İsmail Kartal: Our plans there will be to advance

In the first leg of the UEFA Champions League 2nd Qualifying Round, Fenerbahçe defeated their guests, Polish side Gornik Zabrze, 1-0. Fenerbahçe manager İsmail Kartal made statements at the press conference held after the match. Evaluating the match first, Kartal said, "In our meeting regarding our opponent, we knew how seriously we took them and that they were constantly waiting in the second zone to play a transition game. We dominated from the beginning to the end of the match. We could have won by a larger margin. We played a very superior game of football. They only took 1 shot, and only one was on target. We had 80 percent possession and created goal-scoring opportunities. We aimed to find the 2nd and 3rd goals and finish the match. Our players achieved this on the pitch, but it ended 1-0. I congratulate my players," he said.

İsmail Kartal stated that the shortcomings he saw in today's match were due to bad luck and that they are waiting for their injured players to return.

"Ake felt a slight pain"

Regarding the reason why Nathan Ake, who started the match in the starting 11, was substituted at the beginning of the second half, Kartal said, "He received therapy for his groin during the week. He felt a slight pain there again. I didn't want to risk it, so I brought on Levent in his place."

Oosterwolde's performance

Regarding the performance of Jayden Oosterwolde, who started the Gornik Zabrze match at left-back, the yellow-navy manager said, "He played at left-back after a long time. In the first half, he didn't contribute much to the attack and played with a defensive focus. In the second half, he moved to center-back. Perhaps during the season, Ake will play at left-back, or we might play with a back three," he said.

"Bartuğ is ahead right now"

Regarding Bartuğ Elmaz's performance, İsmail Kartal evaluated, "Bartuğ is our own. He worked very hard in camp, and I rewarded him by playing him. There will be a healthy competition there. I played him because Bartuğ is ahead of them right now."

"Our plans there will be to advance"

Responding to a question about the first leg ending 1-0 and whether he was worried, the experienced manager said, "I am not too worried. I trust my team, my players, and my staff. We are preparing very thoroughly as a team. We have 8 days until the second match. Our opponent will play a league match. We will watch their league match; those will be the players we need to concentrate on most seriously. I believe Asensio and Greenwood will be better. Our plans there will be to advance. I think we are better than our opponent in terms of quality. They are a team that is accustomed to physical play and quality. They are a team that should be taken seriously. We want to prepare for the second match in the best way possible and advance," he said.

"We have players for rotation in midfield"

İsmail Kartal gave the following answer to a question about Matteo Guendouzi's role today:

"Our pressing in the front will vary depending on the opponent. Kante can stay back, Guendouzi can move forward. Currently, Guendouzi is our player who holds that area. We have many players for rotation there."

"Fred will be with the team"

İsmail Kartal also spoke clearly about the future of Brazilian footballer Fred in the team. Kartal said, "Fred is a player with great character. He is a player I like. He is a player who is loved within the team. He is a player who will take on any role; he is a very good professional. He will be with our team," he said.

"Vedat is a strong center-forward"

To the question, "Did you experience a lack of a center-forward?", Kartal said, "If Muriqi is there, he is a strong center-forward. He is a player who makes the connections. When he is not there, we have Talisca; he is a very technical, intelligent player who strikes the ball very well. He is a player who goes up for headers. Because Vedat is not there, we are playing Talisca. I think he did his best today as well," he said.

"Semedo put on a good performance"

Regarding his decision to give Portuguese footballer Semedo a start in the 11, İsmail Kartal said, "Semedo has been here for 4 days. When he arrived, I talked to him and asked how he was. He said, 'I returned early because I thought I would play in this match.' We looked at his performance, and his energy was very high. I said, 'If you are going forward, you need to finish your productivity; I don't want you to go and then come back.' We worked on this, and he put on a good performance today. We made our choice in favor of Semedo," he said.

"The foreign player rule needs to change"

Answering a question about whether the players to be sent from the team due to the foreign player rule are certain, Kartal said, "Maybe the rule can change. It could be 12+2. It is in the interest of all clubs for it to continue. 14-15 clubs want it to change. I don't think this is normal. It needs to change. There will be very difficult decisions for us as well. I hope this rule changes so everyone can relax," he said.