Schmeichel: Shaqiri reacted 'like a child'

News24
09 Oct 2019, 23:44 GMT+10

Cape Town - Liverpool midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri has been criticised by Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel for complaining about Switzerland captaincy.

The Liverpool star missed out of Switzerland's Euro 2020 qualification double header last month against Gibraltar and the Republic of Ireland after it was claimed he'd fallen out with Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic's decision to give the armband to Granit Xhaka.

And the Arsenal man was asked for his thoughts on the issue after his country's 1-1 draw with Ireland in Dublin, to which Xhaka replied: "If the captain's band really is the problem, then we can sit together at one table.

"We are grown up enough to talk about it.

"If he really has a problem about that [the captaincy], then he may like the captain's armband. That's no problem for me. It does not matter to me if I have it.

"I want to give everything to the team, whether that's with the band or without."

And with the issue continuing to dominate much debate in Switzerland ahead of the latest round of international fixtures, Swiss paper Blick asked United legend Schmeichel for his thoughts on the matter.

"I liked the words of Granit Xhaka in the context of Shaqiri's absence," he said.

"I read that the captain question played a role in Shaqiri's thinking.

"Although this has been denied in the meantime, nevertheless I found it strong that Xhaka said: 'If Shaqiri wants to have the captain's armband, he should take it.'

"Xhaka showed that he wants to be a leader even without ties - and gave the pressure to Shaqiri. That was brilliant of him. In contrast to Shaqiri, who behaved like a child."

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