Critical warning from Montella ahead of Australia match

A National Football Team Head Coach Vincenzo Montella made evaluations at the press conference held ahead of the match against Australia, which will take place tomorrow at 07:00 Turkish time at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, Canada, in their first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D.

Reminding that the 24-year World Cup longing has ended, Montella said, "We are very excited. We believe we will put on a good performance. We are aware of the difficulties we will face. We want to enjoy this. We want to be very proud of the work we do and make others proud."

"WE HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR OUR OPPONENT"

Pointing out Australia's strengths, the Italian coach said, "I watched their matches. We saw that they are very accustomed to playing in the World Cup, that they are a balanced team, and that they are physical. We have been in the game with these forwards for a long time. Speed can cause difficulties for them. I also expect a tough match. Just like in Kosovo. We are prepared for all kinds of conditions. We have faced tough matches before. It will be very tit-for-tat. Whoever is talented will make the difference."

Emphasizing that they need to raise the level of the game they put on the field, Montella stated, "The level of the football we play needs to be improved even further; this will start from tomorrow onwards. We know that there are many challenges we need to overcome. We also need to be very balanced. We need to be mentally balanced and prepared for all kinds of difficulties."

"WE NEED TO MAKE THE RIGHT MOVES"

Stating that they have made special preparations for the match, the experienced coach said, "We need to prepare depending on how we will play and, of course, based on the characteristics of the opposing team. We have worked on this. We have always taken this into account. We have worked very hard. I know our opponent has also worked hard. We need to make the right moves. All players are playing by overcoming certain difficulties. I hope Arda, Hakan, and Kenan can play as many minutes as possible in a 100-minute match, but I don't think they can last the full 100 minutes. I have a few question marks in my mind regarding this."

"THE FIRST MATCH CAN BE DECISIVE"

Pointing out that the group is extremely balanced, Montella said, "All 4 teams hope to advance from the group. We believe we will do a good job. We will do our best. The first match is important. You can get very important points in later matches, but I think the first match will be decisive. I think it will put our team in a very good position for the future."

Stating that being at the helm of the Turkish National Team has a special meaning for him, Montella said, "We need to do our best. I feel as if I have been adopted. I feel like I am at home. I am passionately committed to my team. I don't follow social media, even if they say good things. I might also receive bad criticism. This is part of my job; I have to do it."

"AUSTRALIA IS MENTALLY VERY RESILIENT"

Emphasizing the physical and mental strength of their opponents, Montella assessed, "Australia is a very strong, mentally very resilient team. They can display a compact game patiently. We need to avoid falling into these traps. Because there are counter-attacks that the opponent feeds on. We need to prevent these. We must play our team game very well."

Stating that he constantly shares the same message with his players, the Italian coach said, "We feel the responsibilities. We know that millions are supporting us. We also know that they have expectations. Every time I talk to our players, I told them that we need to play our own game and that they should be relaxed. We need to continue the way we have come until today."

Expressing his satisfaction with the interest they have received in Canada, Montella said, "There were many Turkish fans. Thank you for being with us. We always see them at the hotel. Vancouver is a very beautiful city. We had a very nice reception. This is my first time here. It is a very beautiful pitch and stadium. All conditions are in place for us to start very well."

Montella also expressed that they will not be in a hurry against Australia and that they want to reflect their own game plan on the field by remaining patient.

"NOT PARTICIPATING FOR 24 YEARS WAS NOT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY"

When reminded of the Australian players' statements regarding tournament experience, Montella said, "I read such comments too. They also said true things. We haven't played in the World Cup for 24 years; they have been in 6 tournaments. They are very experienced, but not all of them are equally experienced. Of course, we are under pressure. We can manage this. We have players who have played big European matches under pressure and have also played under very serious pressure in Turkey. I tell our players; not participating for 24 years was outside of our responsibility, you should be proud of this because you achieved the success of participating after 24 years. We said that we need to play our own football."

"WE MUST ADAPT TO THE CONDITIONS HERE"

Comparing the 2024 European Football Championship with the World Cup organization, Montella said, "Everything was very easy in Germany. Our location was very good. Our hotel, everything belonged to us. Travel times were at most 2 hours. The situation here is very different. We need to adapt to this. It is not easy for people of my age to get used to these time zones. We are traveling between very large countries. Adaptation is necessary. It is not a situation we can change."

Pointing out the speed in Australia's attacking line, the Italian coach said, "They have very good players. They have very fast players up front. They have game structures. I believe we need to play our own game without giving them too many opportunities."

Stating that water breaks offer an important opportunity for technical teams, Montella explained, "Water breaks are like an additional break. It is an opportunity to talk to the team. Using these breaks can be a good opportunity."

"WE WANT THE TURKISH PEOPLE TO BE PROUD OF US"

Giving a message to the fans at the end of his statements, Vincenzo Montella concluded his words by saying, "We want to meet their expectations of us. I want to play our game in a strong, brave, and passionate way. We have many supporters. When we are successful, we will make our fans very happy. The number of fans here will be lower. In Germany, we were playing as if we were at home. Because we had many of our people living there. I don't know what the numbers are here, but I am sure they will support us. They have been with us constantly since we arrived and are giving very beautiful support."