For years, the national team stuck with Yann Sommer in goal. Even Gregor Kobel couldn't change that. Time and again, there were voices saying that goalkeeping coach Patrick Foletti's relationship with Sommer was too close. Kobel talks about this in the football talk show Heimspiel.
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- Gregor Kobel is the new number 1 in the national team goal. According to Kobel, his predecessor Yann Sommer showed top performances over the years. "That's admirable."
- In the football talk show Heimspiel, Kobel also talks about goalkeeping coach Patrick Foletti, who had a very close relationship with Sommer.
- "Of course, I had a different relationship with Foletti than Yann had," says Kobel.
Since the retirement of Yann Sommer in August, Gregor Kobel has been the new number 1 in goal for the Swiss national team. For many, the changing of the guard should have happened earlier. Last December, for example, Marwin Hitz backed the BVB goalkeeper. Kobel is better than Sommer, the FCB keeper told the "NZZ".
The majority of blue News readers also preferred Kobel to Sommer back in December. In a survey, 60 percent of users voted for Kobel as the new number 1.
Close relationship between Sommer and goalkeeping coach was always a talking point
Despite all the criticism from the outside, national team coach Murat Yakin stuck with Sommer. Goalkeeping coach Patrick Foletti is also likely to have been a decisive factor in Sommer's retention. The relationship between Foletti and Sommer was close, "too close", as Hitz emphasized in the "NZZ". As a professional, it was not easy to deal with this.
Kobel was the number 2 in the national team for years, and it was normal for the goalkeeping coach to have a closer relationship with the number 1 than with the other keepers, Kobel said at the Heimspiel football talk. "Of course, I had a different relationship with Foletti than Yann had." The reason for this was that Kobel worked with Foletti for less time than Sommer.
Foletti himself described the relationship with Kobel at a media conference in September as "damn close". Kobel states: "Foletti is a top goalie coach. I enjoy training with him."
Hymn of praise for Yann Sommer
As number 1, Kobel has played two national team games so far. Sommer has played 86 games. A reason for Kobel to pay tribute to Sommer: "He has delivered top performances for a very long time. That's very admirable."
Kobel also wants to perform well in national team kit and gain a foothold in the national team. Step by step. "I'm trying to do my best."
Kobel can already put his skills to the test next Saturday. The national team will face Serbia away from home in the Nations League, followed by Denmark in St.Gallen on Tuesday.
