Vincenzo Montella: I am also trying to plan for the future

The A National Football Team defeated North Macedonia 4-0 in a friendly match played at the Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Sports Complex.

A National Football Team Head Coach Vincenzo Montella also made statements at the press conference held after the match.

Responding to the question, "Do you still think North Macedonia has similar characteristics to Australia?", Montella replied, "No team is exactly the same, but because we knew there were similarities and that Australia would play with a 5-man defense, we chose Macedonia. Playing at a high tempo was very important for us in this match. It made me happy to see the seriousness of my players."

"We have some players who need to find their fitness"

Reminding that there is about two weeks until the first match in the World Cup, the Italian coach said, "We have some players who need to find their fitness. Like Kenan, Hakan, Kerem... Arda is also one of them, and we saw a very important half-hour from him today. We have players with minor problems. Ferdi also arrived with a minor injury; we haven't been able to have him train yet. We have time until our first match. We will try to get their fitness levels close to 100 percent. I hope everyone will be at 100 percent, but we have to wait and see whether some of our players will be ready or not."

Vincenzo Montella stated that the hot weather conditions in the United States would not affect the team, saying, "It is a subject we need to get used to immediately. We will prepare in the best way possible in the shortest time."

"We knew they would deliver this performance"

Saying that he is very pleased with the performance of young players such as Deniz Gül, Aral Şimşir, and Can Uzun, Montella said, "Nothing happened outside of our expectations. We knew they would deliver this performance. They have started to integrate into our team slowly. We are experiencing a separate happiness for them."

"We also need to solidify the future"

The experienced coach explained that he acts by considering the characteristics of all players when determining their game strategies, stating, "All of our players have different characteristics. We can change from match to match. I am also trying to plan for the future. I know that giving chances to young players is important. I was calling up Can even when he was in the second division. We also need to solidify the future. We need to integrate our players. Can Uzun and Deniz Gül have started playing with me. I believe in them; if I didn't, they wouldn't be here."

"My only thought is the national team"

Reiterating that his only thought is the national team, the Italian coach said, "All my energy and focus are for the national team. I told my agent; if anyone calls, don't bring me anything. My only thought is the national team."