Okan Buruk evaluates the match: We didn't deserve it

Galatasaray was eliminated after losing 1-0 to Swiss side Young Boys in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Play-off Round. Following the match, Galatasaray Head Coach Okan Buruk evaluated the encounter.

Buruk said, “I would have liked to come here as the coach of a team that would play in the Champions League at the end of the match. Because we were dreaming of at least one team representing our country there. This was our goal, but we couldn't achieve it. That is why we are sad; we are experiencing this sadness as a community.

I think we played very slowly, especially in the first half, and we couldn't move the ball forward correctly. We had problems in building up play. Our opponent met us correctly. We should have produced solutions for this; of course, we mentioned these solutions in training, but our game speed was not good. Especially in both matches, there were significant absences. We missed Davinson Sanchez in both matches. We struggled, especially in moving the ball from the defense. We needed to produce more and get into more positions.

In the second half, we played the ball a bit more in front of the opponent's goal and had more possession. Our clearest goal-scoring opportunity was Icardi’s shot; perhaps we could have caught a 1-0 lead. On the return, we conceded a transition goal and fell 1-0 behind, and then we received a red card. We saw that we did not play very well as a team. We hadn't played very well in the Molde match last year either, but we had finished better; we were lucky and we won. We remained far below what we imagined.

I thank our fans; they supported the team from the beginning to the end of the match and applauded the team after the match ended. They embraced the champion of the last 2 years. We will continue our journey in the Europa League, which is a very important league for us. We will set goals for ourselves there. The return of our injured players and at least 2 transfers we will make will shape our squad structure a little more.

I have no doubt about the good intentions of my players. The primary responsibility is always mine. It is the head coach who chooses them, shares with them, and prepares them for the match. We can do better, and we will do better. We will lift our heads and continue on our way. We will try to go to the place we deserve, to the highest places in the Europa League as well,” he said.

EXPLAINED THE TEAM'S BIGGEST PROBLEM

Stating that their biggest problem is experiencing a lack of concentration, Okan Buruk said, “We are the ones who have won the most derbies in the two-year period. It is this same team that beat Manchester United in the Champions League groups. I think our biggest problem is that we experience a lack of concentration.

The less we care about our opponent, the more we see ourselves as guaranteed, the more we say we will pass this round anyway, the less concentrated we are compared to our opponents, if we don't get into the match as much as they do, if we don't believe and don't put up this fight, this is our biggest problem. We played much more than this game against Bayern Munich. In two years, we won almost all of the derby matches.

Here, we need to continue our matches more seriously, regardless of the opponent. I think we didn't fight in these matches as much as our opponents, and we didn't want it as much as they did. The one who will ensure this is the head coach. I don't attribute this to the player. The one who will choose the player suitable for this and play them is also the head coach. We lost very few matches in 2 years, but in the matches we lost, this lack of concentration always cost us.

In this match, especially in the first half, I can also think that excessive motivation created pressure on the players. They wanted it very much. We also have problems from time to time in terms of the squad. The Galatasaray team needs to produce work far above today's game in terms of squad structure,” he evaluated.

"WE CAN CONTINUE IN THE EUROPA LEAGUE"

Saying that he is more responsible for the defeat than the players and that they experienced the absence of Davinson Sanchez, the 50-year-old coach said, “I have no doubt about the good intentions of my players and that they did one hundred percent of what they could. A lack of concentration can happen to everyone sometimes. The players are the least guilty party in this business. The first priority is always mine. Of course, we have shortcomings.

Especially after the Beşiktaş match, I have to clearly say that there is a world of difference between the game with Davinson Sanchez and the game without Davinson Sanchez. After he returns, there may be additions to the defensive line. We will make transfers. We never played with a full squad in these matches. There is a big difference between the Hatay match where Davinson was present and the other 2 matches in terms of both speed and building up play. Of course, I don't attribute the defeat to the absence of a single player. If you are pressing forward, having one fast player in the back makes your job easier.

Today we struggled a lot in building up play. We will make additions, and we will part ways with those we want to part ways with. We will lift our heads and prepare for the match we will play on the weekend. Our goals for the 25th championship, the 5th star, and great successes in Europe continue. We will not fall behind this. We are sad for today; our dream and goal were different. Financially, of course, the club would have had a large income. It was also very important for our players to be in a prestigious tournament. We can continue this in the Europa League with new successes,” he said.

"WE DIDN'T DESERVE IT"

Responding to a question about whether he fielded a faulty starting 11, the experienced coach said, “We all say before the match that Galatasaray should play with 2 strikers. Batshuayi scored 2 goals a match ago. Sometimes you don't get the same efficiency from 2 strikers during the match.

We wanted to use Barış in the back in physical contact play. We also wanted to use Hakim Ziyech, especially in terms of productivity. Everything was falling into place in my mind before the match, but our performances were very low. I don't think it stems from the player type. We played very badly as a team. It is not really correct to evaluate the positions in a game where our quality drops.

Sometimes we lost such easy balls that our opponent did everything right, contrary to us. Even players who may have never reached this quality in their lives did incredible things, I think. The fact that they were comfortable here and we put ourselves under pressure clearly shows that we could not fulfill what we wanted. In the absence of Davinson and Abdülkerim, we had to pull Kaan to the center, so we couldn't get his performance fully. We were using Kaan very well in the right back both in building up play and in side crosses.

The fact that Jelert was not fully physically ready also pushed us to different thoughts here. You want to change some things at the end of the match, but there are differences between what you imagine and think before the match and what you think at the end of the match. I just expected us to play better. When we look at all parts of the match, we did not deserve to win the match or advance to the next round,” he expressed.

News Source: İHA