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Sergen Yalcin, head coach of Türkiye’s national football team, announced the provisional squad for the team’s UEFA Nations League A Group 1 matches against Belgium and France at a news conference in Istanbul.
Türkiye hosts Belgium on Nov. 12 in Izmir, a port city on the Aegean coast in western Türkiye, and visits France on Nov. 15 in Bordeaux, in southwestern France. Yalcin said he selected 26 players from a pool of nearly 60.
Yalcin was appointed on Oct. 20 on a four-year contract, replacing Vincenzo Montella. Türkiye lost all four of its Group 1 matches so far, against France, Italy, Belgium and Italy again, and sits bottom of the group without a point.
Yalcin, 54, said the team is being built with the future in mind as well as the present. He said the staff has put into use an artificial intelligence-supported platform for tracking players and analyzing performance, which it had been developing for some time.
“We want to build not only the team of today but also the team of the future,” Yalcin said. He described the objective as qualifying for the European Championship and the World Cup and bringing young players into the national team.
Yalcin said a large scouting team has been set up and the aim is a club-like atmosphere in the national team.
“Names and clubs are not very important. Whoever deserves it, whoever will contribute to this team, will be there,” Yalcin said.
Yalcin said an injured goalkeeper had to be removed from the squad. He added that Kenan Yıldız, who is injured, wanted to join the national team, but his club Juventus preferred to continue his treatment there and the coaching staff agreed.
Basaksehir goalkeeper Muhammed Sengezer was also withdrawn at the last minute because of injury, Yalcin said.
Yalcin said he spoke with goalkeeper Berke Ozer, who is included in the provisional squad. “There were some problems before. He has no problem now. He is eager to join the national team,” Yalcin said.
Yalcin said Türkiye will play with a center forward and that the system will differ somewhat from recent matches. “We have not received healthy results in the last matches. We have two matches left, and we also have a chance of avoiding relegation,” he said.
He described the Belgium match as very valuable and said he plans to start with physically ready players. On Arda Guler, Yalcin said the young player will be used in whichever position he prefers.
Responding to claims that some players do not answer his calls, Yalcin said the reports do not reflect reality. He said he has spoken with many players by phone since taking the job.
“There is absolutely no such player,” he said. He said that presenting events that did not happen as if they had harmed the national team, and asked journalists not to publish negative reports about the team and its players before work begins.
Yalcin asked that the team be judged after it plays. “First, let’s play the matches. Then let’s discuss and judge us,” he said.
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