Trouble comes to a head: Yakin rages against Nati captain Xhaka after almost embarrassing himself

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The first impression was: Nati coach Murat Yakin casually dropped the penalty. Asked whether you should be afraid of qualifying at all, he said: “Other people have said that in this group you have to get ten wins in ten games.”

This is what Granit Xhaka said after the draw. And so one can only interpret Yakin’s overruling as a tip against his own captain. Was that an arrogant goal? Was it too high? “We have worked hard in recent years to be favorites in every match. The players want that. But the statement is one thing, the execution is another,” the coach evades a bit.

The simmering dispute between the two, which manifested itself throughout qualifying and reached a climax after the stupid 2-2 at the last second in Kosovo, when the captain said there was no rhythm in training and that they played like that, is going Through. Saturday with Xhaka’s statement that he wanted to continue until the 2028 European Championship, but that the coach played a major role.

Central defense completely uncoordinated

And now the new climax with Yakin’s indirect accusation of the new record man, which goes in the direction of arrogance and even ignorance. ‘You see how difficult this is. And you have to work until the last second. And it continues until the last round.”

At that point, Xhaka had finished media work. But instead of laughing and expressing unconditional joy at equaling Heinz Hermann’s 1987 international record of 118, Xhaka was serious. “It’s brutally annoying when you’re so dominant and still score three goals.”

Xhaka caused one thing when he lost the ball during a handball-like patience game around the Belarusian penalty area and enabled the visitors’ counter-attack, which was the origin of the 1:2. «The mistake happened to me. But we have to be much closer to the people when we turn corners.” Is it fair to say that the coaching staff is primarily responsible for what the allocation should look like when the ball is at rest?

The fact is: Manuel Akanji and Fabian Schär are two central defense players who have excelled for their clubs. In the league and in the Champions League. Only with the cross on their chest, they form a wild, uncoordinated duo that is conspicuous by its absence when scoring goals. And twice the captain of Serie A club Torino, Ricardo Rodriguez, is late. The two sixes at the back, Xhaka and Remo Freuler, are also not doing well. One of these is the Bundesliga high flyer par excellence. The other is a Serie A monument.

“We still have everything in our own hands”

And so these misfires after Shaqiri’s Swiss lead ensured that the visitors were able to score three goals despite 80 (!) percent ball possession. Three goals from Belarus, number 105 in the world. One hundred and five! Akanji and Amdouni at least save a point in a final furioso. And with a bit of luck we could even win. But the bottom line is that this is far too little. Lost six points against Romania, Kosovo and Belarus. Seven goals conceded. Incomprehensible!

“We still have everything in our own hands,” says coach Murat Yakin. It sounds de-escalating. And yet: confidence in this team has now diminished. For this team that is far superior to their opponents in terms of football. Also the belief in the coach? ‘It’s not my job to judge. “Every day I see how much fun the team plays with,” says Yakin when asked whether it could soon be on his mind.

WHERE. But others will judge that. Possibly very soon.

Source : Blick