Granit Xhaka used Friday evening to draw a line under the talk around his reaction to Switzerland’s 1-1 draw with Australia. The captain said he was not angry, and insisted the mood in the camp is positive as Switzerland prepare to open their World Cup campaign against Qatar on Saturday.
Xhaka, 33, said the team are ready tactically, physically and mentally, and added that they have “hunger like never before” before a match that kicks off at 12h, or 21h in Switzerland. He spoke beside Murat Yakin at a press conference in the stadium of the San Francisco Bay, where the focus quickly turned from the draw in Australia to the first game that now defines the Swiss tournament.
For Xhaka, the timing matters. If he plays against Qatar, he will reach 13 World Cup matches and become the Swiss player with the most appearances at the tournament, a mark that would add another layer to an opening night already carrying a lot of weight for the squad. That is one reason the captain’s tone mattered on Friday: he was not trying to explain away the result against Australia so much as reset the atmosphere before the match that counts now.
The friction came from how one journalist framed his body language after the draw. Xhaka did not accept that reading. “I was not angry,” he said, adding that his dissatisfaction was with the performance and the result, not with preparation or training. “You probably would not want to see me when I am really angry,” he said, making clear that the speculation around his reaction had run ahead of what he actually meant.
Yakin, meanwhile, welcomed the fact that the questions finally moved his way. “I’m glad it’s finally my turn,” he said, before joking that the future coach was sitting next to him. The coach also said Switzerland are ready to go after the first three points against Qatar and brushed off a quip from Julen Lopetegui about fielding 12 players, calling the Spaniard experienced and clever while saying his own side have the players needed to start well.
What comes next is simple enough: Switzerland face Qatar on Saturday, and the opener will decide whether the reset Xhaka described was only words or the start of a sharper tournament rhythm. For now, the captain’s message was less about anger than control — and about arriving in the first match without carrying the last one any longer than necessary. Dan Ndoye was also named in Switzerland’s expected XI for the Qatar clash, underlining how much attention is already fixed on the lineup before kickoff.
