Switzerland face Denmark in Copenhagen and European champions Spain in Geneva to kick off the Nations League. Nati coach Murat Yakin announces his squad and talks about the upheaval.
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- Murat Yakin announces his squad for the two Nations League games against Denmark and Spain on Thursday. Gergory Wüthrich, who won the double with Sturm Graz last season, is a new member of the squad.
- Noah Okafor, on the other hand, is missing from the squad. "I wasn't happy with his performance," explains Yakin.
- Yakin also commented on the surprising retirement of Fabian Schär: "It affected me personally, I have to admit that," said Yakin.
National coach Murat Yakin is fielding defender Gregory Wüthrich for the next international matches for the first time. At the age of 29, Wüthrich could make his debut for the senior national team in the next few days. The multiple junior international is available for the Nations League games against Denmark in Copenhagen on Thursday and against Spain in Geneva on Sunday.
The tall central defender earned his call-up with strong performances for Sturm Graz. Last season, the player from Bern won the double with the team from Graz, thus thwarting Salzburg, who were spoiled for success. This season, he will play in the Champions League for the first time in almost six years. In December 2018, he made a mini appearance for Young Boys against Juventus Turin.
Okafor, Widmer, Ndoye and Jashari are missing
Otherwise, the first line-up of the new cycle with the 2026 World Cup as the end point offers only one minor surprise. Noah Okafor is not one of the 23 players selected. Yakin explained that he was "not always satisfied" with the AC Milan striker's performances. However, the door is not closed for the future.
In addition to Okafor and the three withdrawn players (Xherdan Shaqiri, Yann Sommer and Fabian Schär), Silvan Widmer (sick) and Dan Ndoye (injured) as well as Ardon Jashari, who has hardly played at FC Brugge so far, are missing from the European Championship squad. Meanwhile, six players have returned after a short break from the national team: Becir Omeragic, Filip Ugrinic, Joël Monteiro, Uran Bislimi and Basel full-back Dominik Schmid.
The media conference in the ticker
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Liveticker
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Liveticker closed
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The media conference is over
Then all questions are answered.
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Five players from the Super League
"Due to the many injuries and withdrawals, we have called on five players from the Super League. As Switzerland has been playing for a long time, we were able to make good use of this "summer gap"," explained Yakin.
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This is what Yakin says about Salzgeber's resignation from the national team
"He may not always have been entirely professional, but he works at a high level. I really appreciate him as a person and it will be a loss for television. But he is certainly busy enough. But maybe there will be more time to play golf together again," jokes Yakin.
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What is Ardon Jashari's situation?
"He's still young, he's got to find his feet a bit. He might not be needed as much as he would like," says Yakin and reports a good conversation. "He needs the minutes, so the U-21s are the right place for him."
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How serious is Ndoye's impact?
"His absence is extremely painful," Yakin makes clear. They only found out for sure on Wednesday. But there are plenty of other options.
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Yakin on the collaboration with Contini
"We have mutual trust, his commitment is professional and he is loyal," enthuses the national team coach and hopes that Contini will remain in the team for a long time to come.
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Yakin on the upcoming Nations League
"The goal is to stay in Group A. Participation in the Final Four would be great. But it's also about creating a good starting position for the qualifiers. We certainly want to upset Spain, Denmark is also a strong opponent," says Yakin.
![Murat Yakin talks about the goals in the Nations League.]()
Murat Yakin talks about the goals in the Nations League. Picture: Keystone -
What does Yakin say about Shaqiri's FCB return?
"Shaqiri's return is a great win for Swiss football," says the national team coach, who is delighted for the Basel region and for Shaqiri.
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What Yakin says about the change of goalkeeper
"We knew that Yann's time would come," says Yakin. Gregor Kobel was therefore well prepared for it. "When we contacted him, we noticed his pride; he is delighted that he can now take on this task."
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Who will now take on the responsibility?
"We can't yet replace Shaq or Sommer in this way," Yakin makes clear. Nevertheless, there are enough players who can take on leadership roles. "Embolo might slip into a role in which he takes on responsibility."
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No system change despite Schär's resignation?
"No, that has worked. It worked," said Yakin when asked about the three-man defense. "A change in the system is out of the question. It gives us a lot of flexibility. From that point of view, we don't have to change much."
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What Yakin says about new signing Wüthrich
"He has good qualities and has shown that," Yakin praises the defender. He also knows the players from earlier times in the youth team. "He's getting his chance now, he's really looking forward to it. I think he fits in with the team in terms of character and is a back-up for the three defender positions."
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Why is Noah Okafor not included?
He knows about Okafor's quality, says Yakin: "The door is not closed for him. (...) It's ultimately in his hands what he makes of it. But I wasn't satisfied with his performances during his time with the national team." Okafor got his chance in March - and didn't take it.
"We had a good conversation," explained Yakin. It is not a matter of course to be called up for the national team. "I hope he understands and has understood," says Yakin.
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Was Yakin taken by surprise by Schär's resignation?
"It came as a surprise to us, we were expecting and planning for him," says Yakin. "I got in touch with him and spoke to him about his program. And after the conversation, he told me that he wanted to resign. That hit me personally. I have to admit that. But that's football. (...) We respect his decision, of course."
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Yakin nominates these players for the Nations League
A newcomer to the squad: Gregory Wüthrich became champion and cup winner with Sturm Graz last season and put in strong performances. This has now been rewarded by national team coach Murat Yakin with a call-up.
Dominik Schmid from FC Basel has also been called up and could make his debut. Schmid was already part of the squad for the European Championship qualifiers in March, but did not make an appearance.
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All set for the media conference
Murat Yakin will announce his squad for the Nations League shortly.
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Nati dispute over Okafor comes to a head
Murat Yakin didn't let Noah Okafor play for a second during the European Championships, and he apparently won't even be fielding the striker for the new start in the Nations League - even though the 24-year-old plays and scores for Milan in Serie A. According to "Blick", Yakin wanted to give the Milan striker a lesson because he wasn't satisfied with his training intensity and body language during the European Championships in Germany. To the article.
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The era after Sommer, Shaqiri and Schär
Just under two months have passed since the successful European Championship. Although no matches have been played during this time, there have been changes in the national team. With Yann Sommer, Xherdan Shaqiri and Fabian Schär, three long-time key players are retiring from the national team, leaving gaps that Yakin must now fill.
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Hello ...
... and welcome to the live ticker of the Swiss national team's media conference. Coach Murat Yakin will today announce his squad for the two Nations League matches against Denmark (September 5) and Spain (September 8). You can follow the action live from 2.30 pm.
