The National Team, which lost 2-1 to Belgium in the fifth match of the UEFA National A League 1st Group, could not reach a point again. Sergen Yalçın, who played his first match as the head of the crescent-star team, made a statement at the press conference held after the match.
"WE WILL GET TOGETHER SLOWLY WITH TIME"
"We didn't want to lose. We were well concentrated, we prepared well. The boys competed well throughout the game. Level matches are at a high level. You play with very tough teams in this group. We based the system on taking them to the ground. We have good players. We started the game with narrow-area pressing, 15-20 minutes did not yield results. We were in control, we found the goal. We gave the game to the opponent between 30-45 minutes. Of course, we are playing with a good team in the minutes we give to the opponent. "The defensive weakness has been a thing that has been seen in the national team for a long time. We took the game away from the opponent in certain parts. We could have saved the game and we could have gotten points. We need to extend this over a longer period of time. We can solve this with the players."
"I NEED SOME TIME"
"Arda scored an excellent goal. He played a game worthy of his quality. As for the choice of Oğuz... We could not use Zeki for 90 minutes. The player who played there was Belgium's best player and one of the architects of the Belgian victory. I said Oğuz would be quick, strong, more combative and more solid. I am happy with Oğuz. He played very well during the time he had.
Our team is a team made up of really good players. We have missing players for two matches today, there are those who have just returned from injury and are not 100 percent physically ready. We experienced his trouble. It could have been much different. We got a little lost in the details of today's match. We have very clear positions, but we also have bad luck. There is a very nice atmosphere of friendship inside. Children are like diamonds. It has a college team atmosphere. There are minor problems. We started this match very early, with 2 days of training. There is another very difficult match in 3 days. These are matches at the highest level. Belgium is a very active team. We could not respond to this activity in certain sections. The fact that some of our players are not 100 percent physically ready also plays a part in this. The fight and the desire were very good. We will come to great places. It takes some time, we will fix it."
"EASY GOAL CONCERNING HAS BEEN THERE FOR A LONG TIME"
"Easily conceding goals has been around for a long time. We talked about this with the players. Defense is not only done by defenders. It has to be done very well at these levels. These things happen in these competitions. There are no goals without mistakes in football. My players can make mistakes, this is very normal. We will fix this when there is time to fix it. I am satisfied with everything of the players today. It is a lost match but we want to look at it positively, it could be a match that will bring us a lot in the future. We will see this over time."
"ARDA IS OUR MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER"
Question: "Kevin de Bruyne said, 'Arda Güler is a great football player. We always had our eyes on him in Türkiye. Other teammates should take more responsibility. Because all the responsibility was on Arda.' Do you agree with his words?"
"Arda is the most important player of our team. He is a very valuable player in the centre, directing all the attacks, solving many things especially in the offensive position. What he does is very important, but the other players need to help in the solution with him. Arda is already taking the responsibility he will take. We are very pleased with his play today. Some players have injury problems, some players are not ready, some players are 100 percent. There is a national team, a group. We are already calling 80 percent of them. Arda will already have a big burden on his shoulders, because he is the best player in the team." player."
