Praised to the skies since the start of the Euro, Murat Yakin is savouring the moment. With 4 days to go before the quarter-final against England, the coach spoke with a burning desire to keep the flame alive.
“Positive reviews are always nice. But I recently experienced the other side of the coin. I’m not someone who reads everything that is written and listens to everything that is said. Now we have to look forward to the quarter-finals. The adventure is not over.”
Murat Yakin and… England
“If we only look at the individuals, England are probably the favourites for this quarter-final. Everyone saw what Jude Bellingham did on Sunday. But this quarter-final will be open. We will be ready for this big fight. This match will be totally different to the one on Saturday against Italy. England play in a more vertical way with full-backs who go deep. There will be long play, second balls. This can lead to risky situations. We saw it against Scotland. It is up to us to adapt.”
Murat Yakin and… the metamorphosis of the Swiss team
“In the preliminary round, we were probably too confident. Playing in empty or practically empty stadiums in Serbia, Andorra and Hungary also worked against us. But our qualification was never in danger. Above all, we were able to learn the lessons from this preliminary round before having fruitful discussions and making the right decisions. And having in the team an Italian champion in Yann Sommer, a German champion in Granit Xhaka, an English champion in Manuel Akanji and three players who brought Bologna to the Champions League with Michel Aebischer, Remo Freuler and Dan Ndoye is not insignificant. They were able to transmit their winning mentality to the others.”
Murat Yakin and… the contribution of Giorgio Contini
“The arrival of Giorgio Contini in the staff is also very valuable. Giorgio and I understand each other with our eyes closed. I don’t see him as my assistant, but rather as a co-coach. Having him at my side is a huge opportunity.”
Murat Yakin and… his winning choices
“Of course, winning choices instill a certain confidence. They are dictated by the profile of the opponent and by the impressions that emerge during training. I must admit that it takes a certain courage to make certain decisions. But it is up to the players to validate them in some way on the field. Seeing them achieve this is gratifying.”
Murat Yakin and… the replacements
“One of the hardest parts of my job is to give the right message to the players who are not playing. The team situation is probably ‘ideal’ with no injuries and no suspensions for the quarter-final, so it’s really not easy for them. All I can do is organise training sessions where they feel valued. It’s up to them to have patience and character. But it’s not easy to get inside their heads, to know how they feel.”
Murat Yakin and… his future
“The time has not come to talk about it. We must respect the present moment. We will see after the Euro. I did not accept the offer from the ASF this spring. I felt that the timing was not right. I want to clarify two things: no other offer has come to the table and I must, finally, recognize that I am in a more enviable situation than in the fall.”
/ATS-fba
