Alex Frei on Shaqiri's return "The problem is that you have to deliver"
Alex Frei (45) is the new blue Sport expert. In this interview, the national team record goalscorer explains why he is attending a cheese course, how he sees his former teammate Xherdan Shaqiri and why he almost switched to Bayern Munich.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Former world-class striker Alex Frei becomes an expert on blue Sport.
- In the interview, he talks about his future role as a pundit and reveals what he thinks YB can do in the Champions League and what he thinks of Xherdan Shaqiri's comeback to FC Basel.
- It is also interesting that he is not allowed to be at home on certain days, as he reveals. Why is that? "Because my wife wants to have her own day, which she always had before."
Alex Frei, we're delighted that you're the new expert on blue Sport. What have you been up to in the last few months since you left Aarau?
Thank you for the trust. I've done things that I never had time for or neglected before. For example, going on a proper vacation with the family, with the children. Just being, relaxing, not thinking about whether I still have games, what kind of training I'm doing. Full attention from the family. And then I attended a cheese sommelier course. I'm fascinated by cheese, the traditional Swiss craft. So I'm never bored and I have an incredible amount to do.
Do you miss football?
Yes, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it at all. I've always found it cool to develop a team, to develop individual players, to prepare a game. But when I think about everything that goes on off the pitch, I don't miss football at all. Whether it's an external assessment, pressure from the media and fans or internal pressure from your sports directors and presidents.
So it's also possible that the coach or sporting director Alex Frei will never exist again?
I can pretty much rule out the sporting director. Perhaps in a supporting role, if at all. I've told myself that I want to give myself some time to find out whether I really miss football. Do I miss being a coach or not? So far, I don't miss it. But that doesn't mean that I don't watch all the teams in Switzerland or nearby countries. Where are the problems, why are there problems? It's not about leaving any back doors open. It's about being prepared in case I get the feeling at some point: Yes, I would like to work as a coach again.
It's also new for your family that you're at home a lot, isn't it?
Yes, it's not always easy. There are certain days that we've agreed on when I'm not allowed to be at home. Because my wife wants to have her own day, which she always had before. It's not good to be at home too much, nor is it good to be at home too little.
Where do you go when you have to go away?
I have an office with a good friend, we work in the real estate industry. Then I also have my job at the watch company Dubois&fils, where I am a partner and member of the board of directors.
You will be working for blue Sport in international football and also in the Super League. What do you expect from YB in the Champions League?
YB is a bit of a grab bag at the moment. I really appreciate Patrick Rahmen as a coach and as a person. But YB have to be a bit careful that they don't pick the games where they go full throttle. I play 100 percent here and only 70 percent there. 70 percent from everyone at YB is not enough, even in the Super League. Against Galatasaray they were more or less confident and deserved to progress. But for me it's a mystery how they didn't win at home against Lausanne three or four days later. There are only a few players who can flip a switch, who can dose it. What I'm saying is that you have to gain confidence in the championship to be able to hold your own against big teams like Manchester City or Bayern in the Champions League.
Speaking of Bayern: you almost moved there in 2008, didn't you?
Yes, that's right. My downfall was simply that I got injured at the 2008 European Championship. Jürgen Klinsmann and Bayern Munich said that they didn't know how long the injury would last and that's why the transfer didn't happen. But my role at Bayern would have been relatively clear, I would have been striker number 3 behind Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez.
You were a player and coach at FC Basel. Are you actually a fan now?
No, because of my current personal situation, it's actually incredibly easy for me not to be a fan, even if you always stay connected to FCB. That simply remains. And it makes me proud that I have a history there. And when I look at the recent past, I'm proud that I was the last coach to train a team in the Conference League. Let's see who will be next. FCB is also important for the whole region. It's also important economically, it's important for the well-being of the people. You can never ignore that.
You were promoted with Winterthur and then went to FC Basel as coach. Was that too soon?
That's a question that exists in Switzerland in particular. Nuri Sahin was a professional coach for two years and is now at Borussia Dortmund. I've never read or heard, neither in the Bild newspaper nor in the Doppelpass or in the sports studio, that it was too early. In German, someone is simply good or not good. In Switzerland, it's always about someone failing. I can't even hear the word fail anymore, because it's always an experience that you go through. You should benefit and learn from it.
What is your relationship with David Degen like today?
I don't really have a relationship with him. You're respectful when you see each other, you say hello. I never forget that I played with him in the national team and at Basel. He's a very good guy in private.
A former team-mate of yours has returned, Xherdan Shaqiri. What do you think of his move?
It's been an incredible boost for the whole club, the whole region, the team. All the pressure has shifted to you, at least for the next few weeks. The big difficulty is to withstand the pressure.
You came to FCB from BVB at the age of 30 and were introduced by Gigi Oeri in the stadium. How did you feel this pressure?
I told myself that I wanted to settle my score with FCB as a player if I still could. I'd had six operations by the time I was 30. Another one after 30. I knew that my body was capable of high performance. But I knew that my durability was relatively limited. So I told myself that 30 was the right time. The worst thing is when you go back to Basel, as your own player, and then your performance isn't right.
What impression does Shaqiri make on you physically?
I think he knows himself that he hasn't played that much because of all the MLS time and in the national team. He knows that he had transitions where he trained more or less. He knows that he still needs his time. I can't judge how quickly that will happen. I don't know him well enough, how he trains. The difficulty will be to withstand the pressure. The problem is that you then also have to deliver.
What was Shaq like at 18 when he came into the first team?
Young, fresh, a rascal, mischievous, always positive, always up for a bit of fun. I've lost that a bit over the past few years, but of course that also has to do with his development as a person, his development as a personality and the expectations from outside.
You called him "Müüsli", didn't you?
No, weasel.
Weasel?
Weasel, like the animal, agile and fast.
What funny episodes did you experience together?
There were two team cashiers at FCB. The grumpiest one. And the one who exuded the most respect. So I was told that you had to run the cash register.
Because you were the grumpiest?
No, maybe because of the authority. With me, they didn't dare to bring the money a day later. It was relatively clear that it would always be twice as expensive a day later. What I can say is that the best payer was Shaq.
For what reasons?
Because of various things, but he was always a good payer.
Is FC Basel a championship candidate with him?
I can see that the machinery will work at some point, because I still think the team is really good by Swiss standards. But it remains to be seen how consistent they are, how many squad changes there are or aren't in the winter. But I think they definitely have the chance to finish in the top three.
