Granit Xhaka on Switzerland's 1-1 Germany draw and progress to Euro's last 16

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Granit Xhaka on Switzerland's 1-1 Germany draw and progress to Euro's last 16  UEFA24  23/06/2024  Frankfurt Arena, Germany

Transcript

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.

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