Attention-Grabbing National Team Comment After Turkey vs. Montenegro Match

Our National Team defeated Montenegro 1-0 in the third match of UEFA Nations League B, played in Samsun, and continued to lead Group 4. Hürriyet writer Ugur Meleke evaluated the match in his column.

In the UEFA Nations League B Group 4 match, our National Team won 1-0 against Montenegro in Samsun. The goal that brought victory was scored by Irfan Can Kahveci in the 68th minute. With this result, the team increased its points to 7, maintaining its leadership in the group, while Montenegro remained without points.

“COACH MONTELLA NEEDS PLAYER MONTELLA”

Two nights ago, there was the England vs. Greece match at Wembley. Harry Kane was injured, and in his absence, Lee Carsley tried a 4-6-0 formation without a central striker, using Foden and Bellingham upfront.

ENGLAND FACED DISAPPOINTMENT

This formation was very close to the model that English fans had practically begged Southgate to try a few months ago. Many fans and commentators wanted Southgate to bench the slower Kane, play Foden in the center, and start Palmer. Southgate stuck to what he knew, lost the Euro 2024 final, and his job. Interim coach Carsley, however, listened to public opinion. In Kane’s absence, he used Foden in the center, started Palmer, and had five attackers on the field, including Saka and Gordon on the wings. The result was a disaster. England couldn’t threaten the opponent’s goal. Greece scored 5 goals, 3 were canceled due to offside, but they still went home with a 2-1 victory.

WE DOMINATED BUT COULDN’T BREAK THROUGH

Our national team faces a similar dilemma. We don’t have a number nine that we can confidently rely on. Montella often starts with a 4-6-0 formation. He did the same yesterday. We dominated for long periods, but without a defined striker in the box, we couldn’t break through Montenegro’s resistance.

WE WERE GOOD, BUT SOMETHING WAS MISSING

Until Irfan’s goal in the 69th minute, our statistics were interesting: We had attempted 20 shots in 69 minutes. Six of them came from Arda, and five from Orkun (both midfielders). Of these 20 shots, 12 were from outside the box. We were playing well, pushing the game into the final third, and although many of the attempts were from distance, we were trying. But something was missing. Perhaps even a 50-year-old Montella, if he had been playing as a number nine, could have made a difference.

THE RIGHT SUBSTITUTIONS CAME

In the second half, Montella made the right substitutions. He completely changed the front three, with Bertug moving to the center, Kenan to the left, and Irfan to the right, leading to the goal. We had started the Nations League disastrously in Cardiff. However, in Izmir and Samsun, we played like a big team. It seems that starting in Iceland on Monday night with the same enthusiasm, the same big team mentality, and a classic central striker (either Bertug or Semih) would be the best choice.