Okan Buruk: We will both be champions and continue our way in Europe
‘We give few positions and concede many goals’
‘Our goal is still the same, to go to the final of the Europa League’
Olgucan KALKAN – Sacit GÖNCÜ / İSTANBUL,(DHA)- GALATASARAY Coach Okan Buruk said, “Small things happen in the stands after 3-3. An emotional reaction may occur. The fact that they invited our team captain to the stands after the match clearly shows their support. “We will both be champions and continue our way in Europe,” he said.
In the 7th week of the UEFA Europa League, Galatasaray drew 3-3 with Dynamo Kiev at home. After the match, Galatasaray Coach Okan Buruk made a statement at the press conference. Okan Buruk, who started his speech by commemorating those who lost their lives in the disaster in Bolu, said, “We started with a goal. We played to win on our field. We did not give a position until the goal we conceded. We continued by possessing the ball and dominating the game. We conceded a goal at the end of the first half. We had positions after 3-1. The opponent made moves. When it reached 3-2, the opponent wanted to get into the game. We also tried to score the 4th goal. We conceded the 3rd goal where we were left with 6 men. We outscored our opponent in all goals. We made mistakes. In terms of general performance, we produced a lot today. We took many positions. It was one of the matches we dominated. We conceded goals we shouldn’t have conceded. We’re sorry it ended in a draw. Our fans were amazing. We play 1 match in 4 days. They are also struggling hard. I am proud of the group of players. We were sad about the match. We will do our best to win the next match. The Ajax match is important for us. We will focus on this. After 3-3, little things happen in the stands. An emotional reaction may occur. The fact that they invited our team captain to the stands after the match clearly shows their support. We will both be champions and continue our way in Europe. We will be on the field in the Konyaspor match with a game that our fans want. We will do better on the weekend. We want to reunite with our fans. There is a difference of 6 points. This is an important week to take this up. We had a 4th goal chance in the last 10 minutes and we couldn’t score. “I trust my players the same way after the match as I did before this match,” he said.
‘I DO NOT THINK MUSLERA MADE A CLEAR MISTAKE’
Stating that he did not think that Muslera, who was protested by the fans with whistles in the second half of the match, made a clear mistake, Buruk said, “There was a whistle after the pass was played backwards. It should not be seen as a reaction to Muslera. After the match, we saw how much they supported each other. He provided important service for the club. You cannot say anything clear about Muslera in this match. I don’t think he made a clear mistake. Every football player makes mistakes. We had to be closer to the opponent. We can say many things for many players. “We cannot say anything about our goalkeeper here,” he said.
‘WE ARE GIVING FEW POSITIONS AND CONCEATING MANY GOALS’
Underlining that Dinamo Kiev scored 3 goals in 6 shots, Okan Buruk said that they conceded a lot of goals this season without giving many positions. Stating that they will defend better from now on, the experienced coach said, “Even though we did not give many positions, we conceded a lot of goals. It would be sadder if we gave too many chances and conceded too many goals. Today our opponent made 6 shots, 3 of which were goals. When we look at the 2 goals we conceded in the second half, we will hit the ball even if we play close or go to the ball. We conceded 3 goals without giving a clear position. We hear that Galatasaray needs to defend. We defended in certain parts of the first half. We conceded a bad goal. We finished the match before our opponent had a clear position. Our aim is to do both defense and attack. This is imposed on us; Let Galatasaray wait in their own half, close down with 10 men… We have never played this. Of course we will defend better. We will use our offensive power and the quality of the Galatasaray squad more clearly in attack. Of course, conceding so many goals, we also have shortcomings here. We will fix this too. The transfer period has arrived. We will reinforce. We will fix the defense here too. We give few positions and concede many goals. “We will be more concentrated in our penalty area,” he said.
‘FINDING 3-2 INCREASED THEIR DESIRES’
-Stating that Dinamo Kiev’s desire increased after bringing the score to 3-2, Okan Buruk said:
“After 3-1, we also had the ball in certain parts. Our opponent made moves. They had more players up front. Their subsequent goal of finding 3-2 increased their desires. We also took clear positions in this section. We could have scored the 4th goal and finished the match. After 3-3, we were the ones who went to the opponent’s goal more. We couldn’t find the 4th goal. Kyiv is a young team. They have good players. A team that is effective in fast attack. In general, we did not get what they wanted, but they made 6 shots during the match, 3 of which were goals. Even though they couldn’t produce much, they finished well.”
‘THERE ARE PLAYERS WE MEET’
The experienced coach said that they will make transfers not only to the offense but also to the defense line, and continued his words as follows:
“We did not say that we were only looking for offensive players during the transfer. There was news for the right back and defender. There are players we met. Our request is for a transfer to defense as well. Making defense optional. You also need to make moves in the game. We will recruit players for both defense and offense. “The number of players we look at in defense is more than in attack.”
‘OUR GOAL IS STILL THE SAME, TO GET TO THE FINALS OF THE EUROPEAN LEAGUE’
Okan Buruk stated that there was no deviation in their goals after losing points and that they wanted to play in the final of the Europa League as a target, and concluded his words as follows:
“I set our goal from day one. If it were someone else, we might talk differently. The teams may say they are too strong, we have no chance and run away. I have said since the first day that our goal is to play in the final. I still say this. It is necessary to evaluate it match by match. It is important to get into the top 8 and then pass the rounds. We need to live this goal. We will demonstrate this in every round. We want this. This is football, no team has any guarantees. We need to set this goal. Depending on the quality of the match, we may evaluate whether we made a mistake or did it badly. Barış was given a red card today and was returned by VAR. Such things may happen on the way to the final. Such things can happen in matches. We need to strengthen the squad. We need to focus on that goal by completing our shortcomings for the next round. We played many matches in a row. We play with more or less the same players. I am generally satisfied with the staff I have. We will reinforce and become stronger. Our goal is still the same. “To be able to go to the final of the Europa League.”
