In the upcoming one-eighth final of the UEFA Europa League on July 3, Beijing time, the Turkish team will face the Austrian team. Before the match, Turkey's head coach Montera attended a press conference, analyzed the game prospectively and expressed his confidence and expectations for the team.
Montella began by emphasizing the need for the team to maintain a calm mindset and avoid being swayed by emotions, especially not by the shadow of the friendly loss in March. He said that while the result of that game was frustrating, it was now another game and the team needed to focus on the task at hand. He believes in the strength of the Turkish team and expects the stands to be covered with red and white flags as the support of the fans will be a great advantage for the team.
Speaking about the young player Güller, Montella gave high praise. He believes that Gules is a very talented player, although there are still some areas that need to be improved, but his presence on the field can always bring a different feeling to the team. Montella said that Gules is a young player, he needs to learn and improve in the game, but he believes that Gules will do it.
Regarding the Turkish team's loss against Austria in March, Montella said that that match was just a game and this one will be a whole new challenge. He believes that Rangnick understands this as well, as there is no such thing as absolute revenge in soccer, only focus and effort on the game itself.
Montella also described the current situation of the Turkish team. He said that the team has scored five goals and has five different goal scorers, which shows the team's diversity on the offensive end. He emphasized the team's dominance in possession, but also pointed out that the team needs to turn this dominance into more goals. Montella also went through a series of statistics to show the effectiveness of the Turkish team on the offensive end and said that the team should score more goals.
Speaking about Çalhanoglu's absence, Montella said that it is a huge loss because Çalhanoglu is an irreplaceable player. But he also emphasized that the team has other players who are ready to fill the void and they will show their strengths in the game.
Montella also spoke about his commitment to young talent. He said that the Turkish team is very open to talented young players and proves it by putting young players in the starting lineup. He specifically mentioned Güler and Yildiz, two players born in 2005, as well as center back Kaplan, who was born in 2003, saying that they all have a chance to play in the game.
Speaking about the Austrian team, Montella said they are a team that is very intense and physical when it comes to offense and defense. He admitted that the Austrian team has a physical advantage, but said that the Turkish team will fill the void left by the absence of important players in a different way. Montella also said Austria's success as the top team in Group D is not a surprise because the group is equally strong and any team could be the leader.
Finally, Montella said that his team is well prepared and will do their best to do well in the match. He believes that it will be a very different game and the Turkish team will go all out to win.
