Thursday signified Xherdan Shaqiri’s turn to face the media at Switzerland’s EURO2024 base camp in Stuttgart, with la Nati set to open their tournament campaign on Saturday against Hungary.
Concerns were raised earlier in the week about the state of the playing surface at Stadion auf der Waldau, but those appear to have subsided in recent days and Shaqiri insisted that “the mood in the team is really very good, everyone wants to make their contribution to success.”
Appearing at a major tournament isn’t new for Shaqiri. The former Liverpool star has already competed at six European Championships, and expressed that the national team has developed exponentially throughout that time.
“It’s my seventh EUROs,” he commented, “but everyone has their own story. I love the tension before tournaments, there is no other way. Since I have been in la Nati, we have constantly impreoved. The respect of the opponents and the public for us has grown, as has the quality within la Nati.”
Embed from Getty ImagesConcerns have emerged as to whether Shaqiri will be able to be as involved as he may have hoped, with his fitness reportedly not up to scratch. He played off concerns though, instead slamming the question and insisting that “every player who joins the national team can, and wants to, play over the full distance. Nobody should come to work for only half the time.”
“It’s almost embarassing to have to answer this question.”
Shaqiri was asked to respond to a previous comment from Murat Yakin, the Swiss head coach, who reportedly suggested that he may not be able to play two ninety-minute games just four days apart – sparking an incredulous response from the 32-year-old when the question was posed to him on Thursday morning.
“Did he really say that? I already gave my answer to this: I’m here with the national team because I want to help the team and play as much as possible,” he commented, insisting that “there are no agreements about my exact role.”
He suggested that he is in “transparent exchange” with Yakin, and added that “if I come from the bench, I’m ready to help the team like that. I’m also here to hep the boys deal with the pressure. It doesn’t matter how long you’re on the pitch – in this shirt, you always give everything. I didn’t travel here for a holiday.”