The Swiss Football Association has extended the contract with national team coach Murat Yakin. After the successful European Championship campaign, the continuation of the collaboration is another triumph for Yakin - who was on the verge of being sacked just a few months ago.
Murat Yakin will be presented as Vladimir Petkovic's successor in August 2021. The Basel native, whose last coaching position was at FC Schaffhausen in the Challenge League, was expected to continue the national team's run of sporting success. On the other hand, the majority of the local football landscape - especially the media and the Swiss Football Association itself - wanted a national team coach who was more approachable and approachable than Petkovic was during his time in office.
Indeed, Yakin brings the desired looseness to the selection. With his charm offensive, he obviously not only reaches the public, but also the players. The former international (49 caps) inspires with his inner calm and composure. As a result, the team beat European champions Italy in qualifying, among others, and qualified directly for the 2022 World Cup.
The national team then showed character in the Nations League. After a horror start with three defeats against the Czech Republic, Portugal and Spain, Yakin's squad bounced back and won all of their next three games against the same opponents - securing a place in Group A that was no longer thought possible and underpinning Yakin's reputation as a shrewd tactician.
Crash after a promising start
The big setback came in Qatar. Xhaka & Co. went down to a 6-1 defeat against Portugal in the round of 16. Yakin's decision to change the system and not bring any substitutes for the full-back positions promptly backfired on him. Cracks also appear between him and the team after his twentieth unsuccessful game as coach of the national team. Xherdan Shaqiri criticized the tactical approach: "The coach always gives us a plan and in this case it didn't work out."
Yakin's subsequent reluctance to analyze the defeat, coupled with his nonchalant manner, which now seems increasingly inappropriate, does not help either. Although the national team got off to the best possible start in the European Championship qualifiers with three wins, the engine suddenly ground to a halt.
In the remaining seven qualifying matches, they only managed one win (against Andorra), while they had to concede points against opponents such as Romania, Kosovo, Belarus and Israel. The way in which the national team has performed against supposedly weaker teams has been a particular headache.
Switzerland took a 1-0 lead in nine of their ten qualifying matches, dominated the game at least until the break and held their own until the 60th minute. The twelve goals conceded - the highest number the team has conceded in a qualifier since the (unsuccessful) campaign for Euro 2012 - were all scored in the final half-hour, with one exception (50). Seasoned performers such as Champions League winner Manuel Akanji lost their composure as if out of the blue. Nervousness and trepidation dominated the Swiss game.
Yakin on the brink of dismissal
Yakin seemed almost powerless during this phase and described his players' performances as "inexplicable". However, he does not have a plan to get this anomaly out of people's minds. The way in which Yakin communicated with both the media and the players was no longer refreshing, but rather contradictory.
Granit Xhaka even denounced the intensity of training and expressed his dissatisfaction with his role on the pitch. However, Yakin was smart enough not to get involved in a power struggle with his captain. The former Thun, Lucerne, Sion and Basel coach would not have survived a duel against the most important player in the squad. To make matters worse, his mother died in November.
«We must not underestimate the negative development of the team»
Nati director
The constant criticism seemed to have taken its toll on him, especially as national team director Pierluigi Tami publicly criticized him after the modest European Championship qualifiers - Switzerland secured a place at the finals as the team with the fewest points of the directly qualified teams. The majority of the media also called for his dismissal.
Yakin's poker is working
An in-depth analysis by Yakin of the crisis that had arisen appeased the SFA bosses for the time being - they left him in office, although the press continued to make unflattering comments. However, Yakin's contract was not extended either - a real vote of confidence looks different.
In this difficult situation, Yakin remained true to himself, let the storm pass him by and regained his composure. In Giorgio Contini, he has an assistant who suits him - and whom Yakin trusts. When the Swiss Football Association's top management decided to extend his contract beyond the European Championships in the spring - but could presumably get rid of him quickly and cheaply if things went wrong - the 49-year-old played poker and postponed the talks until after the finals.
The belief that his players will be successful is paying off. After a great European Championship campaign, Yakin is no longer on the defensive, but can act from a position of strength. The contract extension has probably earned him a nice pay rise. But Yakin is certainly even more pleased with the positive mood that has gripped Switzerland thanks to the sensational performances of the national team. Nevertheless, he knows only too well from his own experience how quickly the wind can change. Yakin should now enjoy the present - he should be allowed to do so.
