Bondskeeper Foletti about Sommer’s time in Munich: “Yann faltered at Bayern, but did not fall”

You could give free Italian lessons in the summer…
Yann is very gifted in languages, he will learn the new language very quickly even without my help. His Spanish and French are also passable.

Three games, zero goals – Sommer’s start in Milan was successful from the outside. What does the expert say?
I’m very happy with how things are going. He is the clear number 1 for all decision makers at Inter, this certainty should not be underestimated. Yann fits perfectly into the picture of how Simone wants to play Inzaghi. And last but not least, he is at Inter with Gianluca Spinelli under the wings of the best goalkeeper coach in the world. With him, Yann can still take a step forward at the age of 34.

Should summer in Italy change style?
There are certainly adjustments on a tactical and technical level. And Inter works very meticulously, Inzaghi rarely lets go of his players and demands a high intensity in the training sessions. After eight years in Germany, there are many new attractions for Yann.

Can Inter make the summer even better?
Yes of course.

In the eyes of Murat Yakin, Sommer was dragged through the ‘dirty slingshot’ in the six months at Bayern Munich. Do you share this harsh criticism of the club and its surroundings in Munich?
As a Ticino, I didn’t even know the word (laughs). Let me put it this way: football has no memory. So much has been written and said, but the past does not interest me. One thing is clear: for Yann, the six months were an important experience for further growth. From that point of view, I’m also glad he experienced it. Even if not everything was always fun.

Was it dealing with summer fair?
As the goalkeeper coach of the Swiss national team, I would have liked Yann to have more support. Live shots were fired from various sections of the public and so-called experts.

How do you rate Sommer’s performance at Bayern?
Complete, no doubt about it. But the point is, could he have performed better in the mixed situation? I doubt many players would have been unscathed under these circumstances. Yann bruised, staggered, but didn’t fall. Measured against the entire vortex, its performance was outstanding.

You are also personally close to Sommer: how close was the criticism to him?
He suffered. That’s completely normal. At the age of 34, he faced headwinds for the first time in his career, after things had always gone well before. But thanks to his mental strength, he was able to survive well.

With the national team, have you had to deal with the scenario of Sommer staying at Bayern and having to go to the bench after Manuel Neuer returns?
If we didn’t always have options B, C and D in mind, we wouldn’t be doing our job in the coaching staff. On the other hand, we should not be guided by probabilities. Basically, the main goalkeeper of the national team has to play regularly in the club.

How long will Sommer remain number 1 in the national team?
No idea. Neither Yann nor I decide that, but Mother Nature. According to the Darwin principle. If at some point the construction no longer stands, someone else will stand in the gate.

Who ultimately decides who is included in the national goal? You or Murat Yakin?
I have the right to make suggestions because I am close to the goalkeepers and guide them outside the national teams. With Muri, and I really appreciate that, it’s always a togetherness. We discuss all the arguments, in the end we are all convinced of the decision.

When it comes to goalkeeper position, discussions may have been brief lately…
In the end, Muri largely implemented my suggestions, but so did his predecessors. Although we did not always agree at the beginning of a discussion.

Yakin has hinted that, in retrospect, he would not pick up the players who were sick ahead of the World Cup round of 16 against Portugal. Not even Yann Sommer.
Should such a scenario happen again, we are now better prepared. Which doesn’t mean Yann wouldn’t be playing then. We would look at it more holistically, no longer just from the perspective that there are established players who have described themselves as right for us.

Is Gregor Kobel the natural successor to Yann Sommer in the Nati goal?
To put it this way: it doesn’t make sense compared to the other keepers. Gregor is the closest goalkeeper to taking over Yann’s role today through performance and presence. He cannot rest on his laurels, with Omlin, Mvogo and then the younger Köhn, Loretz and Keller we have goalkeepers who are comparable to him in terms of potential.

Kobel would rather be number 1 yesterday than today: how hard is it to make him understand that he has to be patient?
From the outside you would think this is difficult. I have known Gregor for ten years now, we have found a good way to communicate. And over the past year and a half, he has gone through a maturation process that has made him understand what his current role is. He now sees the big picture and doesn’t just think from a first-person perspective.

Who do you have on your radar behind the established Sommer, Kobel, Omlin and Mvogo?
Pascal Loretz is doing great in Lucerne, YB’s Marvin Keller is being watched and has great potential, even if he doesn’t play regularly with YB. Tim Spycher and Marwin Hübel, who are now regulars at Baden and Aarau in the Challenge League, are also interesting. Then there are other interesting profiles at U17 and U18 level, but I don’t want to mention their names yet.

Anthony Racioppi plays well at YB – why isn’t he a problem for the national team?
He was a regular goalkeeper in the U21 national team and then chose his own path, with the result that he did not play much anymore. In terms of vintage and momentum, it was difficult for him to gain a foothold in the national team. But I’m watching him closely now, he’s made progress. Now it will become clear whether he stays in the YB goal or is replaced by David von Ballmoos.