The European Championship could become the tournament of choice for Swiss captain Granit Xhaka

Murat Yakin surprises with his line-up. He is leaving out Xherdan Shaqiri and Zeki Amdouni for the important opening match of the European Championship against Hungary. Instead, the national coach is relying on Kwadwo Duah and Michel Aebischer.

This means that Switzerland will start the match without the player who has by far the most goal involvements in the national team. In 123 international matches, Shaqiri has scored 31 goals himself and provided assists for 34 more. In the four international matches this year, he was also the only player to score a goal in two matches (against Ireland and Estonia). Instead of Shaqiri, Michel Aebischer will play in midfield from the start. Yakin is opting for a more cautious approach with the third Bologna legionnaire alongside Remo Freuler and Dan Ndoye.

What is even more surprising is that Kwadwo Duah, not Zeki Amdouni, is being selected in attack. The 27-year-old from Bern is playing only his second international match against Hungary, having previously only played for half a friendly against Estonia.

On the evening before the game, the Swiss team’s focus was mainly on the captain, Granit Xhaka: He is sitting in Cologne’s Rhein-Energie-Stadion at the press conference before Switzerland’s opening match of the European Championships on Saturday at 3 p.m. against Hungary. Xhaka is confident and stylish, he leaves a focused impression and yet is calm enough to occasionally make a humorous remark at the right time. He is, or so it seems, completely at peace with himself. Someone knows what he wants. Far away is the lout and brat that Xhaka has been so often in the past and who has caused a lot of unrest.

When it comes to the championship with Bayer Leverkusen, Xhaka says: “Every success gives you confidence.” He now has his own challenge at the European Championships, which he wants to complete, but not reveal. The public therefore does not know what challenge Xhaka is facing. Perhaps it is simply a matter of remaining modest and keeping his ambitions secret. Not doing anything stupid on the pitch, not causing a scandal, controlling his temper. It would be a huge step forward for him.

Fine food and good wine with Murat Yakin

When asked about his goals for the European Championship, Xhaka remains remarkably reserved. People who know him know exactly what he would like to answer. But he won’t do that now, says Xhaka. “What I can say is: take it game by game, that’s ideal, that’s worked very well for us at the club recently.” Switzerland has a clear goal for the European Championship, including for the first game against Hungary: “We want to do our best and get three points.”

It sounds calm, but for Xhaka it is a truly spectacular statement. He has clearly resolved to stay focused, not to open up sideshows, to keep the ball low, as he has done so well with Bayer Leverkusen this season. His relationship with national coach Murat Yakin, which has often been strained in the past, has also been “excellent” for a few months. Yakin has been visiting Germany regularly, says Xhaka, and they have eaten fine food and drunk good wine in Düsseldorf.

The disappointments at the World and European Championships

If Granit Xhaka’s own challenge is to stay focused and not attract attention with provocations, he is on a good path so far. But the European Championship is just beginning. It could be his tournament, his European Championship, his reconciliation with important international events. The 31-year-old has taken part in a World Cup or European Championship five times so far, and what he remembers are strong performances, but always bitter disappointments in the end.

His best international appearance of 125 so far was at the last European Championship in the round of 16 against the then world champions France. Xhaka drove the team to a comeback and ultimately to victory in the penalty shootout. But he was suspended for the quarter-final against Spain – he had received two yellow cards for complaining during the tournament. At the 2016 European Championship, he was the only player to miss a penalty in the shootout against Poland – Switzerland were eliminated in the round of 16. And at the 2018 and 2022 World Championships, the two emotional encounters in the preliminary round against Serbia with Xhaka took center stage: as a footballer, as a provocateur, as a winner – but then came these energy-less Swiss performances in the round of 16 against Sweden and Portugal.

Now Xhaka is perhaps at the peak of his career. He is the Swiss record international player and player of the season in the Bundesliga. The European Championship is taking place in his wife’s home country. The midfielder is mentioned by experts and the media when it comes to possible stars of this European Championship. Hungarian coach Marco Rossi also raved about the Swiss captain on Friday.

The first European Championship game will take place in Cologne

Xhaka is the undisputed boss of the Swiss team, and he will be the one to play in Germany. For the first time on Saturday afternoon against Hungary. In the stadium of 1. FC Cologne, the rival of his long-time club Borussia Mönchengladbach and his current employer Bayer Leverkusen. He has positive memories of this arena, says Xhaka. And the 31-year-old also deals professionally with the many compliments about him and his style of play: “Of course it’s good to be praised. But I’m just trying to help the team so that we can win three points.”

Boring? Maybe. Matured? Definitely. Granit Xhaka, U-17 World Champion in 2009, didn’t say this time that he was all the way to the final. But he radiates self-confidence and self-awareness. On the training pitch and in games, in interviews and at press conferences.

And perhaps we will only find out what our personal challenge at this European Championship was when Switzerland reaches the final.