Vincenzo Montella: We need to be smart

The A National Football Team defeated Bulgaria 2-0 in Bursa in the 5th match of Group E of the 2026 World Cup European Qualifiers. Head Coach Vincenzo Montella made statements at the press conference held after the match. Evaluating the encounter, Montella said, "First of all, I would like to congratulate our players. It was not a very easy match. I would also like to congratulate Bulgaria. We gave our opponent a few chances in the second half, which saddened me a bit. We are worried about Kaan. He had a problem due to a muscle strain. His condition will be clear tomorrow morning."

"WE TRUST OUR PLAYERS"

Regarding the question about the Spain match, Vincenzo Montella replied, "Actually, it is a match that will not make much of a difference in the group standings, but it is very important for us. We protected our players for that match today. No matter what formation we put on the field, the competition percentage is very high. We trust all our players."

Answering the question about Kerem Aktürkoğlu's performance as a center-forward and the enthusiasm of the Bursa crowd, Vincenzo Montella said, "We experienced incredible passion in Bursa. This frankly moved us. An Italian friend of mine came. He said he had seen such an atmosphere for the first time in his life. Kerem lifts the team up incredibly. Everyone follows him with ambition. There is no need to say how important a player he is for us. I had it in mind to protect players like Barış and Orkun. We want to go to March with a full squad. We made the necessary decisions for this and took the field with this squad."

"WE NEED TO BE SMART"

Making statements regarding yellow card suspensions, the experienced coach said, "We need to be smart. We know who is on the verge. We need to protect them all and act logically. We need to enter March in a clean way. I trust all our players. Whoever we put into the game, they will play with ambition. Hakan performed incredibly today. He felt some pain. We need to protect him from injuries. Kaan is the same. Whoever we put in, they will be ambitious."

Upon being reminded that Italy is a potential opponent in the Play-Offs, Vincenzo Montella stated, "I don't think we will face them much. The percentage is very low. Unless there is a contrary situation, we know that we will go from the first pot. You know the mechanisms better than I do. It is not because it is my own country, but the conditions do not allow for it."

Reminding that they always try to do their duties in the best way possible, Vincenzo Montella said, "There is a team that never spares its team spirit. First of all, we need to normalize things that are normal. We will continue to do everything we can."