A National Football Team will face Latvia tomorrow in the third match of the 2024 European Football Championship (EURO 2024) Qualification Group D. At the press conference held before the match, A National Team Coach Stefan Kuntz made statements.
Evaluating the struggle tomorrow, Stefan Kuntz said, “We have been working together for about 20 months. I think you will see a different team, a different quality on the field. In general, I can expect a comfortable match in terms of environment and pressure. Our opponent has improved himself. I think we have improved ourselves and we should reflect on the field. “It is a physically strong team. It is a team that is strong in high balls and can push. But in the end, my duty is to take precautions against them and prepare my team in the best way possible,” he said.
“THE TEAM WILL BE FEELING Unintentionally”
Regarding the fact that Stefan Kuntz, Cenk Tosun and Enes Ünal will not be able to play due to their injuries, he said, “Of course, since these players are players who normally play ace, the team will inevitably feel a lack. But we also realized that when such players were missing, our other players closed their gaps. I think it will be the same.”
“WE SEE THEY ARE IN A CHANGE”
Talking about the opponent, the 60-year-old coach said, “We see that they are in a difference, a change under their coaches. But we need to analyze with the team what they did well and what they did badly. So I shouldn’t go into such matters too much. But I think they are a good team in general.” made its assessment.
“A NATIONAL TEAM LEVEL EVERY MATCH YOU FEEL THAT PRESSURE”
When Stefan Kuntz was asked if it was a fateful match for him and the team, he said, “After all, we have 8 matches. Thus, when you win this match, you get a little closer to the goal in front of you. We are also aware of how important the match is. You will feel it. The pressure of tomorrow’s match is no different from other matches.”
“IF WE WANT TO GO TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP, WE NEED TO LEFT AT LEAST 3 OF OUR COMPETITORS”
Commenting on the next 2 matches, Kuntz said, “Of course, these matches are important. If we want to go to the championship, we have to leave behind at least 3 opponents. Although we bought a ticket to go to the European Championship due to the Nations League, we have an opportunity for a back door. “At national level, the pressure will be for every match. It will be for both the coach and our players. The valid criterion for me is to be at the top after 8 matches are completed. I would like to be at the top after everything is over,” he said.
“ARDA GULER IS A GREAT FOOTBALL PLAYER”
Stating that Arda Güler is a great football player, the 60-year-old coach said, “He showed very good performances. He took a serious time in Fenerbahçe recently. He had the opportunity to improve himself, he still has areas to improve and he has very good teammates in the national team. He will also benefit, by playing together. He will be a very key player for the Turkish National Team in the future,” he said.
“WHEN WE ATTENDED, THERE WERE TWO KEY TARGETS”
Asked how much he has been able to realize his plans since the day he became the coach of the national team, Kuntz said, “When we took office, there were two key goals. The first was to participate in the World Cup, and the second was to go to the top league in the Nations League. We actually achieved our first goal. Unfortunately, Portugal. We couldn’t continue with the elimination. We were also in the B League. Thus, we provided another opportunity to participate in the European Championship. I am happy that I brought 2 important football players such as Salih Özcan and Ferdi Kadıoğlu to the national team. At the same time, let it be Serdar Dursun, the Nations League at that time He was on the list of top scorers in the league. We called at least 6-7 players from the teams that we call the smaller teams to the national team. These players were transferred to the big teams after this process. We tried changes in the game in the 2 friendly matches we played at the end of last year. I try to support and help them when different projects, infrastructure systems, new constructions are in the minds of our management. We won the match in Armenia, which did not go as we wanted in the first half, with changes in the game. In comparison, we entered more positions in the next Croatia match, but we couldn’t win the match because we couldn’t get the score. I leave the decision to you, everyone can evaluate whether these 20 months are positive or negative.”
“OUR MANAGEMENT WILL DECIDE
Kuntz said how long it takes to reach his goals, “This is not really something I can decide. Those who work closely with us know how devotedly we work. Of course, there are some examples. After a certain period of time, for example, Hungary, which provides more stability for 2 or 4 years. It is a good example. Our management will decide on this issue,” he concluded.