Sergen Yalçın Explains Reasons Behind His Starting XI

The Turkish national team will face France in Week 6 of UEFA Nations League A, League 1, Group 1. Head coach Sergen Yalçın spoke to A Spor ahead of the match.

Yalçın reminded that two matches had been played in three days. Noting that Uğurcan was not in the squad, Yalçın said Ferdi had worn the shirt in the last match after recovering from his injury, but that there was a serious risk in this one. He said Ferdi could come on in the final 20 minutes.

The head coach said they wanted to start with a five-man defence, as in the first match. He explained that they planned a more cautious and controlled start, would try to keep the ball, and aimed to win the game through moves in the later minutes. He said Hakan, İsmail and Can started in midfield, and that Can is a comfortable player in that area.

Yalçın said they had played with Enes in the last match, but that he had a minor muscle problem. He said that if they came under pressure, they wanted to play long balls, which is why they chose Deniz. He added that they would decide the format of the game according to the opponent in future matches and would try some different approaches. Yalçın said he believed the plan they had chosen could be the right one for today.