Sergen Yalçın on Turkey's Belgium Loss: Defence Has Long Been Weak
Turkey coach Sergen Yalçın reviews Nations League defeat to Belgium, explains why Oğuz Aydın played full-back against Jérémy Doku and admits defensive flaws.
Turkey head coach Sergen Yalçın admitted his side's defensive problems are nothing new after the national team lost to Belgium in the UEFA Nations League at the Gürsel Aksel Stadium in İzmir.
Yalçın: our pressing worked early on Yalçın said Turkey made a good start to the game. He explained that his plan was built around keeping the ball on the ground and relying on technically gifted players. Turkey also pressed high from kick-off. According to the coach, that pressure paid off for roughly the first 20 to 30 minutes, and Turkey scored during that spell. Belgium, however, made the most of the openings they created. Yalçın acknowledged that defensive fragility has been visible in the national team for a long time and said his staff had tried to address it. He added that both teams enjoyed periods of control during the match.
Why Oğuz Aydın played at full-back The most talked-about selection was Oğuz Aydın in a full-back role. Yalçın said the decision was all about Jérémy Doku, who operated on that flank. He called the Belgium winger his opponents' best player and one of the key architects of their win. Yalçın said Oğuz is quick and strong, and he expected him to win more duels on that side and make Turkey more solid. He added that he was happy with the player's performance.
Turkey XI: Uğurcan Çakır, Barış Alper Yılmaz, Merih Demiral, Ozan Kabak, Ferdi Kadıoğlu, İsmail Yüksek, Orkun Kökçü, Yunus Akgün, Arda Güler, Oğuz Aydın, Enes Ünal.
Belgium XI: Senne Lammens, Maxim De Cuyper, Brandon Mechele, Nathan Ngoy, Timothy Castagne, Nicolas Raskin, Youri Tielemans, Kevin De Bruyne, Diego Moreira, Jérémy Doku, Charles De Ketelaere.
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