On the eve of the Uefa Nations League fourth-round match between Italy and Turkey, scheduled for Monday 5 October at 8.45pm at the Renato Dall'Ara Stadium, Turkey head coach Vincenzo Montella spoke.
Here is what he said at his press conference:
In the Nations League you are not getting the results you had hoped for. Do you think this highlights the limits of this national team?
"We want to win, compete and measure ourselves even at this level. For large parts of the three matches we were in the game and the result was balanced for spells, except in the match against Italy. We are motivated, curious to test ourselves and eager to get results because simply going toe to toe is not enough."
What kind of Turkey will we see without Guler?
"Guler will be missing, as will Calhanoglu and Yildiz. They are all important players for us, just as they are for their respective clubs. However, this is a way to see new players in action and assess them. I am confident that we will be competitive despite the absences and we will try to take home a win."
You now seem to be public enemy number one, whereas before the World Cup you were idolised by everyone. What do you think?
"I know the dynamics of football, I am used to them and I accept them. What I cannot accept, however, is illogical criticism. On the other hand, I appreciate what I consider constructive criticism. For the first time in our history we are competing in Nations League A and I have been the only coach to take Turkey to this milestone. We would like to produce competitive performances like against France or as in the second half against Italy, but we are struggling to score. Against Belgium we got into the opposition box 42 times and I asked myself what more I could have done. The criticism hurts me: a few days ago I was asked whether I knew a striker who had scored almost 100 goals in the Turkish Serie C, then I found out he was 32. If he had been a player with potential I would have considered him, but this illogical criticism hurts me."