Galatasaray Coach Okan Buruk said that they were sorry to draw with Dynamo Kiev despite playing well.
Buruk made a statement at the press conference held after the 3-3 draw with Ukrainian representative Dynamo Kiev at RAMS Park in the 7th week of the UEFA Europa League.
Buruk, who started the press conference by commemorating those who lost their lives in the hotel fire in Bolu, said, “We started the day badly. A great disaster occurred in Bolu. I wish mercy to those who died and recovery to the injured. I hope something like this will never happen to us again.” he said.
Stating that they scored a goal in the first minutes of the match, Buruk said, “We did not give the opponent a position until the first goal we conceded. We got into position, took possession of the ball and dominated the game. We went into the break 2-1 with the goal we conceded at the end of the first half. We had positions after we took a 3-1 lead in the second half. We could have opened the gap. Our opponent made moves.
When the match reached 3-2, the opponent wanted to get into the game. We also tried to find the fourth goal. We conceded the third goal when we were down to 6 men in defence. We outscored the opponent in all goals. We made mistakes. However, today we produced a lot, we scored goals and took chances. It was one of the matches we dominated. However, we conceded goals that we should not have conceded. “We are sorry that it ended in a draw,” he said.
“WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO WIN THE AJAX MATCH”
Okan Buruk said that they will do their best to win the away match against the Dutch representative Ajax in the 8th and last week of the UEFA Europa League.
Stating that they are aiming for the top 8, Buruk said, “I would like to thank my players. They ran and fought hard because of their belonging to Galatasaray. We play a match every four days. They are also fighting hard in this tempo. They are all very well-intentioned and trying to do their best. “I am proud of this group of players. We are saddened by today’s score, but it doesn’t matter. We will do our best to win the next match and we will do our best to win the Ajax match to be in the top 8,” he said.
“THERE WERE MINOR REACTIONS, WE SHOULD NOT EXADE TOO MUCH”
Referring to the fans’ reactions towards some players during the match, Okan Buruk continued his words as follows:
“There were minor reactions after 3-3. These should not be exaggerated too much. An emotional reaction can come from anyone. The fact that they called our team captain to the stands at the end of the match shows how our fans support the team. Hopefully, with this unity, we will both reach the championship in the league and continue in Europe. I have great confidence in my players, especially in the Konyaspor match we will play at the weekend, with a game that suits them.
We will regroup and do better over the weekend. We want to unite with our fans again. It will be an important match on the way to the championship. We are entering a very important week to increase the six-point gap. We will prepare for the weekend by increasing our truths and reviewing our mistakes without losing our morale. In general, I am satisfied with the performance of my players. “They fought hard, they ran, they pressed, they pressured.”
“THE REACTIONS WERE NOT TO FERNANDO MUSLERA”
Okan Buruk said that the reactions were not directed towards captain Fernando Muslera.
-When asked about the reactions of the fans during the match, Buruk said, “I think it is necessary to evaluate the position correctly. There was a whistle after the pass was played backwards. It was not a whistle because the ball went to Muslera. It should not be seen as a reaction to Muslera. After the match, we saw how much our fans supported our captain.” We saw it and we will protect it. He is very important and valuable to us. Muslera provided great services for this club. You cannot say anything clearly about Muslera in today’s match. “I don’t think he did it,” he said.
Reminding that his team conceded more goals this season than in previous years, the experienced coach said, “We conceded more goals according to the positions we gave. If we had given too many positions and conceded many goals, it would have been a sadder picture for us. Today, the opponent had 6 shots in total, 3 of them He held the goal. Here, the opponent’s finishing ability can be discussed rather than the great defensive weakness. However, we had to play closer.
“WE WILL ALSO FIX THE DEFENSE”
We conceded 3 goals today without giving clear positions. Our desire is to both attack and defend well. We are being forced to defend or wait with 10 people. We have never played this, and we will not play this again. Of course, we will defend better, but we will use our squad more clearly in attack. Conceding so many goals shows that we have shortcomings, but we will correct them. We will make reinforcements to our squad during the transfer period. “We will fix the defense here too,” he said.
TRANSFER STATEMENT FROM OKAN BURUK
Buruk stated that they also met with the defenders during the transfer.
Emphasizing that the transfer studies are continuing, Buruk said, “We are also looking for defense players for transfer. There is news for right-back and defender. There are players we are in talks with. Our wish is to make our defense stronger and more optional. We will recruit players for both defense and attack. The number of players we are looking for in defense is more than in attack.” ” he said.
“WE NEED TO STRENGTHEN OUR STAFF”
Okan Buruk said that his goal of playing in the final of the UEFA Europa League continues.
When asked whether the goal of playing in the “Cup 2” final puts pressure on them, Buruk concluded his words as follows:
“I stated our goal from the first day. If it were someone else, he might speak in a different way. He might escape by saying ‘We don’t have a chance’ or ‘The teams are too strong’ and throw off the burden. However, I said from the first day, ‘Our goal is to play in the finals of the Europa League.’ “I still say this. We want this. Of course, we have to look at it one by one. It is very important to pass this round and be in the top 8. We will live with this goal.
“OUR GOAL IS STILL TO GET TO THE FINALS”
Nothing is guaranteed in football, but we need to set this goal. For this, we need to strengthen our staff. We need to focus on this goal by completing our shortcomings for the next round. We have this staff. We played too many consecutive matches with the same players. This can reduce players’ performance. However, I am happy with the staff I have. Of course, we will become stronger with reinforcements, but our goal is still to make it to the finals of the Europa League.”
