The Turkish national football team is preparing for two crucial away fixtures against Armenia and Croatia on March 25 and 28, respectively, as part of their UEFA 2024 European Championship (Euro 2024) qualifying campaign.
The Crescent-Stars on Tuesday started their preparations in Bursa, at the Hasan Doğan national teams Camp and Training Facilities, under the management of coach Stefan Kuntz.
The press-attended training session had all the players in high spirits except for the unfortunate Abdülkerim Bardakcı, who could not participate due to sickness.
Newcomers Mehmet Can Aydın and Umut Nayir were in attendance and were put through their paces in training with the team; meanwhile, several seasoned squad members who had played matches the day prior were honing their fitness in the hall.
Despite undergoing ongoing treatment, Dorukhan Toköz still attended the training, even though his name did not appear on the squad list.
The training commenced with a pep talk from Coach Kuntz, followed by a warmup session, passing practice, station work and a miniature castle challenge.
Turkish Football Federation (TFF) President Mehmet Büyükekşi, TFF board member and national team Manager Hamit Altıntop, and TFF Secretary General Kadir Kardaş also watched the training.
Coach Kuntz could barely contain his enthusiasm at the thought of leading the Crescent-Stars at the upcoming Euro 2024, to be held in his homeland of Germany.
Despite the team’s progress, he expressed his awareness of the monumental task ahead to overcome superior opponents in the FIFA ranking.
Like every other coach, Kuntz acknowledged the Feb. 6 twin earthquakes victims and said he is determined to bring some joy to the country through the team’s performance.
Newcomer Mehmet Can Aydın also said he is thrilled to join the national team and wants to add value.
He emphasized the importance of discovering forward-looking players and making the players feel that there is continuity and formation within the national team.
Coach Kuntz added that they have many talented young players and will work on incorporating them into the squad.
He addressed the absence of some players, including Tayyip Talha Sanuç, who was removed from the squad due to injury, and Salih Uçan, who made some negative statements to the media.
He stated that there would be no replacement for Sanuç and that Uçan had apologized for his actions, and they had dismissed the issue.
The team faces formidable opponents in Armenia and Croatia, but Coach Kuntz is optimistic and believes his players have the quality and performance to succeed. The Turkish national football team’s preparation will continue with another training session tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, the national football team goalkeeper coach, Michael Rechner, resigned from his position in the crescent-star team.
In the statement made by the Turkish Football Federation, “Michael Rechner, who has been working as a goalkeeper coach in the technical committee of our national team for 1.5 years, will not be able to continue his duty in our national team due to his new position at Bayern Munich Club. We sincerely thank Rechner for his devoted work. We wish you continued success in your career.”
