You have to think that if Granit Xhaka had a message to convey, he would undoubtedly have done so after the Swiss team was relegated to League B of the Nations League on Friday. The 1-1 draw against Serbia, the fifth match without a victory, is nothing glorious. But the captain of the national team instead gave a nuanced speech after the game.
“Thank God it’s only the Nations League, and we have things to build on after that,” Xhaka put things into perspective. Now we are looking forward to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, and I believe that is the most important thing.” And to add: “With all my respect, the Euro and the World Cup are completely different than the League of Nations. It’s almost like playing friendly matches. It’s a fact. I am someone who is honest with you, and I would be lying to you if I said the opposite. Of course it’s important, that we want to stay in League A. But England was also relegated.”
We cannot take away from Switzerland that they wanted to win their matches. Did she do everything for it? You shouldn’t swear to it either. The fact is that Granit Xhaka and the other leaders of the national team start from the idea that there are other moments than these autumn matches to transcend themselves.
“We know we need to do more. We had some small decisions against us, but that’s another story. What is important for us are the final tournaments: the Euro and the World Cup. We now have a qualifier to play, and we will be seeded. It was also very important and we will give everything to qualify for the World Cup.”
This will all start next spring. With the aim of being in the United States, Canada and Mexico by 2026.
