Arda Turan reveals his winning plan against Beşiktaş

In the first leg of the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round, Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk defeated Beşiktaş 4-2 away from home. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Shakhtar Donetsk manager Arda Turan said, "It is not easy to play here. We started the match in a balanced way."

I am happy that my players executed the game plan well. We need to take the positives and focus on the negatives. Conceding 3 such simple goals means we need to be more careful in these areas. If you are dominating a match this much, you should get a different result.

My players are still young. When I was 19, I got a red card in Bordeaux and ruined the match. I will not take away their right to make mistakes. If we want to reach higher levels, we will not concede such simple goals. The tie is not over yet. Beşiktaş is a very big club. We need to fight even better there than we did here. I expect this from my players," he said.

"THE BEST DEFENSE IS POSSESSION"

Regarding his two substitutions while holding a lead, Turan said, "I learned from Fatih Terim to 'not be afraid to do what you see.' As a manager, I try to do this. The best defense is possession. All our passes are planned. I am bothered by passes that are not part of the plan."

"OUR PLAN WAS HIGH PRESSING"

Stating that Mert Günok hits very good long balls and they tried to put more pressure on him, the successful manager added, "He hits very good long balls. We conceded the second goal that way. We did not change our defensive plans. If you have players like Orkun and Gedson, they sometimes solve this. Demir Ege is also a player we like. Our plan was high pressing. We knew we would win the ball. We have good full-backs. They are young, and we are trying to remind them of their potential."

Emphasizing that they have not won the tie 100 percent yet, Arda Turan concluded, "The tie is not over. Beşiktaş is a team that scores many goals from transitions. I would like to say that we will approach the match as if it were 0-0."

The 38-year-old manager concluded by thanking Beşiktaş President Serdal Adalı and the black-and-white community for their hospitality.

News Source: İHA