The coach of the Swiss football team, Murat Yakin, said today, before the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup, that he is optimistic and that he has an experienced team that can handle pressure.
In the first round of Group B, Switzerland came close to winning against Qatar, but played to a 1:1 draw after conceding a goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
The next duel awaits them tonight in Los Angeles against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which also played 1:1 with Canada in the opening match of the World Cup.
“I’m optimistic. I trust my players. We have an experienced team and they know very well how to deal with stress… Of course we expected a different start. We have to stay focused, but the way we played was definitely positive. However, we still can’t buy anything from that,” said Yakin.
Part of that stress could be in Switzerland’s locker room, as Swiss media reported this week that some players are unhappy with captain Granit Xhaka, who harshly criticized his team, including himself, both privately and publicly after the first game.
Swiss football player Remo Frøyler did not confirm the reports of conflicts in the dressing room, but he pointed out that the way someone speaks should not be a topic of dispute at the World Cup.
“Yes, Granit is someone who expresses himself very freely and maybe makes criticisms, but that is also very important. He is very open and speaks openly about these things. If you are too sensitive, then maybe football is not for you, because we have to examine these things and we have to be critical,” said Frøyler.
In addition to Jakin, the coach of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sergej Barbarez, is optimistic before this match.
“We have huge respect for Switzerland, but we have already shown in the past that we can beat strong opponents. I hope we can confirm our form at this moment,” he said.
