Fatih Tekke: We achieved great things in 11 weeks

In the final week of the Trendyol Süper Lig, Trabzonspor defeated Antalyaspor 2-0 away from home. Speaking at the post-match press conference, manager Fatih Tekke evaluated both the match and the 11-week period since he took office. Tekke said, "It was a match where we dominated for 90 minutes, with everything considered. It is a well-deserved victory. This is our 11th league match since we arrived, and I think we have done a very good job. Despite many problems being created, thank God, we have succeeded very well."

"IT WAS AN IMPORTANT DAY"

Stating that he was pleased with the performance of the young players who took the field in the match, Fatih Tekke drew attention to Ali, who started in the starting 11 for the first time. Tekke said, "We need to open a parenthesis for Ali. It was his first match in the starting 11. He played very well. Our young players' deficiencies need to be addressed; we have many shortcomings. Training and playing time are important. This is a process-oriented job."

"IT BOTHERED ME"

Emphasizing that the issue that bothered him the most when he arrived at the team was the physical condition of the players, Tekke expressed that they wanted to play the game quickly but the current structure did not support this: "The thing that bothered me most when I arrived was the values, especially the physical values. I always told my players that we needed to play fast. We aimed for a high-pressing game, but the fact that we were at the end of the season, the physical condition of some players, and injuries prevented us from taking risks in this regard."

"THERE ARE NOT JUST FOOTBALLERS IN THE TEAM, THERE ARE PEOPLE"

Stating that Trabzonspor is undergoing a transformation not only on the field but also off the field, Tekke also touched upon the psychological state of the players. Tekke continued: "From the outside, only a football team is seen, but there was a group of people inside. They also had psychological states. Now, people are smiling. This is also an important change. It wasn't easy, but my players tried to do whatever we said until the last minute. Health to all their feet."

"CİHAN ÇANAK WILL STAY IN THE TEAM"

Noting that planning for the new season is ongoing, Fatih Tekke stated that there are 40 players in the team and they are working on who will leave and who will stay, but he announced the certainty of only one name for now: "We currently have forty players. There will be those who come, those who go, those who want to stay, and those who do not want to leave. The process is not easy, but we want to build a competitive team. It is not possible to speak clearly about names right now, but I can say this, I told him as well, Cihan Çanak will stay, this is certain."

"THERE WAS A CHANCE FOR EUROPEAN COMPETITIONS BUT IT WAS NOT ENOUGH"

Reminding that they only lost to Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe during the 11-week period he has been in charge, Tekke said, "Yes, could we have gone to European competitions? Yes, this could have happened. But 11 weeks were not enough, frankly. When we look at the total, we had a successful period."

Explaining his game plan for the new season, Fatih Tekke said that he aims for Trabzonspor to become a more aggressive and organized team, and concluded his speech as follows: "I want to build a team consisting of dynamic players that can maintain high pressure and has a clear game organization when in possession of the ball. For this, we need time and the right planning."

News Source: İHA