Kerem Aktürkoğlu's EURO 2024 and transfer comments: Which team does he want in the final?

Kerem Aktürkoğlu answered questions from an AA reporter at the camp held in Poznan ahead of the friendly match the crescent-star team will play against Poland on Monday, June 10.

Explaining that their preparations are intense and that they are close to being mentally and physically ready for the championship, Kerem said, "We will play against very big teams there, we need to be physically ready, so it is an intense camp period. We are all ready, we are happy, it is a very good camp period. The atmosphere of friendship and our relationships are in place, I hope it will be a beautiful and successful tournament for all of us."

POLAND MATCH

Stating that the defeats against Hungary and Austria were demoralizing but that they learned lessons from them, Kerem spoke as follows regarding the draw with Italy:

"Ozan's injury saddened us all. Before him, Çağlar and Enes were injured. These are very sad things. Such things are part of football, we are people used to these, but when someone gets injured before such a tournament, it is a great disappointment for both them and us. We can fall more in terms of morale and motivation. I wish them a speedy recovery again. The Italy match was not like a friendly match, both teams defended very well, I didn't get any playing time but I congratulate my teammates. Because we defended well against a team with good organization. Being able to defend well in the European Championship will be important for us. We may not be very productive in terms of offense, but we didn't give away offensive opportunities either. We had a good match as a team, our coach said this too. Next is our Poland match, they are a very strong team, they have quality players. It will be as tough as the Italy match. It is not a friendly match for us because it is our final rehearsal. It will be difficult, but I believe it will be a beautiful match in the end."

"THE GROUP STAGE IS ONE OF OUR MINIMAL GOALS"

Reminding that the national team could not advance from the group stage in the last two European Championships, Kerem said, "The last success we had with the national team was in 2008. Since then, we haven't been able to achieve success even though we had very good squads. Now there is a lot of expectation again. We are keeping our feet more firmly on the ground to avoid making the mistakes we made in the past. When you feel the need to meet too many expectations, you can be very prone to making mistakes. Unfortunately, we are such a country. Both as fans and as footballers, emotions can weigh heavier. We can plan more comfortably when we look at it match by match and keep the goals smaller. First of all, getting out of the groups is one of the more minimal goals for us. After that, of course, we can set bigger goals."

Kerem Aktürkoğlu responded to the question, "Does the public discussion of quarter-final or semi-final expectations put pressure on you?" by saying, "If we set such goals, we will be under more pressure, both as a nation and as footballers. We couldn't pass the groups in the previous tournaments. Such goals are very nice, they put us there, and we put ourselves there too, but I think it is more logical to move towards these goals after overcoming small goals first. Because when we put ourselves under pressure, we cannot reflect the performance we want on the field. Getting out of the groups is our main goal. I think we can achieve better successes when we keep the goal a little more minimal. After passing the groups, both our nation and we know very well what we can do. Because we have a very high-quality team, but if we set a goal directly like the final or quarter-final, I think this puts us under much greater pressure."

"THE HARDEST MATCH WILL BE GEORGIA"

"The favorite in the group is of course Portugal for everyone, but I think our hardest match will be the Georgia match," said Kerem, adding, "Georgia is both our first match in the tournament and Georgia has no previous European Championship experience. They are inexperienced teams, but they have nothing to lose. They achieved a great success by coming here. A team that plays with nothing to lose can achieve greater successes. Our hardest match is Georgia. We need to go into that match with very good concentration. After that, we need to think about the other opponents. We want to proceed match by match, our hardest match is the Georgia match, after that we should think about the Portugal and Czechia matches. We can achieve greater successes this way."

Kerem Aktürkoğlu answered the question, "The national team has only scored 1 goal in its last 3 matches. Do you think we are having problems in scoring?" by saying, "Friendly matches are test matches. Looking at the last matches, yes, it might look like that, but I remember that 17 out of 20 goals in the European Championship Qualifiers were scored by different players, which shows that every player contributes to the team. If we look at the last 2-3 matches, yes, it looks like that, but when we look at the general picture, I don't think so. In today's football, it is very important to get a scoring contribution from every footballer, and we have such quality footballers. I believe it will be different in the European Championship. Because we are a country that really has quality and very good players. I don't have the same opinion on this matter."

THE TEAM HE WANTS TO FACE IN THE FINAL

When asked which team he wants to face in the tournament, Kerem said, "I would like to play the final against Italy. Because Italy is the champion of the last European Championship. In that respect, I would like to face them. It would also be nice to face the tournament host Germany to have a 'which of us is the host' match. I can name those two teams."

CRISTIANO RONALDO

Regarding Cristiano Ronaldo, the star of Portugal, one of the opponents in the group, the national footballer said, "We were eliminated by Portugal in the World Cup qualifiers, I met Ronaldo there for the first time. Ronaldo's professionalism, his football, and his achievements are taken as an example by everyone. He has become an icon. He is one of the players I admire the most. He is very successful, what he has done in the national team and at the club level is huge. It would also be wrong to evaluate Portugal only through Ronaldo. They have a very high-quality and good team. When we faced them in the World Cup qualifiers, it didn't end well for us. Maybe it could be his last tournament, but when Ronaldo is involved, you never know. No one knows what he can do or when he will quit. He is a very high-quality and very good footballer. Since we know his quality, I think we will have a match with that level of motivation."

TRANSFER STATEMENT

Emphasizing that they are aware of the impact of major tournaments on footballers' careers, Kerem said, "Such tournaments are really very important for every footballer. These tournaments are a process that can take footballers' careers from A to Z. I also always set goals for myself, and this tournament is one of my goals. I want to perform successfully in this tournament and represent my country and my family in the best way possible. Every person wants to evaluate the opportunities that come their way. But my primary goal is to achieve success as a country. Individual performances are thought about later. What is important is the success of our country, I think it is more important to get somewhere with our country."

Regarding the leagues he likes in Europe, Kerem said, "I really like the Spanish league. The English and Italian leagues are also very beautiful, quality leagues. These three leagues are the best leagues for me. Then come Germany and France. Of course, the first place is England. Because it is one of the leagues where very difficult but very high-quality football is played. Spain and Italy are leagues more suitable for my football, but let's see. Of course, every footballer has it as a goal. One of my goals is to be able to play in Europe. Let's see, whatever is best for us, let it be."

News Source: AA