Tactical spat between Granit Xhaka and Murat Yakin

Sebastian Rieder from Prague

Maybe it’s just a storm in a teacup. Or the beginning of a rebellion once morest Murat Yakin? The national coach lets the starting formation play in the classic 4-4-2. An unusually offensive orientation for Granit Xhaka, which leads to inconsistencies in the structure and in the backward movement.

After the 2-1 defeat, the captain expressed his displeasure: “The coaches who know me and my game know that my position is lower.” bang! This tactical criticism sits.

It’s an indirect message to Yakin and his formation with the playmaker just behind the strikers. Even if Xhaka puts it into perspective: “I’ve also played in this position at Arsenal. I can play freely. And it’s not like I’m always up there.”

Too much stress for director Xhaka

Specifically, he wants Yakin to be in the 6-man position in front of the defense in a 4-2-3-1. A system with Freuler as an adjutant, who frees up the necessary space at his side to live out his creativity as a ball distributor.

In 4-4-2 the stress for the director is too great. After Prague’s bankruptcy, Xhaka made it clear to Blick: “We lost a lot of the ball in the first half, and the assignment wasn’t right. We were too far away from our opponents and not compact enough.”

Two slapstick goals embarrassed Murat Yakin’s side following the Czechs’ aggressive attack. The reaction? After more than an hour, the Nati coach switched to a 4-3-3 type and brought in Xherdan Shaqiri and Steven Zuber.

“We tried two systems”

The slight relief for Xhaka is visible – even if it doesn’t bring anything in the end. “We varied and tried two systems,” says Xhaka. “I don’t think we lost because of the system.”

Coach Yakin will not appear before the media once more until Saturday. Does he then also comment on the national captain’s criticism of tactics?

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