On June 26, Turkey will face the USA in the third round of the World Cup group stage. Ahead of the match, Yıldız and Montella attended the press conference.
Turkey's World Cup performance has been disappointing. What do you think is the reason? Do you consider this early elimination a missed opportunity in your career?
First, regarding the reasons we discussed within the team, we always say that's how football is. It doesn't matter if you play well or poorly; the result can always change. If you look at our two games, I think we were the better team in both, but we lost both, which is very sad. Hopefully, in the next match, we can get a good result and leave with dignity.
As for my career, I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, because football isn't just about the national team. I also have many matches and competitions at my club, Juventus, right now, and I will give my best effort.
Turkey entered the World Cup with high expectations but ultimately underperformed.
Of course, we had high expectations—I know the entire country was supporting us and believed we would go far. First, I want to thank the Turkish people and all the supporters who came to watch our matches. I want to apologize for this; I know it's disappointing.
But I also want to show our commitment for the future. We will give our best in upcoming competitions to make you proud again. The expectations for this tournament were very high, and we couldn't meet them this time. For our final match, as I said, we want to give our best and leave with dignity, presenting ourselves well.
With talented players like Çalhanoğlu and Güler in your squad, why couldn't you advance?
We were eliminated early, but honestly, I don't think our performance was that poor. Just like in the previous match, we were the better team. Statistically, we ranked first in many areas—we had the most shots, the most duels in the opponent's half. So I think we performed well in both matches and tried our best; the statistics show that. But that's football—statistics don't win games; goals do. That's why we're out.
In the second half against Australia and the entire match against Paraguay, you played as a left winger, facing double and triple-teaming. When you play this role at Juventus, your dribbling success rate is much higher, but in these two national team matches, it dropped below 50%. Is this due to your personal performance or Montella's tactical approach?
Of course, the tactics at Juventus and here are different. We have two different coaches. But as I said, I was injured before the World Cup. Before the first match, I participated in only about two training sessions. So as I said, I wasn't at 100%, but I think I performed reasonably well.
AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com