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Türkiye national football team head coach Vincenzo Montella says the team's qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was not a matter of luck, pointing to tactical discipline and squad cohesion as the driving forces behind the achievement.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport, Montella said he has worked to build a structured side since taking charge.
"I was previously told there was not enough solidity. We brought tactical organization to the team. I taught them very little, but with what I taught, I tried to move them all in the same direction," he said.
Montella also addressed the challenge of managing a national team setup in which time on the training ground is limited.
"There is no time in a national team; you need to ensure the match strategy, the working method, and continuity. This needs to align closely with the structure they have at their clubs. This squad did not go to the World Cup by coincidence – and not only because of technical quality," he said.
Montella singled out Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu as indispensable to both club and country, warning that his absence creates a notable gap.
"When Calhanoglu is not in the match, not in the team, it is a problem. Inter relies on him to know when to accelerate and when to slow down – and the national team is the same. When he is not there, a piece of the team is missing," he said.
The coach also noted that Calhanoglu's profile has evolved since his time at AC Milan, where he operated in a more attacking role.
At Inter, Montella said, the midfielder has developed defensively and now takes satisfaction in winning the ball back from opponents.
Montella reserved particular praise for Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz, describing the 19-year-old as mentally strong and driven to improve.
“Kenan is a mentally very strong footballer. He is someone who always wants to develop, always balanced. When you see a player who does not want to settle, you notice it immediately. He never wanted to leave the pitch; he would arrive before everyone else. He still does that. For that reason, with the qualities he has, he is destined to keep improving," he said.
Montella explained that while Yildiz prefers to operate on the left flank – where he is most destructive – the coach sometimes deploys him in a more central role behind the striker.
"I like him playing in a wider area because he finds more opportunities there. He was not uncomfortable playing as a No. 10, but when I put him just behind the striker, he had to go everywhere. He always prefers going left because he is truly devastating there. He can get past even a fullback in the final third. When he has a one-on-one opportunity, he never holds back," he said.
In a separate segment of the interview, Montella reflected on a difficult period in his coaching career between 2019 and 2021, when he went without a managerial post.
He said he considered stepping away from the game entirely before his move to Türkiye reignited his passion. Adana Demirspor, he said, came at the right moment and gave him the platform to rediscover his motivation.
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