Vincenzo Montella’s Statements on Kerem Akturkoglu and Arda Guler: Boundless

Turkey’s National Football Team Coach Vincenzo Montella responded to questions from an Anadolu Agency reporter at the “MeeTürkItaly” meeting organized by the Italian Embassy in Turkey.

Vincenzo Montella mentioned that they started the UEFA Nations League well with a draw against Wales and a win over Iceland, saying: “We had a very intense yet positive week. We are in a group with a very high level of difficulty. Wales was in League A last year, and this year the competition is continuing at a very high level. I actually like the Nations League a lot. Thanks to this tournament, we have completely done away with friendly matches. So it’s nice to have competition in such a tournament. Iceland is also a team with a high competitive spirit. We’re in a group where the outcome is uncertain until the end, but of course, we’re focusing on each match and trying to do our best in every game.”

“THE NATIONS LEAGUE IS VERY VALUABLE FOR THE WORLD CUP”

The Italian coach was asked, “Does the fact that 4 teams from the UEFA Nations League will qualify for the World Cup motivate you even more?” He responded, “I want to say, ‘Absolutely, yes.’ We’ve felt it closely – every match in the Nations League now feels like a final. Because, as you know, qualifying for the World Cup is harder than qualifying for the European Championship. While 32 teams go to the European Championship, only 16 teams from Europe will qualify for the World Cup. That’s why that ticket is so valuable and important, and we know that every match feels like a final. So this motivates us greatly.”