DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) – Having denied hosts Germany a perfect record and eliminated holders Italy, Switzerland are in the right mood to beat England too at Euro 2024, their coach Murat Yakin said on Wednesday.
England have big players capable of making a difference in a major tournament, but they should be ready for a battle with a team playing good football and full of spirit, Yakin said ahead of Saturday’s quarter-final in Duesseldorf.
“We played against Germany we were good, we played against Italy, also a big team, and why can’t we beat England?” he told a press conference.
“We’re in a good mood now. Let’s see, it’s a good challenge and my team is ready to have this big fight against England.”
Pre-tournament favourites England have much to prove after a string of below-par performances that have left fans questioning whether they are capable of the turnaround needed to counter a confident and organised Swiss side.
Yakin was in England manager Gareth Southgate’s shoes last year when he was criticised over his tactics and poor performances during qualification, where the Swiss scraped through from one of the easiest groups after leaking several late goals against weaker opponents.
His fortunes have changed at Euro 2024, however, with Yakin praised at home for astute modifications to his tactics and team selection, while maintaining a solid defence and attacking focus.
He said he empathised with Southgate over the pressure he was under.
“Of course, when you have big players and can choose from many players and leave at home some good players and you don’t get a result, in UK you have these problems,” he said.
“I know this myself from last year a little bit, just focus on the football game, not what we read in the newspapers, that’s the only thing we can do as a coach.”
(Reporting by Martin Petty, editing by Ed Osmond)
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