Okan Buruk: We have a chance to make amends this weekend

Galatasaray were eliminated from the Ziraat Turkish Cup after a 2-0 home defeat to Gençlerbirliği in the quarter-finals. Following the match, Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk spoke at a press conference.

Stating that their goal was to win the cup and that they were saddened by the elimination, Buruk said, "We rotated the squad. We have very valuable, important players. Our opponent also rotated heavily. I can say that the first half was a wasted 45 minutes. The reason I took Lemina off was that he was playing in a position close to a red card, and I wanted to protect him with the weekend's match in mind. The second half was a period where we produced a bit more. We fell 1-0 behind, which was a surprise for us. We made moves afterward. We conceded the second goal unfortunately. If we had found the 2-1 early, we could have found the 2-2. We are sad; it was a surprise for us. It was a surprise for everyone. These matches need to be taken more seriously. We did not respond correctly to our opponent's defensive formation, and our movement was not good. We could not use our individual talents in the first half. There were an incredible number of turnovers. At the end of the day, we are sad. We wanted to win the cup. Every match Galatasaray plays is important and valuable," he said.

"We have an important chance this weekend to make amends"

Regarding the Fenerbahçe derby to be played on Sunday in the 31st week of the Trendyol Super League, the yellow-reds' manager said, "We will play a very important match for us in 3 days. It is normal to have this on our minds on one hand. These types of matches can create difficulties. We have an important chance this weekend to make amends. We are marching toward the championship in the league. The match we will play this weekend is perhaps the most important of the season. We will prepare for this. We will not let our morale drop," he stated.

"It must be said that a large part of the stadium supported Günay"

Addressing the incident where goalkeeper Günay Güvenç was whistled, the 52-year-old manager said, "The things Günay experienced toward the end of the match saddened the players more. Perhaps this will also be a motivation. It must be said that a large part of the stadium supported Günay. There were minor things directed at Günay, but after the match, the stand where the UltrAslan fan group is located and other stands supported him. They always give us this support. We will play for them on Sunday to deserve this support," he expressed.

"I want to attribute the defeat to not taking the opponent seriously"

Attributing the defeat to not taking the opponent seriously, Okan Buruk said, "45 minutes went by with the thought that we would win anyway. When we conceded the goal in the second half, a desire to score emerged. It is not a situation of fatigue or mental exhaustion. I think we did not focus well on the match. I can blame myself here too. It means we need to prepare the players better. I will blame myself here as well. If they are putting on today's performance, I see myself as the primary culprit," he assessed.

Buruk also stated that they have to do better to secure victories in matches where they fall behind.

News Source: 12punto