Galatasaray Coach Okan Buruk made special statements to Demirören News Agency on transfer activities, squad planning, new season goals and many other issues before the new season. Okan Buruk stated that the players who did not go to the national team had approximately 45-50 days of holiday, and that the national players were given leave after the season. "It was a holiday of approximately 45-50 days. Of course, this is for the players who did not go to the national team. Of course, it is over now for the players who went to the national team. We gave them certain leaves according to their day. Because they have already had a very long season. Now they will start a long season again. But we rested well with him. Our players rested well. They are motivated to come back here." "They came somehow. It's nice to start the season for me. It's really nice to step on that green grass again, you miss it so much," he said.

'WE STARTED THE SEASON AGAIN WITH THE SAME APPETITE, THE SAME DESIRE, THE SAME SPIRIT, WITH THE SPIRIT OF GALATASARAY'

Stating that Galatasaray's successive championships have not diminished motivation, Buruk said, "We experience the same excitement and passion as we did the previous year, the year before that, and maybe even as far back as the first year. I want to say that once. I mean, the following is always talked about: 'Galatasaray has been champion for 4 years in a row. Will it not be able to achieve the same concentration this year?' It is said. Of course, this is definitely not us. So it's not Galatasaray. And it's not us, not my players. So maybe you could have said this in the 1st year, it could have been said in the 2nd year, it could have been said in the 3rd year. Now, in its 4th year, I think people should know the Galatasaray team, its players, its coach, and of course our president and board of directors, in the best possible way. We started the season again with the same appetite, the same desire, the same spirit, the spirit of Galatasaray, and we will demonstrate this more clearly after our national players arrive. But as I said, the goal is inexhaustible. We still aim for the 5th championship in a row. I think this is a very important year in this sense. We must never forget this motto, both for us and our fans. So this year is an important year to make the league consecutively. We started with the same ambition, the only thing missing is that my players are not here. Gradually, our players who are on leave are joining. Only our national players remain. They will join after the 20th of the month. In Türkiye, we already had 6 players. We were the first team eliminated. 20, 21, 22, 23. As you know, only Davinson finished the camp much later. "We expect all our players other than him to be in the camp," he said.

'WE HAVE COME A VERY IMPORTANT PROGRESS WITH THE RECORDS WE BROKE'

Expressing that he was proud to start his 5th season as a member of the Galatasaray infrastructure and happy to break the records, Buruk said, "That day actually happened very well. 1481 coincided with the establishment of Galatasaray High School. Of course, this is a great spiritual happiness for me. Not only being here, but also passing these 4 years with great success, winning 4 trophies and making Galatasaray fans always walk with their heads held high on the street. I think it means this summer vacation." The feedback they give us from people's eyes, even when we leave, is very important and valuable. You can't buy it with anything. We can't buy the happiness we give to people in any way. But really, as a player who entered Galatasaray from the infrastructure at the age of 11, I have now completed my 4th year as a Galatasaray player. I always say that you don't break any records by just winning every match. Galatasaray team is breaking records by focusing and focusing on each cup, and then we broke great records. Maybe, of course, a Galatasaray coach will break these records again in the future. It will be Galatasaray that breaks these records again, but when we look at this 4-year period, the successes of the Galatasaray team are not only the championship, we have come a long way with the records they broke. I am very happy to be here in this sense. "I am very happy to be the director. Also, of course, I am very happy and excited to be a coach who is excited to start the 5th season and the 5th championship in a row. I hope to have many years, many matches, many championships, many successes with the Galatasaray team," he said.

Stating that each season has its own difficulties, Buruk said, "We always talk about this. Every year has a different story. Every year you experience a different scenario. You have a different rival, with different players. There are changes within you, you try to make your squad better every year. Every year's story is different. We actually set a goal every year. Our goal this year is very clear, I just said it. But if you ask which is the hardest, of course, I think it is the last year, along with the Champions League. You played 12 matches in the Champions League. In this race, I think it's really about winning the league, being champion in the league, and leading the league. Because, as I said, there is both stress and toughness in that Champions League match, you have to recover mentally, and you also have to play in the league match. Sometimes, you have to adapt it to the players again. Of course, we made rotations, that is, we made player changes, because it is not an easy thing to compete in both. When we look at Europe, many teams are making changes in the Champions League one game at a time. I think it is very important to be able to get out of here with the least amount of damage, and we can only count the month of November, when injuries and suspensions came at the same time, and we had difficulty in building a squad. But with the transfers we made during the half-time, I think we became very strong as a team and we had a lot of alternatives. I think this is the most important thing for a team competing in the Champions League. "I hope we will plan this better this year as well," he said.

Okan Buruk stated that Muslera and Mertens made great contributions to the team and that it was a difficult year to catch a different atmosphere in the dressing room after the departure of these two players and continued his words as follows:

"I think the type of player is very important. Of course, we have many players who have completed their four years. It is very important to keep this solid squad together. Their support in the dressing room, their bond with each other is very important. I think last year was one of our most difficult years in terms of difficulty. Because; Muslera left, Mertens left. One was the captain, of course, and the other was a moral captain. So, in a scenario where these two players left, it was one of the difficult years to keep that dressing room the same way again. But as I said, the good will of our players, their support for each other... First of all, we have a great responsibility towards the Galatasaray fans, we know that very clearly, I think this is the biggest motivation here. Of course, our president and our board of directors are always there for us, they give that support. Because preparing the players there is also very important. But, as I said, we have a team that feeds on the street, hears the laughter and sadness of the people very well. It increases our motivation and the race, of course, is the race with your rivals. For the last 4 years, it has always been the first and second Galatasaray-Fenerbahçe. That's why I think this race always keeps the players very dynamic and keeps me very motivated. So, starting this race again, starting a season again, that is, being able to experience the same excitement is very important. I have experience, I have been in this business for many years. "I have very important experiences in the Galatasaray team, we won many trophies. I am also a football player who won the championship for 4 years in a row, so the identity of the player is also very important."

'THERE ARE PLAYERS WE HAVE IDENTIFIED, WANTED, AND MEETED WITH'

Stating that they had to consider different options regarding transfer after the foreign rule became 10+4, the experienced coach said:

"Of course, with the change of the foreign rule, when it came to 10+4, there was a need for a new planning. In this planning, from a plan that you could make quickly and make 4 transfers at once, it came to this; where we will take a player in what age quota, where we can make a Turkish transfer. ' Of course, you know here, something that everyone has known for a long time, whether Icardi will stay or not. Especially of course, it has been a long time, almost 2 months. Of course, the one who carried out this operation Our president, who met with our president and the player's manager, made an offer. Of course, this is one of the things that made us move a little slower. But there are many players we met with, we are in contact with, we want, they all have options. Of course, the priority here is our deficiencies in the offensive line. As you know, two players who played for us left; Sacha Boey came on loan in defense. As I said, he returned to his club. It gets a little difficult. But there are players we have identified, wanted and met with. We are trying to carry out the activities regarding these as soon as possible, but the good thing is that we have a very good squad. We are the champions of last year, we are the team that protects our squad more than our competitors. It will be very important to have players who are ready for both the Turkish League and the Champions League for the new season and who can live this belief. Of course, for us."

'ESPECIALLY THE SQUAD WIDTH UNTIL THE END OF JANUARY IS VERY IMPORTANT'

Pointing out the importance of squad size in a tight fixture, Buruk continued his words as follows:

"As I said, it will be very important for us to strengthen our weak areas. That squad size is already good, we have good players. We have very good players. We have a good squad. I think we should not be evaluated only as last year's champion. You have a squad that played in the last 16 of the Champions League. Of course, it is necessary to improve this place as well. It is necessary to compete. It is necessary to make the players compete. Of course, it is necessary to capture that competition on the field against each other, and since you play so many matches, the squad width here, especially the squad width until the end of January, is very important. It's important. Maybe last year, of course, I was the first one. Maybe if anyone is wrong, it's about last year. Maybe we didn't expand our squad until the end of January, but there is a lesson I learned from there. You know, keeping our squad larger until the end of January and of course managing these many players is a different challenge. Every player who comes here is an elite player, every player is a player who wants to play. Sometimes there is this conversation: 'Was he included in the first 11 or was he transferred to the reserve team? He is the first 11 player, but obviously every player can be a substitute. Many players will be in that race, the best ones will try to play. We have seen this with many players in this 4-year period, but there is nothing as normal as that player continuing to play after the other player gets ahead of him. I think we did very well in the second half, especially with the loan players. "It would be better to spend it and then decide on its continuation."

'GALATASARAY'S SUCCESS IS ABOVE EVERYTHING'

Stating that Mauro Icardi was unhappy because he did not play last season, but his priorities were the success of Galatasaray, Okan Buruk said, "No player would be happy to be on the bench. Of course, it is the same for Icardi. There is nothing more normal than such a special player being unhappy when he does not play. We have to accept this. But of course, Galatasaray is ahead of everything, ahead of all of us; me and the players. Galatasaray's success is ahead of everything. Of course, there has always been a race between the players, but Icardi also played a lot of games." Actually, when we look at the number of matches last year, he took part in many places. I say this clearly, he is very important and valuable for Galatasaray. He always contributed to Galatasaray's championships in these four seasons. Except for the third year, when he was injured, he was not here after the surgery, but of course he always played important roles for Galatasaray fans. He is a player that everyone loves and values from 7 to 77. That's why we never saw anything negative from him. But as I said, every player was unhappy when he didn't play, but there is nothing more natural than being unhappy. It is very difficult for every player to play and not be able to play, to get less time than expected, but I always say this; this is not my team, this is Galatasaray. "It is important for Galatasaray to win and get to the best. Whoever will win and be the best in Galatasaray, it is very important for him to be the best. We are living in years where Galatasaray is more important than the people. It will be like this again, and it will be like this next year. So far, I have not seen anything that would be disrespectful towards the team or me."

'I THINK OSİMHEN SHOWED HIS BELONGING TO THE JERSEY VERY CLEARLY'

Emphasizing the belonging that the team's striker Victor Osimhen showed to the team last season, Okan Buruk said, "Of course, Osimhen is important to us. The performance he gives for the fans, on and off the field, the atmosphere he creates is really important and valuable. He also started training. He took a leave of two or three days. As you know, he finished the season with a broken arm. In fact, he has a sense of belonging in this way. He bandaged himself and played even with a broken arm. I think these are very valuable. A player embraces his team no matter what, takıma ve formaya olan aidiyetini bence Osimhen çok net bir şekilde gösterdi. Her şartta sahada olmayı denedi ve gerçekten sezonu da bu şekilde bitirdi. Ufak bir rahatsızlığı da olmuştu. İki üç gün geç geldi. Antrenmanlara motive bir şekilde başladı. Dediğim gibi bundan sonraki dönem içerisinde tabii ki hazırlarımız var, görüştüklerimiz var. Bununla ilgili tüm hazırlığımız var. Ne kadar oyuncular erken gelirse o kadar önemli ama bazen beklemek zorunda da kalıyorsunuz. Bunu da insanların bilmesi lazım. Bazen oyuncunun kararını bekliyorsunuz, bazen kulübün kararını bekliyorsunuz. Bazen tabii ki arada görüşmeler oluyor. Bunu hep söylüyorum; markete gidip oyuncu almıyoruz biz. Parasını verdik, bir oyuncuyu aldık diyemiyorsunuz. Ancak boşta olan, bonservisi olmayan bir oyuncu olursa orada oyuncuyu ikna ettiğiniz anda alabiliyorsunuz. Ama diğer süreçlerde hem oyuncu tarafı hem kulüp tarafı, tabii bunun ekonomik tarafı var. Bir süreç alıyor. Bu süreci bazen beklemek zorunda kalıyorsunuz. Bazen bekleyip oyuncuyu alamıyorsunuz. Bu en kötüsü bence. Oyuncuyu bekliyorsunuz, olacak gibi görüyorsunuz, sonunda bu olmuyor. Bu sefer işler sizin için daha da zorlaşıyor. O Therefore, the best thing is to complete the transfer as soon as possible, but not to force it to degenerate. Our president has an important desire. His support for the team is always important. Let's look at last year, let alone this year, the Galatasaray team is in a position to make transfers. I hope we will achieve our goals correctly, with both our president and Mr. Abdullah. "Osimhen is a very important and valuable player who supports the team, we will sit down and make a decision regarding him and the captains," he said.

'WE SELECT PLAYERS ACCORDING TO THE GAME WE PLAY'

Stating that they are trying to transfer players suitable for the game they play, the experienced coach said:

"Currently, of course, the coach of the team is very important in this process. As the Galatasaray team, we especially care about the transfer of the coach, the players he wants and the game he wants to play. Our player monitoring team also works in this way. We select and try to recruit players who can adapt to our game, according to the game we play. Just because I am more visible here, I am the one who tries to explain the process in the most accurate way. Of course, when it is necessary to take responsibility, I always take that responsibility and I like it. Being at the head of the team, being just a coach is not important for me here; "I am already doing this job with great pleasure, but on the other hand, I am a member of Galatasaray and I have spent my life here. Therefore, there is nothing more normal than me being involved in this business and being a part of our president and our board of directors. We are all in this business together and we are trying to make Galatasaray successful. I actually want to explain the situation and evaluate it more objectively."

'GALATASARAY IS THE TEAM WITH THE BEST SQUAD'

Emphasizing that Galatasaray is the team with the best squad, Okan Buruk said, "We are not competing; Galatasaray is the team with the best squad. Of course, Galatasaray needs different players here. We have a lot of midfield rotation. When we look at it, Lemina will be signed within a day or two. Lemina is in special activity here, they are preparing her with physiotherapists, but she has not participated in field activities yet."

'OUR MIDFIELD ROTATION IS REALLY BIG AND WIDE'

Okan Buruk said that they have a wide rotation in the midfield and continued his words as follows:

"We have not determined a position for any player, it needs to be seen during the season. But I was going to say this; we already have Lemina, Torreira, Sara, İlkay. Other than that, what we have. Kaan is here, on the one hand, he is a player in the midfield rotation. So, our midfield rotation is really big and wide. The important thing here was to add a different type of player here. I think Lesley is a very suitable and valuable player for us as a player who fits this profile and U23; what I also like is that our player monitoring team He is a name that he liked very much. Not only did we see him this year, but he was one of the players that we thought about when he went to Chelsea. Of course, his adaptation to the team and the game will be very different. The game Burnley plays is very different, the data he will give you when he comes to Galatasaray will be very different. It is only necessary to make such accurate comparisons. As I said, we added a profile that we did not have to our squad. "It will be very important that the purchase option is available depending on the number of matches and that we see him clearly, but as I said, he is a player we want and like."

Stating that they included a player of their choice in the midfield rotation, Buruk said, "It is necessary to make the 10+4 plan correctly. Maybe many teams will have difficulty here, maybe our rivals will buy first and then reduce the squad. But our number is clear, it is clear where and which player we will take. That is why I think we have taken one of the best players we can add for the midfield from the U23 quota. Of course, there are many options, I will not name names, but there are many players who played in the World Cup and play in Europe. In fact, such profiles come to Türkiye. Manzambi, for example, was being talked about in Freiburg, and the teams in the Premier League competed to buy him for 60 million. It is necessary to explain this clearly, people do not know this very well. You cannot bring every player to Türkiye, the priority is the Premier League. Bringing him here, even at a very early age, is sometimes more expensive than you expect, but even if you pay that money, there are many players you cannot bring. That's why we need to evaluate this transfer period correctly, but we got the player we wanted," he said.

'WORLD CUP IS ONE OF THE ELEMENTS THAT DELAYED THE TRANSFER SEASON TOO MUCH'

Stating that the World Cup slowed down the transfer, Okan Buruk said, "Well, everything happens in general, so I can't say that 'he hasn't heard of it'. It comes to anyone's name, unfortunately, there is nothing that not many people have heard about. But of course it is important, that is, we want to transfer players who will contribute to the team in terms of play. We are in talks about this. And this process, as you know, the World Cup is one of the factors that delays the transfer period a lot. As the World Cup continues, the players returning from there, their joining the team, the teams will give "The decisions affect the process. We start the league on August 14th, and the Champions League is in the middle of September. That's why the sooner we transfer, the better. I don't want that either, no one wants it anyway. But as I said, some players may need to wait, it's the club's decision... Sometimes they start the season and then they make a decision about the player. Sometimes you have to wait for them to get an important player from a big team."

Stating that Can Uzun and Bruno Fernandes are among the players they follow, Okan Buruk said, "Both of them are very important, both of them are valuable. If it were me, I would want both of them. Coaches are like this, coaches always want them. These are things that are special to us, things that are special to the clubs, both for the players and for the clubs. Sometimes there are players you want and like, but here it is important for the clubs to meet with each other. We do not communicate directly with the players anyway, this is not a very right thing, it is necessary to communicate with the clubs first. But in this process, our interest is "It continues regarding the players, there are players we are interested in," he said.

'IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND THE INTEREST HERE ELSEWHERE'

Okan Buruk stated that he wanted Davinson Sanchez, about whom there was transfer news, to stay in the team and continued his words as follows:

"There is no flexibility here from our side, Davinson has to continue with us. On the other hand, I look at it from Davinson's point of view; if I were Davinson, I would continue in Galatasaray. The atmosphere he has in Galatasaray, the stadium atmosphere, the Champions League... Of course, Como may also play in the Champions League, it is a team that is currently developing in Italy, but it is very difficult to find the atmosphere and the interest he has here elsewhere. We are very happy with Davinson, and he loves him very much. "We love him and he will continue the season with us."

Stating that they have not received an offer for Gabriel Sara, the 52-year-old coach said, "There is no offer yet, but he is an important player that we consider in our squad. I mean, as I just mentioned, Sara is actually our different player type in the midfield, that is, she is the most forward-moving, most creative player. Sara is the only player of that type we have."

'I WAS BY GALATASARAY ON THE ONE HAND AND BY BARIŞ ON THE OTHER HAND'

Okan Buruk, who was asked about his thoughts about Barış Alper Yılmaz's stay in the team at the beginning of last season, said, "Of course, these processes happen all the time, they can happen for every football player. I mean, you can see this a lot in the world. But I think the important thing is to know the player, especially the inside of the player, you know his soul, you know everything, and you know well how much he served Galatasaray, how much he loved Galatasaray, and of course a player comes out of this process in the best way. I am there, of course, always next to Barış. On the one hand, I was on Galatasaray's side, on the other hand, I was on Barış's side, because the two are actually very interconnected. I think Barış's stay here, both in the league and in Europe, and his contribution to the team, were very important for last year. Especially the Champions League matches... When we look at the Juventus matches, Barış is a player we can use in many positions, we did not use him as a full-back this year. "We used to use Barış as a full-back when there was a need for him, but this year we didn't need him there very much. As I said, Barış is happy here, we are happy with him. He is a player that Galatasaray fans love. I hope he will continue his good game again this year, he is a player who really shows his strength and individual talent, and we will be with him again."

'IF YOU WIN 20 MATCHES, THERE WILL BE THAT CRITICISM WHEN YOU DON'T WIN THE 21ST MATCH.'

Okan Buruk mentioned that there can always be criticism and said:

"No matter how successful you are, your face gets old once you stay here. That old face can turn into someone who can be criticized more easily after a certain point. As I said, no matter how successful you are, that is, if you win 20 matches, there will be criticism when you don't win the 21st match. I think the important thing here is that you know what you are doing well and that you can evaluate yourself objectively. I always say that, either you will be criticized anyway. Just as there is praise in this business, there is also criticism. I mean, I always want people to praise me. But there is no such thing as criticism. As you said, you have to come to the front and welcome them with all your heart. Because I always have to show that team that strength and self-confidence when they look at me. I think it is very important. But of course there will be criticism. As long as it is in the right amount, we will remove it anyway. I mean, you get so much criticism because football is loved so much, or you get so much praise. But if you ask me, which one is more important? I mean, the scenario where people look into people's eyes with confidence and say "Thank you, we are champions again" when the year is over, surpasses all of them from time to time, but as I said, it will all happen. "There is nothing in football that shouldn't be said."

Asked which match was the one that improved them the most last season, the experienced coach said the following:

"Liverpool... The first home match we won 1-0. We improved both in terms of play and tactics. The Champions League was one of the games that had an impact on many matches. I mean, Liverpool improved the most during that period, and I think the first 1-0 win."

'WE ARE CONSIDERING 3 PLAYERS FOR THE OFFENSIVE LINE'

Stating that they are considering 3 transfers to the offensive line, Okan Buruk said, "We need to plan according to the number of foreigners and the number of Turks. I mean, as you said, I called the offensive line a question mark that can play both behind the striker and as a centre-forward. So we are looking for players there. Of course, as you know, Noa Lang left, he was on loan, I was very happy with him. We loved him very much. He was very compatible both as a team and as his friends. He made a great contribution to us. He was very valuable. In the new rule, the next transfers will be made from now on." It depends. We will determine the number of players in the transfer line accordingly. As I said, we can consider three players in the offensive line, and we will decide on that in the future. I mean, we did not think about right or left, but depending on our situation there, he will still contribute to the team after the season starts... As I said, it will be very difficult decisions. Will you be able to find the player you want here or not? These are very difficult decisions. "We have the squad. There are players we can play in every position right now. But as I said, we need to strengthen the squad with new players and build a much stronger squad for the Champions League. As I said, we will look at that in the future."

Stating that the first championship was easier than the others, Galatasaray Coach Okan Buruk said, "First of all, there was no Europe in the first season, you were preparing for one match and you were very comfortable. So, your 11 is clear. You wait that week, you wait for a match all week, you play one match. That was, of course, the most comfortable year for us. But when we look at the last year, of course, you competed with the Champions League and your squad size increased and that's what I always say, the number of happy and unhappy players increased a little more, everyone wanted to play, "There is a scenario that he expects to play in. That's why, as I said, the scenario in the first year was a more comfortable scenario. This year, we came out of a more difficult scenario as champions, and of course, this is our fourth year; I mean, keeping that energy and giving that motivation to the players is not an easy thing. We are doing this, but it is not an easy thing."

'WE HAVE COME TO A PLACE WHERE EVERYONE WANTS TO STOP GALATASARAY'

Buruk said that the competitors prepared for them in a different way after the success, and used the following expressions:

"On the other hand, you are coming to a place where you are competing with your rivals every year, making more transfers, and everyone is against you. In other words, we have come to a place where everyone wants to stop Galatasaray. In other words, we have come to a place where they are not only thinking about the championship; in other words, they are trying to stop Galatasaray and be successful. This, of course, increases the concentration of both your rivals, all your rivals in the league, only against you. The intensity of the match you play is trying to increase because they are preparing for your match in a very different way. That's why." "Every year it becomes more difficult for me in this sense."

Stating that the players who produce scores always come to the fore, but other players also have their place, Buruk said, "Of course, everyone does their job in the best way. I mean, sometimes the goalkeeper center forward comes to the fore more than our goalkeeper, or those who score goals come to the fore much more. That is the same in the world. The player who scores goals always provides goals, assists, that is, players close to the goal come to the fore more. But of course, there are the workers in the team. I can actually count all the players in other regions there. I mean, he is both midfielder and right-back, "Left back... I can count many of our players playing in these positions. Just like I said, the one who produces the most points comes to the fore. But my other players also have a different place. As I said, even if they do not play in the team, those who support the unity of the team, help and support the balance within the team... Maybe they played very little, but the players who have that important dressing room role can also be important."

Okan Buruk, who was asked whether he would give young players more chances to play next season, said:

"Of course, that's what I want the most. I mean, being able to give time to young players, getting young players, playing young players. Of course, that's what I want the most. But the fact is that you are competing in both the league and the Champions League. I always believe this; in my eyes, there is no young or old player. In other words, there is a player who deserves it. In other words, if he deserves it, he plays. There is no player who plays or does not play because he is young or old, because he is experienced, or because he is paid very little money at work, or because he gets paid a lot of money. I think he is a good player." That's why I disagree... Of course, you are happier when a young player plays, but the young player who really deserves it comes and gets that jersey. So, we need to evaluate it like this, rather than us pushing it. Because, as I said, we have to win every match, including the Champions League, because we have this responsibility on the Galatasaray club and the community. "We are not a breeding club, of course. I wish we were a club that both trains and competes. Barcelona is such a club, I wish you could be Barcelona. I wish you had such a group of players. As I said, it depends on whether those talents and players really deserve it or not, but we are a club that really competes and has to win."

'THERE SHOULD BE A PLAYER WHO CAN CONTINUE THE GAME THAT THE TEAM IS PLAYING IN THE SAME WAY'

Stating that they are working for a player who can score at number 10, Okan Buruk said:

"Yunus had injuries in his groin and knee. It was very painful for a while, but when Yunus was in form, we always got the right contribution from there. İlkay played there for a while, there were matches in which he played very well. We used Gabriel Sara there, we used it the previous year as well. There were many matches in which he contributed to us, especially match by match, depending on the intensity of the match. Our idea for this year is, of course, that there is a player there who can fit into the team game. I think producing scores is very important for those playing in that position. And also "As I said, he needs to be a player who can adapt to the team's game, that is, who can continue the team's game in the same way, so we are working on this."

'I DO NOT THINK WE HAVE A TROUBLE IN ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE'

Stating that they have a good technical team, Buruk said, "I don't think we have any problems in terms of athletic performance. This is already true when you look at the data, when you look at the evaluations, when you look at both the performance and injury history for a team like us that plays at a high level of intensity, in this 4-year period, of course, it is not only the athletic performance of our team, but also the success of our medical team. With the success of Yener Hodja and his team, we are perhaps one of the teams with the least number of injuries. Of course, these may be injuries, they are separate things, in a different way, but it is such a loaded game. We are not a normal team, we are an aggressive team. We are a team that starts the matches with that fierce play, especially the first half of the match, and of course it is very important to spread it throughout the match. But when we look at our performance this year, when you look at the matches against Liverpool and the game against Atletico Madrid, perhaps the best team in this field, the best team in terms of athletic performance, we are a team that stays strong until the end of the match. When you look at the team, you know, Galatasaray team has this power. Do the players sometimes choose the match or idle the game after getting ahead in the match? Of course, such things start to happen here as well, but I think we have always been one of the best teams in the league. We showed this physically in Europe last year. I mean, remember how good the athleticism of the Galatasaray team is and the comments made after the Liverpool match. We have shown that we are in a very good position in the Champions League, there is a 120-minute match against Juventus, but as I said, we are a team that plays these games, especially high-intensity games, which is very important in football, and has this power and gives this power to its players. In this sense, I have no different opinion. Besides, of course, it is important to always improve your team. So, it is important to be a good team. I mean, this is a team that has won the championship for 4 years, so I don't think it would be right to see it as unsuccessful or to evaluate it differently. We have thoughts about this. I mean, what can we add here and how can we bring it to the top? Frankly, our numbers are increasing a lot here. I mean, we always need to improve the training performance and the individual activities you do after training. In terms of these, maybe we can add someone new. I am not closed to this either. We need to show this development. As I said, the quality of the players increases, the intensity of the match increases. Mertens is of course not the coach. He is a profile that can be included in the team and the technical team. In fact, we thought about such a thing, our president had this meeting. "We happily accept it," he said.

Stating that as a fan, he would ask coach Okan Buruk for the championship, Okan Buruk said, "First of all, we should be expected to become champions. Not being enough is one thing, but we have to be champions. That is enough for you, it is enough for you, it is not enough for me, it is a different thing. It is enough for some, it is not enough, but we have to be champions. Being a champion, of course... Oh, we did this last year. We both played in the Champions League and gave great importance to it and became champions. That's why I say; you should put being a champion in your pocket." "You need to want this, you need to focus on it with the same seriousness. Besides that, of course, to go above last year in the Champions League... I mean, of course, I would want this from Okan Hodja," he said.

The experienced coach said that he would like to play in coach Okan Buruk's team and said:

"I would like to be coach Okan Hodja's player. I mean, I would like to experience that too. I would like him to be an Okan Buruk both on the field and in the team, and to have an Okan Buruk at the head of the team."

'WE NEED TO GIVE THE SAME SUPPORT TO THE NATIONAL TEAM'

Okan Buruk said that the expectations from the national team were high in the World Cup, but they did not play well. Stating that the national team should be supported, Buruk said, "Our expectations were high. We thought that we would get out of the group very easily. Because we think that we could have come out of a group where the third places were most likely, by being third at worst, second, first, and all those top three. But unfortunately, of course, we did not play well, we accept it. In other words, we did not play our best matches. Frankly, we did not have the chance of football. Every ball that came to us was a goal. We could not reach that goal. In the first match, we had less positions, in the second match we had more chances. pozisyona girdik. Yani oralarda maçları çevirecek bir şey de lehimize olmadı açıkçası. Ama futbolun içerisinde bunlar oluyor. Bence Dünya Kupası'na katılmak da önemliydi, değerliydi. Bir üst tura çıkıp orada da elenebilirdik. Ama böyle bir tecrübeyi en azından yaşadık. Yıllardır gidemiyorduk biliyorsunuz, çok uzun bir süre sonra, 24 yıl sonra tekrar oraya katıldık. Yani buna da şükür. Bu bize bir tecrübe oldu. Bir sonraki turnuva daha iyi olacak. Hocaya ve futbolculara olan eleştirinin dozunun da çok yüksek olduğunu düşünüyorum. Sonuçta bu çocuklar bizi Dünya Kupası'na götürdü. Onlar istemez miydi, hepimizden çok isterlerdi. Saha içerisinde onu vermeye çalıştılar zaten. Vermeyen bir takım olsa onu farklı değerlendirebilirsiniz ama gerçekten bir şeyler yapmaya çalıştılar, istediler ama olmadı. Bazen olmayınca olmuyor. Yani bu işte Almanya da bir sonraki tur Paraguay'a elendi. Aslında Paraguay'ı işte çok küçük gördük ama bütün takımları zorladı. O yüzden futbolun içerisinde bunlar var, bunlar yaşanılabiliyor. Bence tekrar o milli duyguyu yakalamak gerekiyor. Yani bir anda milli "We lose the feeling when the team fails, but I think the national feeling is not something that can be caught and lost with such success and failure. That's why the same passion and desire will start again from September. I think the national team will be at the same strong level again. So we need to give them the same support."

Okan Buruk, who was asked whether he wanted to take part in the national team, said:

"I think it is a great moral value for every Turkish person, a great happiness to be there, to manage a country's national team. It is really important, valuable. I mean, of course, if something like this happens in the future, no Turkish child would say no to it. I mean, it is an honor and value for everyone except me. So if something like this happens in the future, of course, as a Turk, I will try to fulfill that duty with great happiness. As I said, this is just but right now, we really have a good coach, Montella, even if he is criticized. "I think it is very important for us that he continues in his job, his successes, and that he takes us to the next championship. I mean, I think we need to give that support to a coach who took him to the World Cup."

'I WANT TO CONTINUE THIS HAPPINESS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE'

Okan Buruk said that it is normal for European teams to follow him after his successes and that he wants to continue his happiness in Galatasaray. Okan Buruk said, "You are unavoidably in the spotlight. You have been the champion for 4 years, here is your performance in the Champions League. So, after these, there is nothing more normal than you being followed more, coming to the agenda more, taking part in these places. I hope to continue as long as I am a champion, to continue on with the championships. We already have a contract. Both parties are happy; I am happy, our president is also happy, our fans are happy. I want to continue this happiness as much as possible. The biggest goal, the biggest desire for me is the future." "The biggest expectation for me is, of course, to continue my duty successfully at the head of Galatasaray," he said.

'FRANCE - SPAIN MAY BE A CHAMPION'

Buruk said that the winner of the France-Spain match to be played in the World Cup today can become the champion and continued his words as follows:

"Spain, France, England were my favorites. We had an interview before the World Cup, I mentioned three of them there. Spain-France match is tonight. A champion can emerge from there, that is, England and Argentina on the other side. But I think the team that will pass this round from Spain-France is closer to the championship. My favorite is Spain or France, so the two teams will play tonight. So, I think France is doing very well here. Spain is also a team that is not very well known, both with its players and the actions they will take during the match. So "One of them will win, I think whoever wins tonight will also win the final."

'TRABZONSPOR WAS LAST YEAR'S FLASH TEAM'

The experienced coach, who was asked his thoughts about the championship race in the new season, concluded his words as follows:

"I don't think any season is different. Every season, teams strengthen their squads and make transfers. There are many teams that make these transfers during the half-time. Frankly, every year, especially the four big teams start their way to the championship. After that, of course, these changes can happen within weeks. But important squads are formed, important names are brought in. This, of course, shows how much the quality of the Turkish League has gone up, how much it has increased and how much it will increase. Last year, especially maybe Trabzonspor was last year's flash team. In my opinion, both the championship and the championship. "It was in the race and won the Turkish Cup. That's why I think that Trabzonspor and Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor started with the same goal, the same desire and the same chance in the championship race. In other words, everyone starts from scratch, everyone starts with the same chance."

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