Sergen Yalçın: We Will Fix It Over Time and Reach Good Places

The Turkey national team lost 2-1 to Belgium in a UEFA Nations League match. Head coach Sergen Yalçın made a statement after the final whistle.

Yalçın said the team did not want to lose and was well concentrated. Saying they were satisfied with the fight and with certain parts of the game, he noted that between the 30th and 45th minutes they gave the opponent control, and Belgium turned the chances they created during that period into goals. He acknowledged that the defensive weakness has been a long-standing problem in the national team.

Yalçın said he liked the goal Arda scored and stressed that Arda is the most important player on the team. On his choice of Oğuz, he said they could not use Zeki for 90 minutes, and that Oğuz was preferred because he was quicker, stronger, more combative and more solid.

Yalçın said some players had only just returned from injury and were not fully fit physically, and that the team went into the match after only two days of training. Reminding everyone that a tough match follows three days later, the head coach said the team will improve over time and reach very good places.