Xherdan Shaqiri's return to FC Basel was celebrated throughout Switzerland. In his first appearances, Shaq-Attack has not yet been able to show that he is still a player for the moments of genius. Not yet?
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Xherdan Shaqiri has rarely shown his class in his appearances for FC Basel so far. He has only scored in the Cup and shot his team to victory.
- The figures also show that FCB are no better in the league with Shaqiri than without him. If you include injury time, Shaqiri has been on the pitch for 208 minutes this Super League season, during which FCB have not scored a single goal. In 573 minutes without Shaqiri, there were 15 goals, an average of 2.4 per 90 minutes.
- Shaqiri proved that he still has a golden foot during his few appearances at last summer's European Championship. His dream goal against Scotland is unforgettable.
- Shaqiri is not yet the reinforcement FCB had hoped for. But he is certainly a crowd-puller. He has also boosted jersey sales.
Shaqiri can already look back on a great career. After becoming Swiss champion three times and Cup winner twice with FC Basel, he was drawn to the big time. He celebrates championship triumphs with Bayern Munich and Liverpool and also wins the Champions League with these world clubs. Although he was not always a regular, he always played his part in the successes - and fans everywhere took him to their hearts. In Basel anyway, this is evident shortly after his return, as the jerseys in the fan store are sold out within hours.
He has also been an undisputed regular in the national team for many years, although regular is an understatement. Shaqiri has been THE difference-maker for years. Time and again he has sent the whole of Switzerland into ecstasy, especially because he is at his best in the big games.
He has always scored at least one goal at the last three World Cups and has done the same at the last three European Championships. This means he outshines even Cristiano Ronaldo. That actually says everything about Shaqiri's qualities.
At the European Championships last summer, he was demoted to a substitute by national team coach Murat Yakin. After languishing on the bench against Hungary, he was allowed to start against Scotland and equalized the match with a dream goal in the 26th minute. He was substituted in the 60th minute and the game ended 1:1. Shaqiri delivered once again.
Against hosts Germany (1:1), he was again only on the bench in the last group game, as he was in the European Championship round of 16 against Italy (2:0). In the quarter-final against England, Shaqiri came on in the 109th minute and almost decided the game with a stroke of genius, but his corner kick straight at goal smacked against the crossbar.
A few minutes later, he scored his last goal for the national team, converting with ease in the penalty shoot-out, but because Manuel Akanji was the only scorer not to put the ball in the net, the dream of a semi-final was over.
A few days later, Murat Yakin's contract extension is announced, and shortly before the announced press conference, Shaqiri announces his retirement. Is there a connection? Not officially, so we can leave it at that. He has 125 international caps to his name, scoring 32 goals and setting up 34.
Returning Shaqiri not yet delivering as hoped
Shaqiri's career is not over yet, however, because after the European Championship, the Alpine Messi, as he is affectionately known, will sign for FC Basel. Everyone agrees that it's a major transfer, even if there are already question marks over his fitness. blue Sport expert Admir Mehmedi says: "The biggest transfer in the history of the Super League!" In his few appearances in Germany, he has shown that his left foot can still do things that no other Swiss can.
The results of his first few appearances for FC Basel have already led some to doubt that Shaqiri is the reinforcement they had hoped for. Although he scored the winning penalty in extra time against Stade Nyonnais in the Cup as a substitute, which he also took himself, he has not yet lived up to expectations in the league.
In his partial appearances against Yverdon (2:0) and Sion (1:1), he was just as unconvincing as he was in the 2:0 defeat in the classic against FCZ. Last weekend, he was also in the starting eleven against Luzern (0:1), but was substituted in the 55th minute with the score at 0:0. He plays a free kick into the empty net, and less than five minutes later he smashes the ball wide of the goal from a promising position, otherwise there is hardly anything to see of Shaqiri.
The next chance to do better will come on Sunday. With Shaqiri in top form, FCB could send Young Boys even deeper into crisis. And what do the bare figures actually say? So far, they don't speak in Shaqiri's favor either.
The numbers behind Shaqiri's comeback
Shaqiri's appearances for FC Basel so far
- Of Shaqiri's six goals in the current Super League season, two were direct free-kick attempts. The one against Yverdon was saved and the one against FCZ went into the wall. Of his four shots from play, one was saved, one was blocked and two missed the goal.
- If you include stoppage time, Shaqiri has been on the pitch for 208 minutes this Super League season, during which FC Basel have failed to score a single goal.
- In the 573 league minutes without Shaqiri (also including stoppage time), Basel scored 15 goals, i.e. an average of 2.4 per 90 minutes.
- The two home games with Shaqiri on the pitch were attended by 30,013 spectators in St. Jakob Park against Yverdon and 36,000 against FCZ, so an average of a good 33,000.
- In the previous season, there was an average of 21,990 spectators at the Joggeli in the Super League, and 29,002 for the classic in March. Shaqiri is a spectator magnet.
- For comparison: another Super League returnee, Renato Steffen (also 32), who is the same age and has been back a little longer, has scored five goals (3 goals, 2 assists) in 163 minutes of action in the current Super League season.
