Galatasaray Coach Okan Buruk and Fredrik Midtsjö made statements at the press conference before the Molde match. Here are the statements of Buruk and Midstjö…
MIDTSJÖ: WE SHOULD DO OUR BEST
They have a strong team, they showed it in the first match. We have a 3-2 advantage, we need to do our best and show ourselves.
AFTER ASKING THE GOAL HE SHOWED…
I want to work as hard as I can and do my best. I always try to do what I can and be ready. I’m ready and want to give more support.
An extra special match for me. I grew up as a Rosenborg player and there was strife between us. Scoring against Molde was therefore perfect for me, as a former Rosenborg I don’t want to see Molde in the Champions League.
HERE ARE OKAN BURUK’S EXPLANATIONS:
Being a champion is as important and valuable as being in the Champions League.
What we said about our opponent before the first match is that they are an effective team in their own field, know their field well, and have been together for a long time with their technical staff. We saw that in the first game. There were negative things for us about the first game. Now we know our opponent better. We will play on our own field. Our fans will continue to support us. With this support, we want to enter the Champions League. A great goal, a great hope. Last season our goal was the championship, now the Champions League. Being in the Champions League is valuable.
We want to win this match and pass the round, regardless of the score of the first match. Country score, Galatasaray, my players are very important to me. We give the maximum and celebrate the entrance to the Champions League at the end of the match.
“WE KNOW OUR COMPETITOR BETTER”
We know our opponent better. Compared to the first game, we also have Torreira’s return, Tete taking time and getting ready… We will be on the field with a fuller squad. We are stronger. We are in our own field. We want to show this advantage as a game. We want to be more aggressive. Both aggressiveness, defensive transitions and turnovers became a position to the opponent. They knew the pitch and used the speed of the pitch and the ball correctly. They played more matches than us, but now we have played 8 matches, we are more ready physically. We want to use our advantage and win the match. The point is to put our real game on the field. If we do better than the first game, we will pass the round. Our opponent also has very effective attacks, they used the wings very well. We will think about our opponent and our own game plan. We will be more aggressive both when the ball is in possession and when the ball is on the opponent.
“WE WILL BE IN THE TEAM”
We chose Zaha as a target between the national team. If possible, we will also play a friendly match. We will use Zaha in the friendly match and she will be in the team afterwards.
“ONE OF THE THINGS WE DREAM…”
We are excited. You have to feel the excitement. There is also print. This will prepare us for the match. Our goal is to enter the Champions League groups. Looking at the last two years, Galatasaray needs this. The team that finished the league in 13th place becomes the champion the next season and goes to the Champions League. This is very valuable. We’re very focused on that. One of the things we dreamed about was the Champions League again. Tomorrow we have this chance, we want to use it. It is important not only for Galatasaray but also for Turkish football. There are both material and spiritual benefits. It is one of the goals of Galatasaray and I hope we will achieve it tomorrow.
“WE HAVE 2 VERY IMPORTANT PLAYERS BUT…”
We have 2 very important players, like Zaha and Ziyech, but we cannot use them. Torreira got injured, got a red card. There are difficulties. We did not concede a goal in two matches in the league. We saw the mistakes we made. We share them with our players and try to improve them. Especially in the inner court, we will play both attack and team defense. We didn’t do the team defense right in the last Molde game. The turnovers were bad for us… We played long ball even with no pressure and when he came back there was danger in our goal. If we are a team that plays better with the ball, if we are aggressive when the ball is in the opponent’s, it will be similar to last year. This is how we played in the Trabzonspor match in the league. Our goal tomorrow is to continue this game.
“THANK YOU TFF!”
At first, I also viewed the postponement decision of the TFF positively. Our teams playing in other Europe also had a positive outlook. It has to be properly evaluated. Everyone is playing the playoffs. While playing the group match, the decision to postpone was not made. There are those who cannot distinguish it. Molde did not play, many countries did. This is a critical threshold. We are going to the group stage matches in Europe with 4 teams. TFF’s decision was correct and appropriate. We came back from Norway, around 7 am on Thursday morning. It would be difficult to play in the league and on a Tuesday. It was also valuable for the preparation process. Now we are preparing for the Molde match. We rested and prepared. We are ready to represent Turkey. Thank you TFF. They thought right. I know that this is the opinion of all teams playing in Europe.
“YUNUS SAID HE WANTED TO GO FOR A LONG TIME”
“Transfer talk and talk… We are competing, we are preparing, we are talking about transfers. There are those who go, those who come and those who want to go. Sometimes we do not want him to go. This is what happened to Yunus. Yunus stated that he wanted to go for a long time, so we gave permission. There are players we want to get, there are other players. Teams can ask for it. Likewise in Europe, the last week of the transfer, although the transfer is a little longer in Turkey, determines the squad of many teams. Entering the Champions League is a trump card for us, we will try to use it. We actually want good players. “They want better players from the players. When you want to get the best, you find it difficult, time passes. There is a risk of not getting it. We want to complete the transfers until the Champions League list is given. We want players who will contribute to Galatasaray. I have the match tomorrow, this match more than the transfer.”
“WE ARE FEAR EVERY MATCH WE PLAY ICARDI”
“After last year, Mauro Icardi was a key player. The most important thing for me was to stay. Our president, our managers, Erden Bey made a lot of effort. He is the locomotive for the team, not only as a striker, but also with his character. He did the best that the striker could do with the goals he scored in such matches and the assists he made. “Every time we play him, we feel fear. There is a break between the national team, this will be a process for him to rest. His contribution is very important. He will make an important contribution for us tomorrow.”