Vincenzo Montella made a statement at the press conference held at BC Place in Vancouver, where the match will be played.
“We are very excited before a match that we have been waiting for for a long time, 24 years, we believe that we will play a good game.” Montella said:
“We are aware of the difficulties we will face in the World Cup, but we believe that we can overcome it and we want to enjoy it. We want to make our country proud. We have a passionate team, we feel the responsibility, we know that millions support us and there are great expectations. While talking to our football players, I told them that they should play their own game and be comfortable. We need to continue the way we have done so far. We will not be in a hurry, we will demonstrate our own game patiently.”
Evaluating the Australian National Team, Montella said, “We saw that they have disciplined and physical players. Speed can be a challenge for them. I am also expecting a tough match, we are ready for anything, just like in Kosovo. Australia has fast players in the front, they can play in a coded way, we need to play our own game without giving too many opportunities. We know our opponent is a physical team. We will have to show physical play in the match tomorrow, but we also need to play technically. We must play a game that includes all our features.” he said.
LATEST SITUATION OF FOOTBALL PLAYERS
Emphasizing that they must be very balanced and mentally ready to face every difficulty, Montella said, “There are special things we need to do in the match depending on how we will play. Of course, you need to prepare according to the characteristics of the opposing team, we worked on this. We always took into account the games of our opponents. We worked very hard, we know that our opponent also worked hard. We need to make the right moves, all our football players play by overcoming some difficulties. I do not think that Arda, Hakan and Kenan can play 100 minutes right now. I have some question marks in my mind about this.” made his assessment.
Answering a question about the opponents in the group, the Italian coach said, “The teams in our group are extremely balanced, and all 4 teams hope to get out of the group stage successfully. We believe that we will do a good job, we will do our best. You can get very important points in other matches, but of course, I think the first match will be decisive. Winning will give our team a significant advantage in the future. We need to focus on our own match, we must move forward step by step without thinking about the opponents.” he replied.
“TALENT MAY BE DETERMINANT FOR THIS MATCH, BUT THE RESULT WILL BE DETERMINED BY EFFORT”
When asked whether having talented players is an advantage, Vincenzo Montella said, “Talent may be the determining factor for this match, but the result will be determined by the effort of the whole team. Australia is mentally very strong and durable, they know very well what to do when the ball comes. We have a durable team, not every team can play like them, they play a compact game. There are counter-attacks that they feed on, we need to prevent them and not fall into these traps. We played two friendly matches, there were things we did well and things we needed to improve, “We have worked on this in the last 10 days. We must perform better offensively and defensively compared to the friendly matches.” he replied.
Stating that Turkish fans welcomed them with great enthusiasm in Canada, Montella said, “We felt at home when we saw the welcome in Canada. There were many Turkish fans, I would like to thank them very much for being with us. We see them everywhere, even though there is no time to talk, we feel their love. Vancouver is a very beautiful city, this is my first time here. There is a very nice field and stadium. All conditions are enough for us to start well.”
“Of course we are under pressure, but we can manage it”
When it was reported that some Australian players made comments such as “Türkiye has not been in the World Cup for 24 years, we are experienced, they may panic”, the experienced coach said:
“I also read such comments, they said the right things. We have not played in the World Cup for 24 years, they have been in 6 tournaments, they have experience, but not all their teams are experienced. Of course, we are under pressure, but we can manage it. We have football players who have played in big matches under pressure. Being in the national team is very special, but I say to my football players; Not being able to participate for 24 years was beyond our responsibility, we did not do this, you should be proud of joining here after 24 years. Play your own football and this Enjoy the moments.”
Reminding that the distances are long in the 2026 World Cup, Montella said, “Everything was easier in Germany, our location was very good in terms of transportation. Travel times were at most 2 hours, the situation is very different here, but we have to adapt to it. We will return at 5 in the morning after the match, it is not easy for people of my age to get used to these hours, but we will get used to it. When we played in Germany, we were playing as if we were at home, we have a lot of people living there, I don’t know how long it will be here, but I am sure that we will be strong. They will support it.” He made a statement.
Italian coach: “What do you think about the water breaks in the matches? Is it an advantage or a disadvantage?” “I watched some matches, I’m most interested in the USA-Paraguay match, but I can’t watch it because I’m here. Water breaks are like extra breaks, it’s a good opportunity to talk to the team.” he replied.