2023-11-14 17:41:31
– Manuel Akanji: “Qualifying for the Euro, the only thing that matters”
The defender of the Swiss team intends to close the case on Wednesday (8:45 p.m.) once morest Israel. The rest doesn’t matter.
Published today at 6:41 p.m.
Manuel Akanji and Switzerland want to forget the 3-3 once morest Belarus last month.
AFP
There is tension, perhaps. Understandable. This would explain why the members of the Swiss team reserve big declarations for themselves. They will possibly come later. For example Wednesday evening, following the match once morest Israel at the Pancho Arena in Felcsut (Hungary), in the event of qualification for Euro 2024. A victory would allow the ticket to be validated.
What is in favor of Switzerland? “The quality, the experience, the confidence that I have in the whole team and also the few fans who will be there,” listed Murat Yakin on the eve of the match Tuesday evening. The coach was referring to the only thirty-five tickets sold on the Swiss side in an enclosure which certainly cannot accommodate more than 4,000 people.
No doubt a question of deadline. Or that this national team has been a little less vibrant lately. “We had a good start, showing our qualities in each match,” adds Yakin. We also had a few absences, but that happens in football. And once morest Belarus, the positive is that we showed that we did not want to lose, by coming back to the score. The 3-3 of October, following being led 1-3, must be swept away.
Sommer holder
This suggests a certain performance on the field. “We certainly had bad results, but defensively, we remain good,” Manuel Akanji convinces himself. We analyzed this match and now we want to put in a good performance on Wednesday.” Beyond that, for the Manchester City defender, there is a result to be obtained: “We want to qualify, that’s the only thing that matters,” says the Zurich resident.
This is also the intention of the coach, who is not currently looking much further than that. First place, the quality of the game, all that will come a little later. “The match once morest Israel will be more open than once morest Belarus, because Israel also needs points,” explains Yakin. As a national team, we want to qualify for major tournaments.”
How will the Swiss team line up on Wednesday? With Yann Sommer in his goals, that is the only certainty, while Gregor Kobel will start on Saturday once morest Kosovo. For the rest, you have to imagine a typical team. And what does the particular conditions matter, particularly for Israel: “What is happening there is tragic,” Akanji agrees. But in the end, we are here for football, to represent Switzerland and qualify for the Euro. The main thing really isn’t elsewhere.
Valentin Schnorhk has been a journalist in the sports section since 2021, following working at the Keystone-ATS agency. He particularly follows football and is closely interested in analyzing the game.More info@schn_val
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