Montella responds to criticism: 'Before us, players were coming to the national team reluctantly'

The Turkish National Football Team will face the USA tomorrow at Los Angeles Stadium in their third and final match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D. Speaking at the press conference held before the match, National Team Head Coach Vincenzo Montella made statements regarding the recent criticism of the team, the condition of the players, and the future.

"THESE PLAYERS ARE THE FUTURE OF OUR FOOTBALL"

Stating that he wanted to make a long assessment at the beginning of the meeting, Montella drew attention to the tone of the criticism directed at the players.

"We need to show our players more respect than we currently do. Of course, we are sad about what happened, but we continue to be motivated for the future. The match we will play tomorrow will be a difficult match. It will probably be one of the hardest matches. That is why we want our country to support us. They should support the team. Everyone is very sad. I will talk about my 3 years with the team. I started working with the national team in September 2023. We started working on qualifying for the European Championship and achieved a victory against Croatia. We were successful with a very good game. I even remember our first victory against Germany, our win in Germany after 72 years. Those kids who achieved those successes that day are these kids, and they will achieve success in the future as well. That is why we must show them respect. They are the future of our football."

"THIS IS LIKE DOING IT TO YOUR OWN CHILD"

Emphasizing that he does not accept personal attacks on his players, the Italian coach said he would continue to defend them.

"I have seen personal attacks. I cannot accept these. This is like doing it to your own child. This is not something to be accepted. I will continue to support them unconditionally. We took 62 shots, we were involved in 590 actions in the opponent's penalty area. We had 341 successful actions in the opponent's penalty area. We are in first place in entries into the opponent's penalty area. We are in second place in average ball possession. We are in second place after Spain in vertical passes. We are in third place in creating goal-scoring opportunities. Football is the art of scoring goals. The team could not achieve this, but we worked very hard."

"THESE PLAYERS DO NOT DESERVE WHAT IS BEING SAID"

Montella opposed the targeting of players following the last two matches.

"We cannot blame our players for the last two matches. It is very easy to put people in a bad situation, but we should not do this. We are trying to support a national passion here. The Turkish people have constantly shown us support. Everyone said to us, 'I have never seen such a harmonious team.' These players do not deserve what is being said. I do not want the players to be influenced. But I see the expressions on their faces. They are like my children."

"I WILL NOT GIVE UP, I WILL CONTINUE"

Stating that they will continue the struggle despite the difficulties the team has experienced, Montella drew attention to the sacrifices made by the players.

"They faced many difficulties. Of course, we could have done better on the field, but we tried to do it with all our hearts. Sometimes you don't get the results of these. But this does not mean that we should throw everything away. These players are our future, let's show them respect. When we came here, Kenan was not at 100 percent. There were players with other problems. All the players put in all their effort on the field. Even if they didn't feel 100 percent, I wanted them to play. I know that even if they are not at 100 percent, they can play a very good game. Football is like that. I will not give up, I will continue."

"OUR PLAYERS ARE BONDED TO EACH OTHER"

Stating that the unity within the team continues before the USA match, Montella expressed that some players were affected by the criticism.

"I can say that some are still having mental problems. Personal and unfair attacks against them make them very sad. Fortunately, I see some of them better. We know that the opponent's tempo is high. I will think about the strategy. We will look at the physical and mental states of the players. We have a very compact and spiritually united group. Our players are bonded to each other. We have players who support the group and the head coach. Çağlar, Kaan, İrfan, and Mert played a supportive role."

"WOULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN BETTER IF WE ALL UNITED UNDER THE FLAG TOGETHER?"

Stating that he is open to criticism, Montella said that non-constructive approaches do not contribute to the team.

"I don't expect everything to be called 'very good' when we lose the game, but I just expect fairness, to be told that more could have been done. Of course, you are free to say these things. These are constructive criticisms. I don't expect congratulations from anyone. But I didn't expect such negative communication either.

People here supported us even after losing the match. 3-4 people said negative things, but then 50-something people came and said positive things. It is not right for them to shout, and then for some malicious journalists to spread this. Of course, we will return home, and we know the math. These negative approaches do not help us improve our system.

Turkey had not been to the World Cup for 24 years, now we are here. We will do better in the future. But it is very good that we are here. That is why we need to unite. Wouldn't things have been different if we all united under the flag together? Only in this way can we contribute to the country's football history."

"I AM LIKE A BIG BROTHER INSTEAD OF A FATHER"

Touching on the relationship he established with the national team players, Montella said that the bond within the team is strong.

"We established a relationship like the relationship between family members. I am like a big brother instead of a father. Some are only slightly older than my son. I always carry these feelings in my heart. Of course, after the first defeat, some players were very sad and lost their motivation. They were asking me, 'How was I?' They were curious about my feelings. Some players asked about my mood. This also moved me. We try to make each other feel good. There is a very good relationship between us. We have a lot of supporters, we support each other. I think this is a very important element."

"THEY STEPPED ONTO THE WORLD STAGE"

Expressing that the players are struggling with great pressure, Montella stated that the experience is important for the future.

"Even though they could not give 100 percent, they tried to do their best. No matter how much I thank them, it is not enough. They stepped onto the world stage. They faced judgments. As for myself, this experience is very fresh, everything is very new, I don't know. I am thinking about the next match. The important thing is to focus on tomorrow's match. It was a difficult experience. It was very difficult even logistically. My similar cup experience was in 2002. You always learn something. It is important to consider both the evaluations and the result. You will definitely see the benefit of this in the future."

"IF YOU ARE ASKING IF I WILL RESIGN; NO"

Responding to the resignation rumors that have come to the fore recently, Montella said that he will continue his duty.

"Turkey did not go to the European Championship and the World Cup twice in a row. No single head coach has been able to get us into both the European Championship and the World Cup except for me. I am very motivated. The support of the president and the support of the players are enough for me. I am a professional. I have put my heart into this over these years. I have spent my time with passion.

If you are asking if I will resign; no. Because I still have energy. I feel stronger after these experiences. If there are those who want my resignation, I will not do it, they have to accept it. I will continue my duty by taking into account the evaluations of our players and our president."

"OUR PLAYERS ARE COUNTING THE DAYS TO COME TO THE NATIONAL TEAM"

Arguing that the national team atmosphere has changed since he took office, Montella stated that the players participate in the national team camp more willingly.

"The main idea is this; you want to create a team that also excites the fans. This was not easy at the very beginning. There was a change in the head coach. The first goal was to carry the team to the European Championship and ensure the growth of the young players. We supported them.

When a player plays for the national team, they are not only eager, but they also improve the way they play football. The next goal was the World Cup. We were able to get into that too. The next goal is to maintain this level. It won't be easy. We want to face the strongest teams. We want to participate in the next European Championship so that we can fulfill all our claims.

Before we arrived, our players were coming to the national team reluctantly due to the environment. Now our players are counting the days to come to the national team. We need to protect this. We need to stay at the Nations League A level. We will work very hard for this."

Montella also made evaluations regarding the playing time of players who were not fully ready in the Australia and Paraguay matches.

"Kenan played 45 minutes, Hakan played 90 minutes. Of course, you have to look at the matches, you have to read them. We were also constantly trying to be successful in the final third. If we had to cover more of the field, it would have been different. But in that match, Hakan could have played 90 minutes. We played the match in a certain area, we played in the last 30 meters. The same applies to Arda. Arda could also have played in that type of game. I knew that these players could play in a way that would achieve results thanks to their own quality."

"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT HEAD COACH"

At the end of his statements, saying that both he and the team can make mistakes, Montella used the following expressions:

"I am constantly making mistakes. We are making mistakes as a team. But this is also valid when we win. We can win by making mistakes. We were never perfect. I was never perfect either. I was not perfect even when the media introduced me as a perfect head coach when we won.

We entered the opponent's penalty area 590 times, what more can we say. We fought inside the penalty area more than 300 times. This is the highest rate. All of this was to achieve a result. If we had achieved a result, the comments would have been different. I don't believe in luck either. If we had scored 1 goal, it could have been different.

We can make mistakes not only during a defeat but also in a victory. No one is perfect. There is no such thing as a perfect head coach, if there is, I would like to meet them too."