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Renato Steffen, it was rumored that you would not be in the national team squad this time after your injury in February. Yet here you are. Surprised yourself?
No. I’ve also read a few things that have me shaking. But for me it was never a problem. I know where I stand with Murat Yakin. We’ve gotten to the point in our relationship where if he had felt like he wanted to try something, he would have let me know early on.
Are you completely fit again after your injury?
Absolute. I’m in a good mood and you can’t give me a reason why I shouldn’t be there. The time will come someday, but the time has not come yet.
How will the national team approach the European Championship year after the turbulent autumn?
Of course they were difficult matches. But that’s over. When you have something like a European Championship coming up, you have to look forward with joy. At least that applies to me. If I participate, it will be the second major tournament for me. This gives me the motivation I need to go the extra mile within the club.
Statistically speaking, you are doing very well this season with 13 assists and 6 goals. How do you see that?
Actually I’m happy, but somehow not. Especially because the second half of the season has been a bit difficult so far and I have missed six games. I just want to show that I can still be one of the best in Switzerland. With this goal I also put pressure on myself and am therefore a little more tense than normal.
It’s your second season in Lugano. Almost exactly a year ago, you said in an interview with “Corriere del Ticino” that not everyone in the locker room would accept your leadership role. How is it today?
It has improved. My teammates now know what drives me, that I can get angry about little things and process things differently on the field or in the locker room. I am trying to improve in this area. Still, I don’t want to lose myself. I still have to clash with the team and the coach. This is a part of me so that I can get the most out of others and myself.
Lugano’s season was characterized by ups and downs in the first half of the year. Were the many matches and bad luck with injuries the reasons for this?
On the one hand, many games can be quite good. On the other hand, it was the first European campaign for many of us. We may not have been as ready as we should have been. We have a very good team. But if you have to do without six or seven players at the same time, it also becomes difficult for us.
But seeing how YB is faltering and Servette playing for the title despite 46 competitive matches, don’t you think Lugano could have been there with a little more consistency?
Yes, of course, when you look back and see what points you awarded, then sure. We could have been within range. But whether it would have been good to attack at the top now is another question. Maybe that’s why it’s a good thing that we look at what it takes to reach the top.
But you still have a chance to win a title. In the cup you are in the semi-finals…
…And we want to bring this trophy to Ticino. When you are in the semi-finals, there can only be that goal. Otherwise you don’t have to compete. A difficult opponent awaits us in Zion. If we correct our own mistakes from the last few games, we have a very good chance of reaching the final. And then we have to go ‘all in’.
Your contract in Ticino expires in just over a year. Are you planning to extend your stay in Lugano?
We have to sit together this summer. I enjoy it here. But there should be a clear plan for me again. I still have a passion for football and I’m not that old yet (laughs). So there are many possibilities: expand here or take on another project elsewhere. In any case, exciting months await me. Even with the European Championships on the horizon, that can open other doors.
With Chicago as Lugano’s partner club, it would be clear that an adventure in the US would take place soon. Are you currently ruling this out?
No. But it should fit. I think it is important that I can make a difference as a leader at a club in my current phase of my career.
Her boyfriend Xherdan Shaqiri (32) currently plays for Chicago. His contract there expires at the end of 2024. Have you imagined what it would be like to play with him in Lugano?
That would be cool. I don’t know if it is feasible and if he would like to return to Switzerland. Of course it would be nice if we could play together again. You can always make wishes. But it is rare for these to become reality in football.
But it would have some appeal if you both inaugurated the new Cornaredo in the Lugano dress at the end of 2025/beginning of 2026?
That would certainly be a nice thing. You could maybe package it for both of them like last year. We have to look at that together (laughs).
|
team
|
SP
|
T.D
|
PT
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
 BSC Young Boys
|
28
|
29
|
54
|
|
|
2
|
 Napkin FC
|
28
|
18
|
54
|
|
|
3
|
 FC Lugano
|
28
|
10
|
46
|
|
|
4
|
 FC Zurich
|
28
|
10
|
43
|
|
|
5
|
 FC St. Gallen
|
28
|
4
|
41
|
|
|
6
|
 FC Winterthur
|
28
|
-2
|
41
|
|
|
7
|
 FC Lucerne
|
28
|
-4
|
38
|
|
|
8th
|
 Yverdon Sports FC
|
28
|
-20
|
33
|
|
|
9
|
 FC Lausanne Sport
|
28
|
-5
|
32
|
|
|
10
|
 FC Basel
|
28
|
-11
|
32
|
|
|
11
|
 Grasshopper Club Zurich
|
28
|
-3
|
30
|
|
|
12
|
 FC Stade Lausanne Ouchy
|
28
|
-26
|
20
|
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
