Emre Belözoğlu: I never told anyone to go down

Kasımpaşa manager Emre Belözoğlu stated that the 1 point earned in their 1-1 away draw against Fenerbahçe in the 23rd week of the Süper Lig is very valuable.

Stating that his players did exactly what he wanted in the first half, Belözoğlu said, "Considering our position, 1 point is very valuable for us. We will see this in the coming weeks. I think my players played exactly as I wanted in the first half. Despite Fenerbahçe's preference for wing players who hug the touchline—which was outside of what we expected—we directed them to the sides we wanted. We should have continued the game we played in the first half. We had the upper hand in the first half. They have quality players in the second half; it is very difficult to take precautions against such quality. We defended well, and getting 1 point here is very valuable."

Explaining that Fenerbahçe being tired provided an advantage for them, Belözoğlu said, "In general, I am satisfied. One point is very valuable for us, and I thank my players. I wish Fenerbahçe success in the league and in their Nottingham Forest match. I was an athlete who experienced many emotions intensely. I experienced these a lot at the Fenerbahçe club. I saw both loyalty and disloyalty at Fenerbahçe, but no matter what, Fenerbahçe will always have a special place in my heart. Today, I am the manager of Kasımpaşa. As a manager, I have the peace of mind of taking 1 point from Fenerbahçe, but playing against Fenerbahçe here will be difficult for me for the rest of my life. We have to do our job and protect our livelihood," he said.

Explaining that they analyzed Fenerbahçe well from their Nottingham Forest match, Belözoğlu assessed, "Fenerbahçe is a very strong team when they confine you to the first zone. The further you keep them away from there, the stronger you become. We implemented this plan well. Fenerbahçe is clearly feeling the title race for the first time in many years."

Belözoğlu concluded his remarks by responding to a journalist's question about "players frequently going down to the ground":

"Going down to the ground is not our plan. Two of our players played while injured. İrfan Can Kahveci played limping in the final minutes. I never told anyone to go down. When the score was 1-0, 3 Fenerbahçe players went down to the ground. These things can happen during a match. These are decisions the players make among themselves. Wasting time is not our job. Fenerbahçe is a very strong team; they have beaten very good teams here. That is how I look at the situation. I have managed 150 matches, but I have never told any of my players to go down. When I look at my players' efforts, it feels to me that a draw is what today's game deserved."

News Source: 12punto