Okan Buruk announces the date Icardi will return

Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk has announced the return date for the injured Mauro Icardi following the 2-1 victory over Kayserispor.

Don't leave your news choices to an algorithm - decide for yourself what you read. Add 12punto to your preferred sources!

Okan Buruk announces the date Icardi will return

Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk stated that although they were not at their best in the 2-1 home victory against Mondihome Kayserispor in the 20th week of the Süper Lig, they played well enough to win.

Buruk made statements at the press conference held after the match at RAMS Park.

"WE HAVE STRUGGLED WITH 7-8 ABSENCES IN THE LAST 3 MATCHES"

Stating that they are going through difficult weeks, Buruk said, "We are playing consecutive matches. Our biggest fear was having players going to the Africa Cup of Nations, as well as injured and suspended players. We have struggled with 7-8 absences in the last 3 matches. This situation also limits our hands regarding substitutions. Today, we could not make clear changes in terms of attack."

"THE MIDFIELD AND FULL-BACKS COULD HAVE BEEN MORE PRODUCTIVE IN ATTACK"

The yellow-red team's manager emphasized that they could not perform well, saying, "We wanted to win from the beginning to the end of the match. We did not put on a very good performance. At times, we played just enough to win. If I looked at the statistics without watching the match, I would have thought we played very well. We entered goal-scoring positions, and there were goals we missed. Especially in attack, our individual performances were not very high. Mertens was one of the most productive players in attack. Our other players needed to join him. The midfield and full-backs could also have been a bit more productive in attack."

Stating that they conceded a goal due to an individual error, Buruk expressed his views as follows: "We could not reach our own performance level throughout the match. Our percentage of shots on target is low. We did not make the right decisions in many of the final plays. Winning today was very important. We need to get through these weeks by winning. Last week, we conceded a goal from an unlucky penalty 5 minutes before the end. The upcoming matches will be better for us. We also saw the pressure and stress of the loss from last week on the team. Overall, it is good to win. We need to do much better in the next match."

Okan Buruk stated that injured and suspended players have started to return, adding, "From now on, our options will increase. Sacha Boey played without training with us at all. Kaan had pains. Even if he was not at 100 percent, he tried to do his best. Our young players were very useful after they came on. Seeing them on the field is one of the things that makes me happy."

THE DISALLOWED GOAL

Okan Buruk argued that the match referee, Atilla Karaoğlan, made an incorrect decision regarding the goal they scored in the first half that was not counted.

Reminding that the ball sent into the net by Dries Mertens in the 28th minute was not counted as a goal, Buruk noted the following regarding the referee's performance:

"I don't think there was a foul in the disallowed goal. If that is a foul, then we need to change the name of football. Or, a thousand fouls should be called every match, a touch should be considered a foul, and it should be a foul when players bump into each other. It was a very critical goal where we would have reached 2-0. I couldn't make sense of it being disallowed. A warning could have come from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) as well. Usually, we don't get warnings from VAR in our matches. Thank God, a warning came this time for the penalty position. I think the penalties given to both teams were correct. However, during the game, the referee used his discretion in favor of our opponent in many positions, as has been the case in recent weeks. We have been experiencing this in recent weeks. Unfortunately, our fans, our technical staff, and our management are not happy with this. However, despite everything, we need to be better. The referee can make mistakes, whether intentionally or unintentionally. We need to move past all of these. If we are Galatasaray, if our squad is above the league, we have to do much better than this. That is my job and my players' job. We have to do better without making any excuses."

Reminding that he received a yellow card for protesting after the position, Buruk said, "There was no way a penalty would be given in this position. I don't think it was a foul. We have been experiencing this in recent weeks. Different decisions are made and rules are applied in every stadium. That is why we are uncomfortable and unhappy. Many teams are unhappy because of this. The lack of a standard makes everyone unhappy. I hope they get better. We see that the Turkish Football Federation is not happy with the VAR referees, as their numbers have been increased. Last week, 3 clear penalties were not given to us, in our opinion. The same positions were evaluated as penalties in other stadiums."

Okan Buruk said he expects better performance from some players in his squad.

Reminding that they played their 32nd official match of this season, Buruk continued his words as follows:

"We finished the league with 38 matches last season. We will reach that number by the end of this month. There is fatigue on the players. In the past, we have seen that teams playing in the Champions League have always performed poorly and been unsuccessful in the Süper Lig. We reversed this this season. We fought until the last match in the Champions League and earned the right to participate in the Europa League. We are also in the race in the Süper Lig. There have been deficiencies in our squad in recent weeks. I think the players need to do better. The same goes for Zaha and Tete. They are important players with quality. I think they need to produce more. Today, in the first half, Zaha stayed too much on the wing. We wanted him to come inside a bit more in the second half. His performance was much better. I believe my players will improve and get better. We need to support our players and talk about what we can do to reach their best performance, distinguishing between right and wrong."

Stating that they entered the season quickly without resting, Okan Buruk used the following expressions:

"The number of teams that have successfully managed both the Süper Lig and Europe up to this point is very few. In recent years, there are very few teams that have maintained success after becoming champions. We have achieved this. We are in the race in the Süper Lig. Every team can lose points. We lost points in an unlucky way last week. Our goal is to win the remaining 18 matches. We had a 14-match winning streak last season. We want to repeat this. Being in the race by creating a gap with other teams and continuing in Europe is an important success. Galatasaray has made a name for itself in the world with its performance in the Champions League this season. From now on, our goal is to continue our path in the UEFA Europa League and to become champions in Turkey. There are too many matches. Both teams believe in the championship."

HE ANNOUNCED THE DATE ICARDI WILL RETURN TO THE PITCH

Okan Buruk provided information about the status of the injured players.

Stating that Mauro Icardi, who was rested for his ankle and facial injury, will be included in the squad for the Trabzonspor match to be played this weekend, Buruk said, "We had given Icardi a certain rest period. He will slowly start training on Wednesday. We will decide for the weekend. We will look at the condition of his foot and the fracture in his face. He is preparing according to the program we gave him. We will decide whether to start him in the first 11 or use him later on the weekend. I think he will be in a condition to enter the squad."

Stating that Davinson Sanchez will play in the Ziraat Turkish Cup match against Trendyol 1st League team Ümraniyespor on Thursday, January 18, Buruk said, "The program for Sanchez was clear. His own preparation is also the Turkish Cup match we will play against Ümraniyespor. The health of our players is very important. We sometimes act patiently to prevent injuries from recurring. We acted patiently with Davinson as well. He will play in the cup match."

"WE NEED A LEFT-BACK"

Galatasaray manager Buruk said they want to sign a left-back during the mid-season transfer window.

Stating that their priority in transfers is a left-back, Buruk said, "We have a need for a left-back. He plays very well at left-back, but we want to use Barış up front. The contribution he makes to the team is very important. We will make a decision regarding the midfield and attack. First of all, we want to evaluate and see the players we have. We will make a decision in the coming days. The priority for us is a left-back. We will make decisions according to the departure situation. Will we have a situation to sell players, will offers come? We have very valuable players. Galatasaray has a very valuable squad. There are offers for many of our players. Offers will come for the mid-season and the end of the season. We will proceed with our future accordingly. Midfield or attacking midfield is one of the areas we will decide on."

News Source: AA