At Euro 2004, Swiss Murat Yakin had the unenviable task of marking England’s explosive new teenage sensation, Wayne Rooney.
Did not went well. Like an undisciplined force of nature, 18-year-old Rooney scored two goals in a 3-0 victory in Portugal, leaving his mark on the competition. Yakin never stood a chance.
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But two decades later, Yakin is seeking revenge, using these painful memories as fuel for his fire.
Asked about that meeting 20 years ago, the 49-year-old said: “It was a crazy situation. We didn’t behave well before and during the tournament.
“There was unrest. If you lose 3-0, it’s not pleasant. I was a player, so I don’t need to explain, that’s the coach’s job.
“There were players who made a difference like Michael Owen and Paul Gascoigne…”
A local journalist quickly corrects him. Not Gazza, but Wazza. Yakin smiles: “I’m not a historian.” Perhaps he chose to erase any trace of Rooney from his mind.
But, as Yakin highlights, a lot has changed in Swiss football since then. He said: “Today we have virtually no background noise. You can’t compare it to that time.
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“We developed as a team and learned from our mistakes. It was worth trying. I can benefit from that as a player and coach.”
At the moment, Yakin is reaping the rewards of an impressive turnaround with the Swiss national team. Weeks before the start of the Euros, many were calling for him to resign.
It has been a difficult time for Yakin, losing his mother last autumn while dealing with the fallout from an underwhelming Euro qualifying campaign, drawing five of 10 group stage games and finishing second behind Romania.
Now, he is the man of the moment. The man who is taking on the great nations with bold tactics and big ideas and who often comes out victorious – just ask Germany and Italy.
And even though he has yet to extend his contract beyond this summer, he is also the man who successfully shut out the haters and emerged victorious.
He wants Southgate to do the same. The pair developed a friendship over the years, after meeting at international management conferences.
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Yakin said: “Over the last few years I have had good discussions with Gareth. I think we are on the same level. We understand each other too.
“When you have great players and you can choose from a lot of players and see the results, of course there are problems in England.
“That’s why you have to focus on football, nothing else. That’s the only thing we can do as coaches. I also experienced this personally last year.”
Yakin is sympathetic to Southgate’s plight and admitted most teams would struggle to break down Slovakia’s low block, which saw England need some late magic from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane to get over the line.
But don’t confuse this friendliness with weakness. Whatever their relationship, Yakin is ready to end England’s Euro dream and, subsequently, Southgate’s eight-year reign as manager.
Yakin said: “We are excited to see what solution they will have against us. With what formation, with what system, with what strategy they play against us.
“England needs to follow our suggestion. That makes us very dangerous, but it’s up to us how we approach the pace. England can have intensity if we allow it too.
“They have full-backs who tend to go higher, offensively, and that makes them dangerous. Long balls, second balls, that was the style of play we also saw against Scotland.
“It can be a little unpredictable. Random situations, you can’t train for that. You can’t predict that. One can only explain such situations. If that is the case, we simply have to be ready.”
Swiss captain Granit Xhaka is expected to start against England despite suffering an adductor injury that required a scan on Monday.
Former Arsenal midfielder Xhaka, 31, required injections to overcome Italy’s victory and trained outside the squad yesterday, but the Swiss say his starting position is “not in danger”.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
