit of a negative spiral. But that can quickly change with the first win and turn into a positive series.
Negative spirals are unusual for YB. How did it get this far?
That's difficult to say. Last season, we lost important players such as Fabian Rieder, Ulisses Garcia and Jean-Pierre Nsame. Then there were the coaching changes to Joël Magnin and Patrick Rahmen in the summer. Implementing new ideas takes time. But I am convinced that we will find our feet as a team and become stronger.
Patrick Rahmen changed the system after three games and you lost your regular place. How are you dealing with that?
I'm not worried about it. I feel good, I scored three goals in the Cup on Saturday and showed what I can do. The next few weeks will show which system is best for the team. I'm concentrating on what I can influence.
You were also unable to influence the squad for the European Championship in Germany, where you were missing.
I admit that it would have meant a lot to me to be there. But by the start of the tournament, that was already out of the question and I kept my fingers crossed for the team.
Did you talk to national team coach Murat Yakin about why it wasn't enough?
No, we didn't talk to each other. I actually had a good feeling after playing in five out of ten games in qualifying, four of them in the starting eleven, and performing well. Of course, I accept it as it is. Now I'm trying all the harder to push myself again for the next games.
You had a great summer despite missing out on the European Championships: you got engaged, congratulations.
Thank you very much. That really was my biggest highlight, it couldn't have been better.
Finally, back to the European Cup: what do you think of the league format that replaces the group stage?
I think it's special because there are no more first and second legs and we only play at home against some teams and away against others. There are also two more games in the schedule. I thought the old format was good and I don't really know the ideas behind the changes. Let's wait and see. We can make a judgment in six months' time.
