Hakan Çalhanoğlu: “We are focused on the Czech Republic match, hopefully we will pass the group stage.”

Captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu of the National Football Team stated that they couldn’t put what they wanted into the game against Portugal, but he believes that they will advance from the group with a victory or a draw against the Czech Republic.

In the second match of Group F of the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship (EURO 2024), the National Football Team, who lost 3-0 against Portugal at the BVB Stadium last night, captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu made statements at the press conference held.

“Hopefully we will pass the group stage”
Starting his words by evaluating the Portugal match, Hakan said, “We started together here, we will finish together. Everything gets harder after yesterday’s match. But it’s not the end of the world. We have had the goal of advancing from the group from the beginning. We still have this goal. We couldn’t get the result we wanted. Everything is not over. We have the Czech Republic match ahead of us. A victory or a draw is enough. Our team believes in this. Unwanted things happened in the match, there were unlucky moments. These are things that happen in football. In football, you both win and lose. What is important is that the team still believes. We talked about yesterday’s match and then we will look forward because we have to. We don’t have many days left. We will focus on the Czech Republic match, and hopefully, we will pass the group stage,” he said.

“You receive criticisms that your performance in the national team is not the same as your performance in the club team. How does this affect you?” Hakan Çalhanoğlu answered this question by saying, “These are things that happen in football. Criticisms will inevitably come. I am satisfied with my performance. I do what I do there here as well. I try to meet the coach’s demands. Actually, the subject is not me, it’s the national team. We fight here for the crescent-star, we make an effort. I receive the most criticism. I don’t listen to them, if I did, I wouldn’t have come this far. I concentrate on the national team. I take care of myself. I don’t want to get into statistics. While analyzing the national team on one side, I analyze Inter on the other. There is a Hakan on the field who runs a lot, fights, but cannot achieve the desired results. Sometimes people become emotional involuntarily. I always want my teammates to be well. If I play, I will give my best effort, if I don’t play, I am still here for the team. Criticism will always be there. I have not encountered the criticism in Turkey that I faced in Germany or Italy. I didn’t reach the age of 30 easily. I always tried to showcase my performance in the best way by looking after myself and eating well and making an effort,” he answered.

“We have done the necessary analysis”
Touching upon the reasons for the performance decline after victories against strong teams like Croatia and Germany, the 30-year-old footballer continued as follows: “I don’t know exactly how many games each player has played. One plays 15, the other plays 40 games, it varies according to the player. This was generally present in the national team. We need to improve on this. We are aware of this. It happens in football inevitably. This is an area we need to improve on. We need to stay focused on the game, not to collapse. When it’s 1-0 or 2-0, we need to continue. We need to be stronger. There are also players playing for the first time in the team. They will develop more. We have done the necessary analysis. We need to significantly improve in this regard.

“As Turks, we are generally emotional people”
The captain of the red and white team, emphasizing that the Turkish nation is generally emotional, said, “Portugal is a strong team. They have a quality squad. Teams like Spain and Germany are the favorites. Could we have beaten Portugal, yes we could. When we fall behind, we drop our game, our concentration breaks. We need to improve on this. Sometimes we can’t even hear each other at the stadium. There was an incident between Samet and Altay. We talk on the field but it’s not heard. This could be unfortunate. The important thing is to fix it. There is no “I” here, it’s “us.” We win together, we lose together. It’s not the end of the road. The Czech Republic match will be tough. They beat us in the friendly match, now they will come out with a different team. I believe that we will continue to be effective in scoring goals, hopefully,” he said.

“We will do our duty”
Regarding the Czech Republic match, the last match of the group to be played on Wednesday, June 26, Çalhanoğlu shared the following: “Everything is easier when you win. When you lose, it becomes a matter of character. We always respect you. The coach has a strategy in mind. How we will go out, how we will play. I can’t say that. I saw a lively, strong Czech Republic, they played well in the Portugal match. As a player, I shouldn’t say much. We need to comply with what the coach says. We will do our duty.”

“We need to respect the coach’s decision”
Regarding how Cenk Tosun playing in the forward position affects him in attacking moves, Hakan Çalhanoğlu said, “I have shared the jersey with Cenk for years. Of course, I would like him to play but we need to respect the coach’s decision. This is not only valid for Montella, but for every coach. Since I am in the number 6 position, I might be a bit distant from him. I know his runs. He is the most dangerous player in the penalty area in Turkey. The result is up to the coach. The decision is made by the coach,” he said.

“Arda Güler had a groin injury and that’s why he didn’t play”
Captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu stated that the 19-year-old star of the National Football Team, Arda Güler, had a groin injury during training before the Portugal match. Hakan said, “Arda is very valuable to us. Everyone is very valuable. Sometimes you don’t know what happens in training, what happens within the team, what Arda’s injury is. I have to protect the coach in this regard. Arda suffered a groin injury. That’s why he didn’t play. Otherwise, he would play. They made that decision by talking. Arda prepared for 20 minutes. The coach did not reflect this to the outside. It remained within the team,” he said.

“Some players are not used to playing every 2-3 days”
Drawing attention to the difficulty of playing a match physically every 2-3 days, Hakan said, “There are many things you don’t know. Some players are not used to playing every 2-3 days. They need rest. The coach talks and evaluates with each player,” he said.

“I hope our fans will provide the same support”
Hakan Çalhanoğlu added that their only aim is to make the Turkish nation happy. The experienced player said, “We have always succeeded in difficult situations. We beat Croatia away, we came out as the leader. In the Iceland match, Selçuk scored. We are used to this, it’s not something new. I believe and trust that we will achieve this. I hope our fans will provide the same support. We not only want to make our fans happy but also you. Everyone wants to see success. We work for that. Our goal is the happiness of our country. By presenting ourselves as a better team, we will win hopefully. When we win, everyone praises us to the sky. When we lose, we receive extreme criticism. Some players cannot cope with these. Especially Cenk and I are experienced in this regard. Ismail is still new but he is also experienced. We need to be stronger. We will not pay attention,” he said.

“I’m not avoiding the ball, I’m taking responsibility”
Reminded of the confusion about which position he plays due to wearing the number 10 jersey, Hakan said, “I contributed both offensively and defensively in both matches. Yesterday, I won all the duels. I do what I do here as we do at Inter. I do what I do at Inter here as well. It’s easier there. I have been playing there for years. Sometimes it takes time here. Sometimes it’s different because you don’t play with the same teammates. They see what I do positively or negatively. I moved to number 6. I’m not avoiding the ball, I’m taking responsibility, trying to get the ball. Criticism comes especially from former national team players. I leave them to Allah. I take care of myself,” he said.

“We work on everything we do during training”
The red and white player also stated the following about the occasional changes in playing alongside his midfield teammates in the National Team: “There can always be player changes. Everything can be different. Everyone has a game character of their own. I need to adapt. Sometimes we understand each other. I don’t pay much attention to it. This is my opinion. It’s not because of me. We work on everything we do during training. Everything shows. Sometimes we can’t apply it on the field. Sometimes there are question marks in between. If we do that, we will be better as a team.”