“Penalties? We want to win first” and “I don’t want to challenge Jorginho”. Reread Yakin and Sommer

Murat Yakin spoke at a press conference on the eve of Switzerland-Italy, a match valid for the round of 16 of Euro 2024. Reread the full version.

Are you preparing for any penalties?
“This week we also had time to train on penalties, on a daily basis. They all took shots during training. Of course, it’s not the same as taking a penalty in a match but we have all the experience needed to take them. However, we want to decide it beforehand , we don’t want to get to the final lottery of eleven-meter shots. And if it comes to penalties, we hope to win them.”

In recent months you spoke with Xhaka about restarting, how did you manage this aspect?
“It’s really a thing of the past, they were journalists who exploited things that happened… We have a relationship without any friction and if it weren’t like that the understanding that now exists between us wouldn’t be possible. We both want to win every match, we are both people who have the good of the team and the national team in mind. I’m focused on the match, not on what is written.”

What lessons did you learn from the eighth against Portugal?
“They are two different tournaments, one is the World Cup and another is the European Championship. I am not very interested in what happened in the past, I am much more interested in what can happen tomorrow. We prepared very well against the three opponents in the group, we played some good matches and we also prepared well to prepare for this challenge. There are no injuries, the atmosphere in the group is excellent and we can’t wait to take the field against Italy. It will be a new challenge, a new match”.

In Rome, Switzerland qualified for the World Cup. Is this a match from which they will draw lessons for tomorrow?
“I am always asked and told if that was the most beautiful emotion I have ever experienced… Of course, it was a positive moment and I hope to relive it tomorrow. There are special matches that we prepare in a special way: we are happy to be able to face Italy, it will be a match that we will play with an open mind. I don’t want to say who is the favorite and who is not, we know the tactics and the strength of Italy. Let’s hope it ends with the same luck as the last matches…”

Who will replace the suspended Widmer? Has the team already been decided?
“There will be changes, regardless of the disqualification. There may be changes, we have substitutes who are ready to take the field. We have studied two variants that allow us to play at our best: there will not be major changes in terms of formation, but we have to pay the right attention to an opponent who has already changed three formations. Solid defense and effective field turnovers, this is how we will try to win the match.”

Is Ndoye a player you see as ready for a club like Inter?
“His evolution is beautiful, I can see it day after day. He has grown a lot since the Under 21s, the decision to go to Bologna was excellent and I even went to visit him. He is young, I am very pleased to have him in the team with his unpredictability, with his clear head and this goal against Germany has helped him to unlock himself mentally. Whether he is ready for a possible transfer to a big team is not for me to say: he will decide, I am not the right person to answer this question”.

Will Stergiou replace Widmer or someone else?
“It’s a possibility, it’s a variant that we could focus on tomorrow.”

What kind of striker is Scamacca?
“He’s a complete, powerful striker. He’s strong on the pitch and I hope tomorrow we’ll be able to keep up with him, he’s a very interesting center forward with a lot of skills.”

Do you understand how this Italy plays?
“Yes we did our homework, we not only watched these three matches but also the previous ones. Italy is able to vary and play with many formations, it is the country of tactics and I like this. They know how to defend and play collectively, they play with man-marking across the pitch, it’s something that Atalanta, for example, also does. We’re ready, but we have to put the emphasis on what we have to do and maybe even surprise them, catch them a little off guard.” .

Yann Sommer spoke at a press conference on the eve of Switzerland-Italy, a match valid for the round of 16 of Euro 2024. Read the full version.

Would you like to challenge Jorginho again from eleven meters after the mistakes in the last World Cup qualifiers?
“No, I don’t want to meet him from the spot tomorrow. Those errors were two very important situations for us to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, but they are two situations in the past and tomorrow will be another story. I’m not here thinking about these two penalties that you mention” .

How are you preparing for penalties?
“For me it’s important to prepare for the match, not so much the penalty lottery. Before the match I don’t study all the individual penalty takers, I focus on the match and on those who could be the penalty takers during the 90 minutes, not those in the lottery of penalties. In that case, there is the trainer who will help me in that specific moment.”

How does Switzerland reach this round of 16 final?
“The atmosphere in the team is really excellent, we all have success in mind. I’m really happy to challenge Italy, it’s a very important match and I can’t wait to play in this beautiful stadium.”

How do your special glasses work during training? Retegui or Scamacca?
“We have prepared for all the Italian strikers, I know them both and they are high-quality players, very good at finishing. We will have to be ready to face them. These are glasses that I have been wearing in training for years, they help me give 2-3% more. They are highly technological glasses that have helped me grow”.

Will you have to make even more saves tomorrow than you did during the group stage?
“We’ll see, it’s always nice to defend with an unbreakable spirit. So far we’ve played with great courage and tomorrow there will be an Italy team that has great offensive quality, that plays with vertical cuts and is poisonous in its conclusions. A great defensive performance will be needed” .

Is it an advantage for you to play in Serie A?
“It’s useful to know your opponents, but I don’t know if it will be an advantage tomorrow. The Italian players are known, they have a very large squad full of quality. In the championship I faced several of these players, I know them but it won’t be this to decide the match.”

What do you think of Donnarumma?
“He’s a really strong goalkeeper, I’ve already faced him in the past. He’s very young but has a lot of experience, he started playing at a very young age and he’s a goalkeeper I like to watch. The goalkeeping coach at Inter has coached in the past Donnarumma at PSG (Spinelli, ed.) and as a goalkeeper it is always a pleasure to observe colleagues with these qualities.”

Will Switzerland be the favorite tomorrow?
“No, I wouldn’t say so. We’re playing against the reigning champions, Italy has won the world championship several times and Italy is still the favourite. We’ll be ready, very ready.”

Do you feel particularly keen to make progress as one of the historic Swiss group? Have you spoken to your Inter teammates? What do you think about the fact that Inter have bought another goalkeeper?
“With this team we have already qualified for the round of 16 in various tournaments and tomorrow the goal is to get through. The details and the incidents will count, it will also depend on the form, on the direction in which the incidents go. We can have an impact on all of this and the goal is to qualify. During the tournament I spoke several times with the teammates I play with at Inter, now the contacts have become a bit more distant but we speak often, not only with the Italians but also with the foreigners. I will be happy to challenge them tomorrow. The three goalkeepers will change at Inter, Audero will not stay at Inter: we will see what happens, now I am focused on the European Championship and my head will return to Inter once the European Championship is over”.