Galatasaray defeated the English representative Tottenham, which it hosted at home, in the 4th week of the UEFA Europa League, 3-2. Galatasaray Coach Okan Buruk made a statement at the press conference held after the match.
Evaluating the match, Okan Buruk said, “Today was a very important, beautiful and exciting day for both Turkish football and Galatasaray. We played a match that made our fans happy. We dominated most of the game. Tottenham is one of the best teams in the Premier League. They didn't come out with their best squad, but they have very important players. The changes in the rest of the game showed this. In general, I think our game plan worked throughout the whole match. Compete until 10 people remain. An important night for Turkish football. We showed on the field the quality of Turkish football. Turkish football is an important value. I think we clearly showed this on the field. We had a nice night. “I want to thank my players and our fans who came here to support us,” he said.
'I THINK IT WAS OUR BEST MATCH'
Stating that they played the best game against an English team, Okan Buruk said, “I definitely think it was our best match. Maybe I can say that it is the strongest game in the history of Turkish football, especially against an English team. So, I can say that we played one of the strongest games in the history of Turkish football against a team of this level. “Especially in the 70-minute episode,” he commented.
'WE CANNOT ACHIEVE ANYTHING BY BELIEVING TURKISH FOOTBALL'
Saying that no team can become a champion without deserving it, the experienced coach said, “We always laugh about this. But unfortunately, this is not something that is said only about Galatasaray. In other words, Başakşehir, Trabzonspor, Beşiktaş and Galatasaray became champions, they said there was a structure. This is not something that is said only to Galatasaray. No team can become a champion without playing and without deserving it. I think we are losing our efforts. There is incredible effort. Sometimes we don't sleep, sometimes we don't eat. We get tired all season, maybe we work for 11 months. At the end of your incredible effort, you become a champion. You celebrate this, but the other side says it was our right. He says there is a structure behind this. Frankly, I laugh at these. We need to stay in football. We played for Turkish football. We need to compete in the best way possible. We need to show ourselves in the best way in Europe. It is necessary to continue the race in the Turkish League. Accusations other than that are truly disrespectful to labor. Anyone can throw mud at each other. Everyone can throw mud at each other, but the important thing is to show it on the field. I think Galatasaray team should stay on the field. Turkish football will win after all. We cannot achieve anything by humiliating Turkish football. We cannot achieve anything by humiliating Turkish football. We add value to Turkish football by winning such matches. “We showed this clearly today,” he said.
Galatasaray Coach Okan Buruk continued his words as follows:
“We spent a lot of energy. We made changes here. We had players with yellow cards, I took them off. Osimhen wanted to leave on his own. Then Icardi was injured. We lost our formation in the game. It is sometimes difficult for new players to make an impact. The main reason was that the opponent found the score 3-2. “We didn't give away too many chances, but they more or less turned all the positions they took into goals.”
'TOTTENHAM IS A TEAM I LIKE AS A PLAY'
Stating that Tottenham has similar aspects to Galatasaray in terms of play, Okan Buruk said, “Tottenham is a team that I like in terms of play. Their teacher is someone I really like. In terms of gameplay, there are many things that I compare to our own game. A team I like. Playing against them and winning gave us morale. We will play the Samsunspor match in almost 2 days. We will forget about this match and prepare for that match. We will be a little tired about that match. But right now, we need to forget about this victory and concentrate on the Samsunspor match as soon as possible and prepare. “We don't have too many days,” he said.
Making a statement about Mauro Icardi's injury, Buruk concluded his words as follows:
“After icing, the pain decreased a little more. It will be clear exactly after an MRI. “We don't say anything exactly, but I can say that the pain is less.”
