SENOL GUNES
How proud will you be to lead Turkey at the European Championship this summer? When we took office, we had the goal of participating at Euro 2020. We have no negativity there. We have created a squad that everyone likes and can count on. We made our planning, especially the camp sites and warm-up matches, but unfortunately we had to cancel them due to the pandemic. We had injuries and it was good to recover. What are Turkey’s chances in Group A? If we want to rise, we need to get out of this group ahead of Italy, Switzerland and Wales. Our competitors should be considered strong, but we have to level up. We were in the 30s in the FIFA rankings – we must gain momentum and increase our ranking to the 20s and 10s. Did defeating the Netherlands in March show that you can compete with the best? We played well, but is it good enough? We need to be better. We have made a lot of ground when it comes to our defensive understanding. We have to do even better. This team is a team owned by Turkey. Changes will surely happen. Our door
is open to everyone. A future player must surpass a selected player. We follow them all. Those who are not taken should respectfully wait, work, and we will look when the time comes. There will be competition, but it will be for the success of the team. When we make a choice, we look at positions, not clubs. Successes in the national team create excitement and push future generations to work harder. I am proud of my players. You seem to have a good mix of young and experienced squad members... They know each other. They give us hope with the games they play. They have a European Championship to go up a level, and they also have the chance to show themselves again by participating in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. We have a chance to promote football, to represent Turkish football again. That’s why our responsibilities are high. We want to leave a mark. If we can achieve these results with this young generation, then it will be easier after that. The group that understands this will carry the team for ten years. This team is just starting. They are still developing. The European Championship will be a test and I want the World Cup for them. For future generations, we have to produce more talented players to make this permanent. We have the power to overcome this. We want to create a new vision. A single word to describe him is not possible! He’s got a story, a story that should be written. This story, if we write it, Turkey wins. It is very difficult to describe him with one word. But I do not want to be raving about him! Samindra Kunti