Joao Pereira: 'We Need to Be Smarter'

In Week 10 of the Trendyol Süper Lig, Alanyaspor lost 5-0 away to Gençlerbirliği. Head coach Joao Pereira said his team had lost three matches in a row, which is one of the worst periods they have experienced since arriving in Turkey. He added that the cup match was not included in that figure.

Pereira said he had warned his players to be stronger, smarter and more focused, but that they fell behind 1-0 in the first minute of the match. Describing the goal they conceded, he used the expression "a completely amateur goal."

Pereira said that after the changes made at halftime, they conceded another goal from a transition at the start of the second half. Explaining that they wanted to take risks after going 2-0 down, he said they had switched from a five-man defense back to a four-man defense. He said this change was a mistake and that the match was lost at that point.

Pereira recalled that in their first season they achieved their goal of staying in the league, and that for the second season they aim to finish higher in the table. Noting that the team is currently 4 points above the relegation zone, Pereira said that had they won the match, the gap with fifth-placed Kasımpaşa would have been 2 points.