Determined Montella says his players are 'real men' as Turkey prepare for Kosovo decider

[p]"[b]As I speak these words, which are very important to me and ‌come from my heart, my first thought is: our footballers are real men[/b]," ‌Montella told a news conference on Monday.[/p][p]"I took over as ‌head coach during a very difficult period... My players have supported ‌me. They have always been a fighting group.[/p][p]"[b]They know that ‌it's not just their own names written on their backs. It's the names of millions of Turkish people and children[/b]."[/p][p]The former [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/as-roma/zVqqL0ma/"]AS Roma[/a] forward ‌became [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/turkey/QeijuHo5/"]Turkey[/a]'s head coach in 2023, helping ⁠them qualify for Euro 2024 ‌and is now on the cusp of taking the nation to its ​first World Cup for 24 years.[/p][p]"[b]Everyone feels the pressure. This is a final. We haven't been there for ​24 years, but most of our players weren't even born then[/b]," the 51-year-old Montella said.[/p][embed guid="17f5a5e6-c3fa-48e1-a094-24c0f1a3afef" url="https://x.com/MilliTakimlar/status/2038601983196615096" social-type="twitter" /][p]"If we couldn't go for 24 ⁠years, it's not their ​fault. This time we want to go, we will do our best for our country."[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/kosovo-v1DTPQwI/turkey-7s-QeijuHo5/?mid=xlsPC2Il"]Turkey will face a tough task in Pristina[/a] as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kosovo/v1DTPQwI/"]Kosovo[/a] try to qualify for the first time, having beaten [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/slovakia/KpLb2q1U/"]‌Slovakia[/a] 4-3 in last week's semi-final.[/p][p]"[b]There's one match left to reach the World Cup. It's not about quality; whoever plays with more heart will win. We're aware of that and we're ready[/b]," Turkey captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/calhanoglu-hakan/IRQeP5FJ/"]Hakan Calhanoglu[/a] said. "I remember our first match against Kosovo, I was there. They are very strong and have good players."[/p][p]Montella is already highly respected in Turkish football, having revived the national side's fortunes, and will attain hero status ‌if his side win on Tuesday.[/p][p]"[b]I carry in my heart the ​fact that this country treated me like one of ‌its own. From day one until today, I have felt the support of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF)[/b]," he said.[/p][p]"[b]The culture that raised me and the culture I encountered in Turkey are incredibly similar. I can think like a Turk. ⁠I eat like a Turk. ⁠I act like a ‌Turk. That's why I feel like a Turk[/b]."[/p]