Nati coach Yakin responds to Xhaka’s criticism: a small announcement, a small hug

class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>

The sun is beating down over Valais, the air in the media room of the Tourbillon stadium is thick. Fitting the mood surrounding the Swiss national team, there has been a downward trend in the sport, with only two draws recently against nominally clearly weaker Romania and Kosovo. And above all there is the all-round blow from Granit Xhaka, who complained about a lack of training intensity after Saturday’s 2-2 draw in Pristina. A targeted attack by the captain towards Murat Yakin.

Since it wasn’t the first time, it was interesting to see how the Nati coach would respond to his key player’s criticism this time?

Yakin: “It won’t happen again”

At first, Yakin seems diplomatic and talks about the 45-minute conversation between the two on Sunday. And that he did not see his captain’s words as criticism, but rather as a suggestion. Only when asked that it was not Xhaka’s first attack in his direction does Yakin become clear: “If he leans out of the window, he has a duty and must lead the way on the field.” A reference to Xhaka’s poor performance in Kosovo on Saturday. Yakin continued: “There was no need for him to make the criticism publicly. And not smart at this stage either. I will not tolerate such words. Something like that won’t happen again.”

Tree! Until here and no further! Will Xhaka stick to it?

Doubtful! In any case, the captain does not have to fear short-term consequences and is assured of a permanent place for Yakin’s Andorra match. And instead of eating chalk, according to Yakin, Xhaka wanted more involvement in the organization of the Nati meetings during the discussion. More power for Xhaka as a result of the training criticism?

Yakin explains: “I determine the training content or setup.” This concerned marketing activities between the units, the choice of location for the national team camp and the quality of the training facilities. Yakin suggests that Xhaka should be more involved in these types of things in the future. The coach: “Most of our players at the club are used to training on top pitches every day. As a national team we also have the responsibility to show ourselves everywhere in the country. There are obligations for sponsors that we must fulfill. Not everyone likes that.”

Freuler does not agree with Xhaka

The coach is clearly not trying to add fuel to the fire. There is a clear message to Xhaka to save face as a trainer higher up in the hierarchy. But Yakin is also taking a cuddle course and says: “Granit is special because he wants more information. As a player I was captain myself and sought exchanges with the coach. » And further: “The incident has no influence on our relationship. We have known each other well for a long time. Being loud and talking about things clearly connects us. Hopefully it won’t be the last time he makes his presence felt.”

By the way: Xhaka did not seem to have spoken for the entire team with his training criticism. Remo Freuler, who, like the captain, is on the team council, says: “If the team council feels like they need to raise something with the coach, they do so.” But that was not the case in the days before the match against Kosovo.

Source : Blick