Vincenzo Montella said Türkiye must learn from its mistakes after Belgium punished the team’s errors in a 3-0 defeat in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday, while insisting his players showed enough fight to remain encouraged despite a difficult start to life in League A.
Türkiye suffered its third consecutive defeat in League A, leaving the team without a point after three matches in Group 1. The result came at Maurice Dufrasne Stadium in Liege, where Belgium proved more clinical in front of goal despite Montella describing the contest as statistically balanced.
“At this level, unfortunately, you cannot make mistakes,” Montella said after the match. “When you make mistakes, opponents do not forgive you easily.”
The Italian coach said Türkiye competed until the final whistle and created enough opportunities to make the scoreline look different, but his players lacked the precision needed to turn those chances into goals.
“We created many opportunities,” Montella said. “We entered the opponent’s penalty area 40 times, while Belgium entered ours 26 times. Unfortunately, in football, when you do not take advantage of your opportunities and your opponent does, the result does not go the way you want.”
Montella praised the commitment of his players despite the defeat, saying they continued to compete throughout the match and did not allow the result to affect their effort.
“We have a group of players who fight until the end, who do not shy away from the battle against their opponents and who take the game all the way to the final minute,” he said. “When we see what they are trying to do, we can only be proud of them because they fought until the end.”
However, he acknowledged that Belgium had the edge in some decisive moments, particularly when it came to finishing attacks and making the right final decisions.
“Sometimes the opposing team can be superior in certain details,” Montella said. “Perhaps if we had been clearer with our final decisions, we could have left with a very different score. Unfortunately, that is what happened today. Our opponents were a step ahead of us in that regard.”
The defeat marked a difficult introduction to the highest tier of the Nations League for Türkiye, who are competing in League A for the first time. Montella rejected the idea that the team should be criticized simply for competing at that level, saying the matches provide an opportunity to identify areas that need improvement.
“Being in League A is actually a privilege, not a crime,” Montella said. “We need to continue improving ourselves and try to be the best we can be. In football, there are different levels, and League A is one of those levels.”
Montella also pointed to injuries and absences that have affected his squad, saying the team has felt the absence of several important players. He specifically highlighted Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Mert Müldür, while also referring to other key players who have been unavailable during the Nations League campaign.
The coach said those absences have made the challenge more difficult but insisted Türkiye must continue with the players available.
“We have very important absences and we feel their absence,” he said. “But we will continue preparing with all the players we have. Many of them may be playing at this level for the first time, so there is no giving up.”
Montella also addressed the criticism surrounding the team after its poor start to the campaign. He said he did not want to become distracted by the reaction to the results, pointing instead to the progress Türkiye have made during his tenure.
He noted that the same group helped Türkiye qualify for the World Cup after a 24-year absence, reach League A and compete at the European Championship.
“We are going through a period in which we test ourselves every three days, see our level and identify all the details we need to improve,” Montella said. “All of this is preparation for the work we need to do in the future.”
The 52-year-old coach acknowledged that supporters have every right to be unhappy with the results and said he understood the frustration following the latest defeat.
“It is natural that our fans are not satisfied at the moment,” Montella said. “They can share their reactions with us. I can say one thing clearly: I am very motivated and ready to work harder than ever.”
Montella also dismissed any suggestion that the criticism would affect his focus, saying his attention remains on preparing the team for its remaining matches.
“Our concentration is completely on the matches we are going to play,” he said. “I am not thinking about anything else.”
The coach also discussed the absence of Barış Alper Yılmaz and Arda Güler, who picked up yellow cards and will miss Türkiye’s next match against Italy through suspension.
Montella said their absence would be felt because of the qualities they bring to the team, but he called on the rest of the squad to step forward.
“We are very disappointed that they will not be there because their qualities are very important for our team,” he said. “But we will continue and prepare with all the other players.”
Despite the setbacks, Montella said Türkiye must maintain its belief and focus on representing the country with responsibility.
“We know the responsibility we carry in representing our country,” he said. “We will prepare in the best possible way and try to give our best performances in the remaining matches. Our motivation is always high.”
Montella acknowledged that the players were likely to be disappointed after losing a closely contested match, but urged them to keep their heads up.
“They can be upset when you play an even match and the result does not go your way,” he said. “But they need to keep their heads up because they fought until the end. We will not become demoralized. We will concentrate completely on our work.”
