What he demands, as Yakin sees him: Nati captain Xhaka relaunches the position discussion

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“The coach sees how dominant I am in my position at the club. He is the one who decides where the players play. This is not my job. (…) I don’t think the position here needs to be a big problem again. But people see what performance I bring in which position in the club.” In the SRF interview after the 1-1 draw against Kosovo, Granit

Benjamin Huggel (46), SRF expert and ex-teammate of Xhaka, classifies this and first notes that Xhaka again could not hide what he would like to do. “He can also have more responsibility and influence in eighth place than in the last two international matches. This has nothing to do with the position. And it does not have to be implemented in phases if things do not go well. It doesn’t matter if the coach tells him before the game that he is number eight or number six. Granit has to claim the ball, calm the game down, make two or three clean passes so that you are no longer under so much pressure.

Statistics speak for Xhaka

Bayer Leverkusen is currently seeing one of the best Xhakas of all time. The opposite is the case with the national team. Even against Israel, Xhaka gives the opponent the opportunity to counter if he loses the ball. Against Kosovo there is this risky pass into the penalty area to Nico Elvedi, who promptly makes a bad pass on the uneven ground, giving Kosovo a huge opportunity. To do this, he throws away his hands after losing the ball – and remains standing. And then there is the hard foul on Lirim Kastrati (24), while the Swiss has zero chance of getting the ball. Zero! Also a sign of a certain frustration.

Later, the Basel resident again revealed where he would most like to play. He is asked what he thinks about the statistics that say he is one of the best in his position in some areas in the top five leagues. Xhaka: “Statistics have never lied. Not today either.” Period, amen.

Aebischer or Freuler?

For his part, coach Murat Yakin (49) has little understanding for the revival of the discussion about the Xhaka role: “With Granit it is flexibility that he can use if Denis Zakaria lets go. He can divide the position flexibly. He plays for defense in a three-man chain. Granit needs a central position where he feels comfortable and can take on the leadership role. That was agreed with him. I don’t understand why people are constantly worried about whether there is something between me and Granit. I have a positive exchange with him and I try to put him in a position where he is important for the team.”

It was striking how much better Denis Zakaria (26) played when he was higher in the second half.

And there is another construction site at the headquarters. What if the rumors are true that Yakin initially wanted to bring in Michel Aebischer (26) instead of Remo Freuler (31) and then changed his mind? If that’s true, what could have motivated the coach to take this step? It was striking how early he made this change in the match. After about an hour.

Source : Blick