Swiss Team Captain In High Spirits After Criticising His Team

SANTA CLARA (California), June 13 (Bernama-dpa) -- Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka is in high spirits ahead of the World Cup opener against Qatar later on Saturday after he voiced strong criticism about his national team, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

"I don't think you really want to see me angry," the Swiss team captain said in a news conference on Friday.

"I wasn't really angry, I wasn't satisfied with the performance -- including my own -- and I wasn't satisfied with the result either," he said referring to his remarks after the 1-1 draw in a tune-up match against Australia.

"We already talked about it internally and nobody questioned why I spoke the way I did."

After the game against Australia, Xhaka said, "you can't play like that, otherwise we will return home after three games."

He stressed that his anticipation and confidence remain undiminished. 

"I'm certain we'll show a different side of our team," he said. Switzerland aim to play the "best World Cup ever. We're hungrier than ever before." 

Switzerland's best result at World Cups so far was reaching the quarter-finals in 1934, 1938 and 1954.

Temperatures are expected to exceed 30 degrees Celsius in Santa Clara, California when Switzerland kick off their World Cup campaign but the heat shouldn't be a problem.

"We can't make excuses. We have enough water breaks, and we have our cooling vests in the locker room," Xhaka said.

Against Qatar, who are only making their second appearance in the tournament and yet to earn a single point, Switzerland are the clear favourites and were described by the opponent's coach, Julen Lopetegui, as "one of the best teams" in the World Cup.

"They don't just have strong individual players, they play at an extremely high level. They're physically very strong. They're probably one of the most balanced teams in Europe," Lopetegui said.

-- BERNAMA-dpa