Montella: Replacement for Calhanoglu Ready, Austria One of the Best Teams in the Tournament

Turkey is set to face off against Czech Republic in the final 1/8th round of the European Championship, battling for a spot in the quarterfinals. Ahead of the match, Turkey’s head coach, Montella, expressed confidence in overcoming the setback of captain Calhanoglu’s suspension, stating that the team has a plan in place.

In a fiercely contested match, Turkey secured their qualification with a 2-1 win over Czech Republic, albeit at the cost of 11 yellow cards – resulting in the absence of both captain Calhanoglu and defender Acar for the upcoming clash. Montella remained composed when discussing the key players’ unavailability, saying, “I always wish for all my players to be on the pitch, but we’ll have to make do without two irreplaceable members, which is a concern. However, I trust that others will step up and fulfill their roles.”

Montella highlighted the team’s attacking prowess as a source of optimism. Turkey has scored five goals, all netted by different players, none an own goal or penalty. They rank third in total shots, averaging 16.67 attempts per game. Despite this, he showed great respect for Austria, stating, “We’ve done well in terms of scoring and possession, but Austria is an incredibly complete team, perhaps one of the best in this championship. They execute the coach’s game plan with determination, press aggressively, and excel in transitions. They perform so cohesively that they seem like a club team playing, adapting to different match situations effortlessly.”

Montella hopes that “Turkish Messi,” Gulse, can once again make a difference for the team: “Gulse possesses immense talent, that’s clear. He needs to refine some aspects of his game, but it’s difficult not to field him. As we see in training, he’s one of the standout players. You can really feel his absence when Calhanoglu isn’t there.”