Yakin at the media conference "I hope that no Scot is better than my players"

Linus Hämmerli

20.6.2024

Manuel Akanji and Murat Yakin during training.
KEYSTONE

The next task awaits the Swiss national team. On Wednesday (21:00), Scotland await, an opponent where everything is at stake after the false start.

20.06.2024, 10:04

Scotland's 5-1 defeat against hosts Germany casts its shadow. On the evening before the second group game, the Swiss national coach was asked, particularly by the British, what he thought of the Scots' poor performance. But Yakin refused to be drawn into an offside: "We've seen Scotland's games in the European Championship qualifiers and know what the team can do."

Yakin said he expects a strong reaction from the Scots, who are in desperate need of points to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout phase alive after their clear defeat in the opening game. The Swiss coach predicted that they would not be able to overcome their opponents through play alone. "You need a lot of willingness to run and fight."

As usual, Yakin did not reveal any details about the line-up. Instead, he looked back on the preparations: "We were able to prepare for a long time and made some adjustments after the test matches. The instructions were implemented very well in the first game. Now we hope that we can go one better against Scotland." He is looking forward to an atmospheric encounter. The Swiss will also play their second group game in Cologne.

Robertson impressed by Switzerland

Whether Yakin will reach into his bag of tricks again remains to be seen - even for Scotland coach Steve Clarke. Asked about this, the 60-year-old said: "The Swiss have come up with something special for the game against Hungary. We'll see tomorrow whether they have something in store for us. I hope and think that we are well prepared."

Scotland captain Andy Robertson was impressed by the Swiss performance in the opening game. "The team played a strong game and will come up against us with a lot of confidence," said the Liverpool FC player. For his team, it is important to focus on their own strengths. "We've worked hard to get to this great tournament. Now we want to make sure it's not over straight away."

The possible line-ups

Scotland - SwitzerlandWednesday, 21.00 hrs. - Cologne. - Referee Kruzliak (SVK).

Scotland: 1 Gunn; 5 Hanley, 13 Hendry, 6 Tierney; 2 Ralston, 4 McTominay, 14 Gilmour, 3 Robertson; 9 Shankland, 10 Adams, 7 McGinn.

Switzerland: 1 Sommer; 22 Schär, 5 Akanji, 13 Rodriguez; 2 Widmer, 8 Freuler, 10 Xhaka, 20 Aebischer; 19 Ndoye, 17 Vargas; 25 Amdouni.

Comments: Scotland without Porteous (suspended).

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Who are Scotland's key players?

Yakin: "I hope that none of their players are better than my players. That's why I don't want to single out one or two players. I'm concentrating more on my team."

Akanji on the Scottish opponents from the Premier League

The Swiss has words of praise for Scott McTominay, John McGinn and Andrew Robertson in particular.

Are you preparing for bad weather?

Yakin: "We are professional footballers. We play on any surface, in any weather, against any opponent. It doesn't depend on the weather."

Akanji: "If the pitch wasn't playable, we players would notice that during the warm-up and adapt our game."

Akanji on contact with family and friends

"I'm in constant contact with friends and family during the European Championship. Not much changes in my everyday life."

Whether Yakin also surprised the players with his line-up against Hungary

Akanji: "In the last training session, you can already see how you might play. We weren't 100 percent sure how we were going to play. The players were all ready. We were all looking forward to it, and that anticipation has to be there again tomorrow"

Yakin on Akanji's responsibility

"It's clear that Manu will have to take on more responsibility after his transfer to City and with his style of play. It's not just Granit Xhaka who should take on responsibility, I want this whole axis. Manu has made great progress here."

Whether Yakin's opinion of Scotland has changed after their game against Germany

"The pressure was very high for Germany. They played very hard and concentrated. That was the key in this game."

Akanji on Scotland

"They lost the first game, it wasn't their best game. They want to show everyone now that they're better than that. We're ready for that. They want the three points, but so do we. We have to be ready from the start."

Who will Yakin pull out of the hat against Scotland?

Yakin avoids the question: "The players did very well against Hungary. We were unpredictable, it worked out well. I hope we can do it again tomorrow."

The game against Scotland

Yakin: "We know that the Scots can play well. They showed that against Holland and Spain. We are well prepared and come into the game with a lot of confidence. The Scots must now show a reaction. But that will also give us more space."

Yakin and Akanji are there

The two have just got out of the car and made their way to the media room. It should start in a few minutes.

Slight delay

The national team press conference was originally scheduled for 6.30 pm, but has been delayed slightly. It should be 6.50 p.m. by the time it starts here.

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Ricardo Rodriguez is now Switzerland's sole World Cup and European Championship record player. He does not yet know where he will go after the tournament - his contract with Torino is coming to an end. "I'm open to anything," he tells blue Sport. Read the article.