Granit Xhaka on Switzerland's 1-1 Germany draw and progress to Euro's last 16
UEFA24
23/06/2024
Frankfurt Arena, Germany
UEFA24
23/06/2024
Frankfurt Arena, Germany
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Thank you for your patience.
00:06With us is Granit Xhaka, Vivo player of the match.
00:10We'll be very short, so we'll take five questions.
00:14We'll start over there, the gentleman over there, and one, two, three, four, that's it.
00:20Thank you.
00:21I'll do the same.
00:22I'll start.
00:23It has to be very short, I'm sorry.
00:27Granit, William, CH Media here.
00:31What do you prefer, the joy of having survived the group stage unscathed,
00:37or the annoyance of the late goal?
00:40And can you perhaps talk about the group stage as a whole,
00:44two, three analysing words about it?
00:47Thank you.
00:49I think the celebration of the Germans after the 1-1 shows everything.
00:55I have a lot of respect for the whole team.
00:58What we did defensively today,
01:02going for the hunger after every ball, pressing high,
01:06leaving the Germans very little space.
01:12You need a performance like that in a top team.
01:14We knew that before the game.
01:16I'm personally very, very proud of the team.
01:20Looking at the three games, how we started,
01:23we were 1-0 up against Scotland.
01:26To come back again, we could have won the game with a bit more luck.
01:31Today, from the outside, I have a lot of respect.
01:36The whole team, the Swiss, with the staff,
01:41what they did today, I have a lot of respect.
01:45The first step is done.
01:47Now we're looking forward to the next step.
01:50Italy or Croatia, which would you prefer?
01:55It's not a dream concert, unfortunately.
01:57But every opponent in the round of 16 has its qualities.
02:02We know Italy, of course.
02:04We haven't played Croatia for a long time.
02:07One thing is clear,
02:09that we can watch the games in peace tomorrow.
02:13We can enjoy the games and analyse them.
02:16Then we're looking forward to the round of 16.
02:19The team is hungry.
02:21The team has a completely new mentality,
02:24will and passion.
02:26We want to show that in the round of 16.
02:29Hi Granit, Fabio Diaz from LaTribuna.ca.
02:32Three matches, two times men of the match.
02:35Individually speaking, do you think you're living the best season of your career?
02:43I'm not a big fan of numbers.
02:45I'm not a big fan of individual trophies, let's say that.
02:51For sure, it makes me happy.
02:53I will not lie about this,
02:55but much more makes me happy to see the team,
02:57how they work, how we are pushing each other,
03:00on which level we are playing at the moment.
03:03If you see us six months ago,
03:05we were not nearly there where we are today.
03:09But I say that before the tournament,
03:12six months ago, was a good period for us.
03:16We knew that it's not enough to play like six months ago.
03:20We need to work much more.
03:22Our training intensities are much higher than before.
03:25The quality is much better.
03:27Nobody knows until the morning in front of the game
03:30who is playing and who is not.
03:32This is what makes us strong.
03:34This is what makes a good team very, very strong.
03:36I'm happy to be part of this team.
03:40Frank Hellmann, a journalist from Germany.
03:43You are known for having a good look at the game.
03:46You have been involved for a long time.
03:48Would you confirm that this is an extraordinary tournament
03:51in terms of level?
03:53If you think about the World Cup 2022 in Qatar,
03:56many Europeans participated.
03:58Three years ago, the World Cup was influenced by the pandemic.
04:01There were few spectators.
04:03Is this a special tournament in terms of level?
04:05And this atmosphere in the stadium,
04:07does this have an impact on the players and the team?
04:10100% on us as Swiss.
04:12We are happy that the tournament is in Germany.
04:15You can see how the Swiss had this support in the first three days.
04:19In the stadium, but also in front of the TV.
04:22Of course, this gives the players a push.
04:25Every action that is positive is celebrated.
04:31Of course, it's fun to be here first,
04:35but also to be able to play in Germany.
04:37It's something special.
04:39We are on the right track.
04:41As I said, the first step has been taken.
04:43The group stage has been passed.
04:45Now we want more.
04:47Sebastian Rieder, 20 minutes.
04:49Granit, two players.
04:51Danen Doi and Ricardo Rodrigues.
04:54First Danen Doi.
04:56You should have sent him to the psychologist
04:58if he hadn't scored again today.
05:00And Ricardo Rodrigues, your buddy.
05:03What kind of game was that for him today?
05:07I'll start with the younger ones.
05:12Danen has made a huge development in the last six or eight months.
05:17He brings a lot of power to our game.
05:20Physically, very, very strong.
05:22He runs very, very strong.
05:24Of course, he still has a lot to learn.
05:27He's a young player who plays his first real tournament.
05:32As a regular player.
05:34But he's also very down-to-earth.
05:37You can see his qualities.
05:39He can play right, left.
05:41He can play fifth.
05:43And of course with Mourinho,
05:45who is also a tactical foreman,
05:48you can see where you can put him.
05:51He does that in the game well.
05:53And you don't have to talk much about Ricky.
05:55That the young player is free in the summer,
05:57no one understands anyway.
05:59So watch out for many clubs.
06:01Let's see how he plays.
06:03He has to write a long-term contract.