The Swiss national team has started the Nations League with three defeats and is under pressure ahead of the match against Denmark. Nevertheless, Granit Xhaka remains cool and also makes Danish journalists laugh.
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- Granit Xhaka survived the hot dance in Leskovac well and talks about the whistles of the Serbian fans, the upcoming rematch against Denmark and the Nati home strength in St. Gallen.
- The national team captain also explains the penalty situation in the team and says that he would definitely take another one himself: "If I'm feeling good, I'll take the ball."
- The clash between Switzerland and Denmark will take place on Tuesday evening (kick-off at 20:45). The Nati will be looking to finally score for the first time in their fourth Nations League match.
Three games, zero points. Switzerland have their backs to the wall in the Nations League. The Nati can hardly afford another defeat against Denmark on Tuesday evening if they want to stay in League A with the best teams in Europe.
Pressure or not, captain Granit Xhaka's relaxed attitude on the day before the game is clear to see. When he was asked a question in English by a Danish journalist at the media conference, Xhaka glanced briefly at SFA media chief Adrian Arnold. "Answer in Danish?" he asks. Arnold answers in the affirmative. And Xhaka begins his answer in English anyway. Laughter in the hall. The ex-Arsenal star smiles: "When you've been there for seven years..."
Xhaka seems to be happy now that the heated away game in Serbia (0:2) is behind him. On Saturday, he was booed, provoked and insulted by the Serbian fans from start to finish. "I would have been surprised if it had been any different. I expected it to be like this," said the 32-year-old. "But the game and the players remained fair. I tried to behave positively and professionally. I think I succeeded in that too. Of course I would have liked to have taken the three points."
Xhaka kept his cool in Leskovac - and he will continue to do so in the much-discussed national team crisis. "I don't think we're doing too many things badly. We're also being punished very harshly at the moment," he says. The scoring is a bit of a mess and the Nati are conceding goals too easily at the back. Xhaka: "We're doing a lot of things quite well and have to stay positive."
Will Xhaka score the next penalty?
The question remains as to who will take the next penalty. Murat Yakin had said after the defeat in Serbia about Breel Embolo's miss that he was not supposed to take the penalty - and that captain Xhaka could decide on the pitch who should take it.
Xhaka contradicts Yakin, at least in part, and says: "The coach decides who shoots. We then decide on the pitch who has the best feeling. We have players on a penalty list, but Breel felt great and grabbed the ball." He liked that because Embolo wanted to take responsibility.
One player on the list is Xhaka himself. However, his last shot from eleven meters was six and a half years ago. His miss in the 2016 European Championship round of 16 against Poland is still remembered. Would he dare to take the penalty again now? Xhaka: "If we get another penalty against Denmark and I feel good, I'll take the ball. If someone else feels better, let them take it."
"Revenge" against Denmark
The second clash against Denmark will take place on Tuesday. In the 2-0 defeat in Copenhagen in September, the Swiss felt disadvantaged by the referee and accused the Danes of acting unfairly. "It was a heated game with a lot of emotion," recalls Xhaka, who was sent off with a yellow-red card after a frustrating foul.
"The defeat hurt. But it will be a different game this time," he says confidently. "Revenge is perhaps too harsh a word, but we definitely want to win the game. We have to win."
At least the stadium should give the Swiss hope. The Nati have recently gone seven unbeaten in a row at St. Gallen's Kybunpark. What's the reason? "The bratwurst is better here," smiles Xhaka - and once again causes laughter in the press room.
So far, the Nati players haven't earned one, but perhaps he will give them a bratwurst after the game against Denmark. "But only if we win, otherwise there's nothing," says Xhaka. "All joking aside. It's time for us to get our first three points in the Nations League and we'll do everything we can to achieve it."