Vincenzo Montella explains the reasons behind his squad selection!

A National Team Head Coach Vincenzo Montella made statements regarding the squad he announced for EURO 2024.

Speaking on the Turkish Football Federation's social media account, Montella stated that they are embarking on a new journey, saying, "I am very excited to start this adventure that will take us to Germany, and I am looking forward to the tournament."

The Italian coach, who noted that the players will join the camp in three stages and that Salih Özcan and Arda Güler, who will compete in the Champions League final, will join in the final stage, spoke as follows about the selection of the preliminary squad:

"Our squad selection criteria were based on the quality of our players. We made our selection specifically to create a group. Of course, our off-field values were as important as our footballing values. My team and I watched hundreds of matches in stadiums. Of course, our off-field values were as important as our footballing values. The most important criterion was the performance our players showed throughout the season. Especially those in the final part of the season. We did not make any selections for political reasons. Our choices were made based on what we saw on the pitch. We especially based our decisions on the players' current performances. Because we will be playing at a high level. I would like to state that physical condition was at the forefront of our selection criteria and that, in addition to technical qualities, the physical performance of the players was also important to us. We made a selection where different parameters combined. I am sure that by achieving great unity as a country, I have no doubt that we will all unite under our flag, regardless of the jersey color. Because for me, uniting under the Turkish flag is very important."

Reminding that he has been in charge of the A National Team for nearly a year, Vincenzo Montella said, "It has been a very beautiful experience for me so far. Except for one. Luckily, that was not during a very important period. We won in Croatia for the first time. They also lost a qualifying match at home for the first time. We won in Germany after 72 years. We managed to finish as the leader of the qualifying group for the first time. We moved up a few spots in the FIFA rankings. For the first time in our history, we finished the group as leaders, and of course, our current goal is that we managed to qualify for the European Championship for the third time in a row. But we could not succeed in advancing from the group in the last two tournaments. Our first goal is to believe, to trust, and to achieve what we have not been able to achieve in recent years by ensuring unity," he expressed.

Underlining that they chose their opponents for the friendly matches in direct proportion to their opponents in EURO 2024, Montella said, "We chose these types of matches to test and prepare our team. If we consider our last two matches as 4 halves, we played well in 3 of them. In the last half, we played very poorly. However, we learned the necessary lessons. At these levels, you cannot underestimate yourself, especially you should not underestimate your opponent. I think the matches we will play against the last European champion Italy and Poland are also very important tests. I like the unity between the A National Team and the Under-21 team. I like to evaluate young players, which I have shown before. I make my selections regardless of identity and evaluate whether the players are ready for these levels. I will continue to freely implement our transition practices between our A and Under-21 teams in the future. That is why I am very pleased with this joint camp and match planning we have done with our Under-21 coach Levent Sürme. We will continue to do these."

OUR FIRST GOAL IS TO ADVANCE FROM THE GROUP

The Italian coach, who stated that they will face 3 opponents with different football philosophies in EURO 2024, used the following expressions:

"For me, the most important match is our first match, and it will also be our most difficult match. Georgia has shown a compact game so far. A team that deserves great respect from me. Maybe a team that is below us in the FIFA rankings, but this statistic is not a detail that will win us the match. The same situation applies to us when we play against Portugal. I think Portugal has an extraordinary squad. They are far above us in the rankings, but in football, there is no such thing as a 'definite opinion.' There was a coaching change in Czechia after the qualifiers. We are not sure how they will play in tactical terms for now. It is a team that is also very close to us in the FIFA rankings. We will have three final matches in the first stage. Just like at the beginning of our journey, we need to go into these matches with the right team spirit we showed in Croatia, Germany, and other matches. With the stance and character we will show on the pitch, we must first make our country proud. Afterward, we need to fight in a way that befits those levels in technical and tactical terms. Our first goal is to advance from the group. Afterward, it will be a different kind of struggle. That is why we need to proceed step by step."

WE NEED TO BE BALANCED

"Our main goal is to create a group with the same mindset. To create unity both in our country and in our team," said Vincenzo Montella, adding, "This comes before all goals. Advancing from the group is the priority, because we could not achieve this in the last two tournaments. Then our dreams and goals may vary. I can say this based on my experience. Because scenarios can change afterward and everything becomes possible. The factors that will bring us success are unity, belief, trusting each other, and being able to stay calm in important moments. We need to be balanced. I believe in and trust our group of players. Our team has shown on the pitch that it is a whole in both tactical and technical terms. We have scored a total of 20 goals since the EURO 2024 Qualifiers. 17 of these came from different players. These goals are an indication that our collective game is superior to our individual game. I believe that in long processes, collective games are always superior to individual games," he assessed.

Stating that he has a squad consisting of young and experienced players, Montella said, "We also have players who will appear in the A National Team for the first time. The average age of the 35 players we called up to the wide squad is 25.1 as of now. We will perhaps be the youngest team to take part in the European Championship. Our squad is large. There are certain reasons for this. We will have 13 players in the first stage. As of May 29, we will have more players, and I will start making my first decisions from that date. Two of our players will likely join us on June 4. I want to see and evaluate some players closely. One of the reasons we keep the squad large is that we want to see the players mentally, physically, and technically."

Emphasizing that they are aware of the responsibility on them, the Italian coach said, "While we feel our responsibility in the European Championship, we want everyone to experience the tournament process with joy, passion, and commitment. We must live this commitment by thinking about our country and our flag. We will play in Germany as if we were at home, but I do not want this to create pressure on our players. I am sure that we will not have any trouble managing this emotion, and wherever we are, we will show that we are a great country while fighting for our flag," he concluded.