Statements from the National Team Coach

- Actually, it was not certain that you would remain as coach.

TRUE. However, they evaluated me not for those 2 matches, but for all my work. When I took office, we would not be able to participate in the European Championship, but we finished first in our group. We had a great performance in the final round. We attended the World Cup after 24 years. And we are in the Nations A League for the first time. I could have been dismissed, but the federation looked further, to the future.

"I WOULD LIKE TO MEET EVERYONE EXCEPT ITALY"

I'd like to meet everyone, except Italy, especially twice in a few days. I know I will be very excited. However, Turkey has a goal: to reach the quarter-finals of the Nations League, to be first or second...

"WE WANT TO COMPARE WITH THE BEST"

Italy has changed a lot, not just the coach. We also have many young players in our squad and this is not a new situation. Sometimes the timing may be a little early, but in this format you cannot lose even a single match. Still, it's nice to have it that way; All matches are decisive. For us, this means being in League A for the first time in the Nations League: we want to compete with the best in Europe.

"FRANCE HAS A PLAYER POOL THAT OTHER TEAMS CANNOT REACH"

We are the newly rising team, we are the fourth power in our group. We'll have to clear our way. France has a quality and player pool that other teams cannot match. Only Spain and maybe Portugal can compete with it. He lost in the semi-finals of the World Cup, but his opponent was Spain; The real disappointments lie elsewhere. They regained enthusiasm with Zidane. But it won't be easy for them either.

- What happened to Turkey in America?

That's a good question. Judging by the results, it definitely didn't go well. Looking at the performances, it could have been done better. We had some bad luck, but I'm not looking for excuses. We had to be more effective in the goal areas to get at least one point in the first two games. We fell short in this regard.

"EVERYTHING IS INEVITABLE IN THE 4-MATCH PERIOD"

Türkiye is not the same Türkiye without Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Kenan Yıldız. Mert Müldür will also be missing. This will be a test for new players, although things will inevitably become more difficult over a 4-game period.