Ex-Nati coach Hitzfeld about upcoming record breaker Xhaka: ‘Grateful to have such a player in the team’

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On Sunday, Granit Xhaka (31) overtakes record player Heinz Hermann (65). Ottmar Hitzfeld (74) helped him with his debut in the SFV selection. The retired world-class coach and the current Switzerland captain have great respect for each other.

“He gave me confidence. He was a gentleman, a monsieur. Together with Arsène Wenger, perhaps one of the greatest coaches in history. Hitzfeld completely convinced me as a person. “I won’t forget how he treated the players with respect,” Xhaka said a few days ago about Hitzfeld, who made him a national player on June 4, 2011 at Wembley in London. The duo was together responsible for 61 international matches: the playmaker from Leverkusen has now played 117 matches in the Swiss outfit.

The appreciation is based on absolute reciprocity: “Granit always demands that he and his teammates do everything they can to be successful. He shows this at every training and in every match. “He was and is the team leader of the Swiss team, the brain of the team, the absolute leader,” former Nati coach Hitzfeld told Keystone-SDA.

Hitzfeld is grateful

And the former Bayern and Dortmund pacer is about to receive an award: “As a coach, I could only be grateful to have such a player in the team. His behavior in the phase of the game where it is important to win the ball is exemplary. His passing quality is absolutely world-class, his game intelligence is exceptional.”

“Very few midfielders have a similar feeling for the game system,” said the two-time Champions League winner. What stands out is “the consistency with which he can perform at an absolute world level.”

That Xhaka would follow his debut against England under Hitzfeld with at least 117 more did not surprise his ex-mentor: ‘I always knew that Granit could easily surpass this. His hunger for success is unbroken.” This is palpable in interviews and visible on the field. (SDA/mom)

Source : Blick