Kocaelispor Technical Director Ertuğrul Sağlam: ‘The team will reach the level we want as long as we play together’

After the match in which Kocaelispor defeated Erzurum FK by a single goal in the 3rd week of the Trendyol 1st League, the technical directors evaluated the match.

Speaking at the press conference held after the match, Kocaelispor Technical Director Ertuğrul Sağlam said, “Today, there was the morale of the first two matches, as well as the necessity brought by the big goal we set. We have a simple math that if we pass without losses and come back from the worst away, our graph will carry us to success. We do not want to lose points in home matches. We are going through a transition period. We are in the process of adaptation. We are also a very new team. Sometimes we play with 2, sometimes 3 players from last year. While playing with a squad where 7-8 players of the first 11 have changed, we are going through the process of players getting to know each other. We all see the difficulties this brings. There is something we want to do in this process; as the team plays together and the new players are physically ready, the team will reach the level we want. If we can also make transfers to the places we want, this team will play much better.”

“We want to enter the international break with 4 out of 4”

Emphasizing that they want to enter the international break with 4 wins, Sağlam said, “If we can get through this week’s Amed match without a loss until the international break, we will have made it 4 out of 4, we will have gone through such a difficult period in terms of football without a loss and we will have come out of the process stronger, we will be able to look to the future with more hope and we will have come to the end of the process where our morale is at its peak. We have had difficulties from time to time during the game. Especially in the 2nd half, very good things happened. There were positions that would bring the score to 2-3. When you cannot score these, you increase the resistance of the opponent. The structure of the game was a little different today. Long balls made to Mustafa Yumlu, there was chaos and confusion there but we knew how to ward it off. The important thing today was 3 points. We got our 3 points. We are not people who will ignore the mistakes and deficiencies we made while getting them. Our work will continue to be better and to play better football. I congratulate our players. Erzurum is also a team that plays good defense and can counterattack with its players in front. They showed that it was no coincidence that they beat Ankaragücü. We have as much time as the Amed match. First we need to rest our players, they are out of the intense period. Then we will start our preparations. The increase in the performance of some of our players made us happy. Markao performed for 60 minutes. We will start the same process with Caner. We are ensuring that the players adapt to the developed system. We are trying to use our players in a balanced manner and get through the match without injuries. Markao passed the match without any problems. Furkan came in later and did good things, Cihat was effective, Yunus and Ahmet are very hard-working. Our players who came in later contributed to the team. We observed that the performance of our players who started in the 11 increased. This squad will do much better things,” he said.

“Where the Amed match will be played does not affect us”

Finally, when asked about the place where the Amed match will be played, Ertuğrul Sağlam said, “Where the match will be played does not affect us. We can also play in Diyarbakır. We will go, and God willing, we will play a very good match. Our team is a team that wants to play football. Rather than Amedspor not wanting to play there, it is directly related to the ground. We are a team that can play, we need a good ground. God forbid, the ground of the pitch poses a great risk to the health of the players. The match will be played in Istanbul on Monday. This decision has been made. I only agree with the decision from this perspective; it will be played on a good ground, in an environment that will increase the quality of football, and on a ground that will protect the health of the players.”

Hakan Kutlu: “We played effectively in the second half”

Erzurumspor FK Technical Director Hakan Kutlu made the following comments in his post-match assessment: “I congratulate Kocaelispor. We played an important game. We didn’t give away any chances in the first 45 minutes, but the opponent had more possession of the ball. We conceded a goal in the 45th minute. Our player’s (Mustafa Akbaş) finger was broken, we had to make a change, we conceded a goal as soon as we made a change. Although we were trailing 1-0, we gave away one position at the back in the minutes we pressed on. There were positions where we could have been effective if we could have made the final passes. I congratulate my players, we played very effectively especially in the second 45 minutes. We conceded a goal when we least expected it. We don’t let the opponent score in dead balls. We had to change Mustafa Akbaş. He didn’t change the rhythm of the game much for us. We were not successful in scoring the goal. We were effective in the opponent’s field, we gave away only one position at the back. I congratulate Kocaelispor and wish them success in the league. On the one hand, we are working to open the transfer, on the other hand, to make transfers. We are going through a transition period. “We want to play good football and represent our city and our team well. If we can, we want to see the top 6,” he said.

“We preferred low-cost players”

Kutlu, who also answered the questions, said, “We did not choose very expensive players in the transfer. We are trying to lift the ban on the one hand and make transfers on the other. Our honorary president is making great efforts. It is not right to give a number but we are trying to choose low-cost players. We got very good performances from all of them today. At least 2-3 more players will join us. I do not think that the critical decision you made regarding the referee affected the result. I would be lying if I said I was not happy. He tried to manage the match in the middle. His body language and approach to the players were good.” – KOCAELI