The legacy of Murat Yakin’s predecessor is impressive: Vladimir Petkovic (58) has not only qualified regularly for the national team for every major tournament (World Cup 2016, World Cup 2018, EM 2020), the new Bordeaux coach also leaves the Swiss team with the best average score of all coaches Former National Team: In 78 caps, Petkovic averaged an impressive 1.79 points. Leaves “King Roy” Hodgson (1.78) and world coach Ottmar Hitzfeld (1.77) forever behind.
But the start of Yakin’s predecessor Petkovic seven years ago was not pleasant … At the beginning of September 2014, the qualifying match for the European Championship against England began at St. Jakob-Park in Basel with a 2-0 defeat. . A month later, Petkovic dived 0-1 with his new team in the qualifiers for the second European Championship in Slovenia. Two games, zero points. Fortunately for Petkovic, the third opponent is San Marino: in Serravalle there is a proper 4-0 match against a football dwarf in front of 2,289 fans.
Hitzfield also started moderately
The beginnings of Petkovic’s predecessor Otmar Hitzfeld (72) are also very resinous. There is a 4-1 win at the start of the Test against Cyprus in Geneva. But in the first serious fight, the start of the World Cup qualifiers, Switzerland squandered a 2-0 lead under Hitzfeld in Israel – goals scored by Hakan, brother of Murat Yakin and Blaise Nkovo. In the end it was 2-2 in Tel Aviv.
A slip Hitzfeld wants to correct in the next qualifying match en route to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Lightweight opponent in Letzigrund? Luxembourg. We won’t forget how Hitzfeld’s captain, Gökhan Inler, took a handful of Luxembourglers in his mouth the day before the Sonntags-Blake match. And after the match, the entire football world laughs at the two-time Champions League winner Hitzfeld (1997 with Dortmund, 2001 with Bayern Munich) and his new team. Switzerland embarrasses itself with a historic bat 1: 2!
Yakin was there on Köbi’s debut
The current coach of the national team will also remember the first international match of Hitzfeld’s predecessor Kobe Kon (76) in August 20 years ago. Because Yakin is making his international comeback at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna after a year’s absence. The friendly starts 24 minutes late due to a minor failure. Midfielder Yakin puts the ball on Johan Vogel to make the score 1-0. Hakan Yakin scores the winning goal 2-1.
But already in the second match, in the penultimate round of World Cup qualifications, coach Kun and the Yakin brothers in Basel lost to Yugoslavia 1: 2. Hakan Yakin puts Switzerland ahead with a header (!). At the end of the World Cup campaign, Kun and his two brothers Yakin entered under the wheels of 0:4 in Moscow in October 2001. The 2002 World Cup finals would be held in Japan and South Korea without Switzerland.
In May 2003, Kohn and two Yakins embarrassed themselves in a Test against Canada at St. Gallen Espinmus against then-developing country Canada in a 1:3 ratio! « Embarrassing, Kobe! Who do you want to hit anyway? Blick title at the time.
Murat Yakin, one of the best players, escaped from the third division. Switzerland later qualified under Cohn for the 2004 European Championship in Portugal. Yakin in the thick.
Name bug in presentation: Yakin, coach of the national team, talks about “Stefan Stephen”(00:27)
“Internet nerd. Avid student. Zombie guru. Tv enthusiast. Coffee advocate. Social media expert. Music geek. Professional food maven. Thinker. Troublemaker.”