The day after his appointment, Stephan Lichtsteiner appeared before the media for the first time as coach of FC Basel. The former Swiss team captain tried to exude positive energy: “I want to take this chance.”
Now ex-coach of Wettswil-Bonstetten in the 1st league, Stephan Lichtsteiner was accompanied by the Rhenish sports director Daniel Stucki when he faced media representatives on Tuesday. He knows that his task promises to be arduous and that the challenge is immense.
“The challenge is enormous, that’s clear. Especially with the three big matches coming up“, Thursday on the last day of the Europa League, Sunday in the league against the leader Thun and next Wednesday in St. Gallen in the quarter-final of the Cup. “But I feel capable of taking on this challenge. I want to take this chance“, he blurted.
His inexperience at the highest level in the role of coach was talked about on Tuesday in Basel. “It’s a risk for both parties, that’s obvious.” Daniel Stucki agreed at the outset. “But there are several examples where it worked: Pep Guardiola to FC Barcelona after a year in the junior teams. Vincent Kompany at Bayern Munich, after being player-manager at Anderlecht and being relegated from the Premier League with Burnley. Andrea Pirlo on his Juventu debuts,” he listed.
“There are also negative examples, it’s truehe conceded. But for us it’s a great chance to be able to recruit someone like Stephan Lichtsteiner, who was a great player. ‘Steph’ was very curious, very meticulous, very attentive to details and very professional with us in the junior teams. He wasn’t the type to think he already knew everything. He reminded me of Lucien Favre when I was a playerr.”
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