Fenerbahçe Coach Domenico Tedesco talked about both his arrival to the club and the atmosphere in the team in an exclusive interview with TRT Spor. Stating that he has seen a strong structure since the first day, Tedesco touched upon many important points, from the working order in Samandıra to his relations with the management and the situation of the players.
“I WATCHED MANY MATCHES OF FENERBAHÇE, I TRIED TO KNOW THE CLUB”
Tedesco stated that he made a detailed analysis before signing with the yellow-dark blue team:
“I followed many Fenerbahçe matches before coming. When you receive an offer from a club, you need to think and get to know each other with the managers. Fenerbahçe is a special club with its fans.”
“THERE IS A POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE IN SAMANDIRA”
Expressing that he is satisfied with his life in Istanbul, the successful technical man said that the working environment is great:
“Istanbul is going well, there is a positive atmosphere in Samandıra. We moved to our new place with the technical team a few weeks ago, we stayed here for five weeks before.”
“OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR PRESIDENT IS VERY OPEN, WE CAN SHARE EVERY ISSUES”
Stating that Ali Koç had the biggest share in his arrival to the club, Tedesco also spoke highly of his relations with Sadettin Saran:
“I would like to thank Mr. Ali Koç for bringing me here. Our new president, Sadettin Saran, also supports me very much. We are open to each other, we can talk about every issue. This is very important for a coach.”
“EVERYONE HAS A CONTRIBUTION, IT IS IMPORTANT TO FEEL TRUST”
Praising the professional structure in Samandıra facilities, Tedesco underlined the team work:
“The kitchen is open at 7 in the morning, our employees, our doctors, our analysts… Many people contributed. We showed that we trust them.”
“THE TEAM’S SELF-CONFIDENCE HAS DECREASED, BUT WE ARE RECOVERING”
Tedesco said that the morale level of the team was low when he took office and emphasized that this was natural:
“Every coach change means that something is not going well. The situation of the team was not encouraging, the players’ self-confidence had decreased. These are natural in such changes.”
“LEARNING A LANGUAGE IS A INDICATION OF THE RESPECT YOU HAVE FOR YOUR PLACE”
Stating that he started learning Turkish despite its difficulty, the Italian coach said that cultural harmony is important for him:
“Turkish is a difficult language, but I am trying to learn it. It is important to know the culture of the place you work. I am happy to be here.”
STATEMENT OF İRFAN CAN AND CENK TOSUN
He gave a clear answer to the question about the two players on the agenda:
“There is no new development regarding İrfan Can and Cenk Tosun. If there is a new decision, the club will announce it. It is not an issue on the agenda for me right now.”
“THE WAY TO BECOME A GREAT TEAM IS TO OVERCOME EVERY CHALLENGE”
Finally, speaking about his goals, Tedesco emphasized the greatness of Fenerbahçe:
“If you want to be a big team, you have to overcome all the difficulties.”
“OUR PRESIDENT BEING WITH US EVERY DAY CREATES A POSITIVE ENERGY”
Tedesco stated that they often see the president in Samandıra and the stadium and said that this gives morale to the team:
“You always see our president in Samandıra and in the stadium. This affects us positively.”
“I WILL NOT DISRESPECT THE OLD TECHNICAL TEAM”
He clarified the comments made about the physical condition of the team:
“I never said ‘we are physically bad’. If I had said that, I would have disrespected the former coach and his team.”
“FRED SHOWED HIS QUALITY AGAIN IN THE LAST MATCH”
Stating that the successful midfielder has found his rhythm again, Tedesco said:
“These processes are difficult for quality football players like Fred, but he showed in the last match that he could overcome it.”
“THE COMPETITORS ARE PLAYING AGAINST US WITH 200%”
Stating that he follows the Turkish Super League closely, Tedesco stated that he sees a league that requires physical and mental struggle:
“I enjoy every match played in the league. I think our opponents are playing with 200% and you have to be ready for that. The opponents want to play big against big squads, which is a good thing.”
“I KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF DERBIES, BUT WE HAVE OTHER MATCHES FIRST”
Tedesco stated that it is not right to focus on the Galatasaray derby:
“I know the importance of derbies. It would be a lie if I said ‘it’s a normal match for me’. I know the importance of derbies for the club, the players and the fans. However, before the Galatasaray match, we will have difficult matches such as Rizespor and Ferencvaros.”
“WE HAVE PLAYERS WITH CHARACTER, THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CRITERIA IN TRANSFER”
Tedesco emphasized that character is very important in structuring the squad:
“I like all my football players. We have many players with character. If you want to add a player to your squad, you need to know that his character is suitable. The player we will add to our squad should strengthen us.”
“WE HAVE THE SAME GOALS IN THE EUROPEAN LEAGUE”
He summarized his plans and expectations for the UEFA Europa League as follows:
“We have the same goals in the UEFA Europa League as the Super League. We are playing well, we think we can do it. We had problems in the Zagreb match because we are in the transition period. We have a difficult fixture, but we will look at it match by match.”