Domenico Tedesco: I think we did more than just fight

In the 7th week of the UEFA Europa League, Fenerbahçe lost 1-0 at home to the English side Aston Villa. Fenerbahçe manager Domenico Tedesco answered questions at the press conference held after the match.

When asked about the team's level against one of the Premier League's title contenders and a favorite in the Europa League, Tedesco said, "It's not just about the physical aspect. In the flash interview today, they said, 'Fenerbahçe fought very well.' We do this every match. If we weren't fighting, we wouldn't have a reason to wake up in the morning. I think we did more than just fight today. We had possession and created chances. Our opponent created chances too. If you play bravely against teams like this, you leave space behind."

They waited for us to counter-attack. We cannot change the team's identity. We enjoy playing this way. I watched 6-7 of our opponent's matches. I don't think any team has created as many chances against them as we did. If you have an off day, these teams can hurt you. At the end of the day, you shouldn't be happy. We wanted to take the 3 points. We will play our final match in Bucharest. We had a limited squad; Matteo and Musaba were not in the squad. We can be slightly satisfied with the game we played. I didn't know Skriniar was suspended. We have to deal with this situation."

"Youssef is our player"

When asked, "What profile of player would you want for the forward line following the possibility of Youssef En-Nesyri transferring?" the yellow-navy manager replied, "Youssef is our player. As always, I will not comment on transfer rumors. He is arriving in Istanbul tonight. I will see him tomorrow. There is no official situation at the moment."

"I didn't have the opportunity to start with Talisca today"

Regarding the formation and tactics on the field against the English side, Tedesco said, "We didn't play with a back three. Efe played at right-back today. We show a very flexible profile in our build-up play. In the Alanya match, Efe played a bit more as a stationary full-back. We wanted Mert to go forward. Today we played in a 4-2-3-1 formation, taking up a 3+1 position at the back. We use the number 6s flexibly. Because Semedo was coming back from injury, he had to play for approximately 45-60 minutes. If his injury recurs, he will be out for the season. He played 45 minutes against Alanyaspor and 55 minutes today. I didn't have the opportunity to start with Talisca today. He had been away from the team for 3.5 weeks. He could have played a maximum of 35-40 minutes today. Sometimes you are forced to make these kinds of changes."

"We wanted to make a more offensive decision"

Regarding the decision to substitute İsmail Yüksek, Tedesco said, "This was not a decision taken against İsmail. Alvarez had also been out for 6 weeks with an injury. It was a difficult decision to make whether to take off Fred or İsmail. Fred is good at driving at the opponent with the ball. We wanted to make a slightly more offensive decision. We wanted to continue with a player who has more playmaking ability. The decision could have easily gone the other way."

"We want to win our last match"

When asked about the top 8 in the Europa League league phase, Domenico Tedesco replied, "I don't know the standings right now. I don't know the results of the other matches. We want to win our last match. It doesn't matter if we don't qualify directly. The top 8 would be better, as we would advance without playing an extra round. We have a tough schedule. If we don't make it, we will just play another match in front of our fans."

News Source: 12punto