In the UEFA Champions League group stage, Galatasaray will host Barcelona. Before the match, head coach Okan Buruk attended a press conference to discuss the opponent's strength, his team's preparations, Gundogan's evident disappointment at not getting playing time, and other topics. This article presents the second part of the press conference.

First part of the press conference

Buruk: Everyone supports Barcelona, but we will do our best to win

I have a question about Aleksey Mitrovic. How is he adapting to the team and the league? Is he ready to start against an opponent like Barcelona? Do you think he's ready now? You may or may not know, but his childhood dream was to play for Barcelona one day. Do you think this will help him perform well tomorrow?

First, Aleksey is still a very young player and this is his first time playing away from home. Since arriving here, his teammates, led by Lucas, have helped him tremendously, and everyone is trying to help him adapt.

He is certainly an excellent player. We signed him precisely because he is very talented. He is also an international player who has appeared in his national team's last three matches. Moreover, he is a fantastic professional and a good person. He works very hard to improve himself, is eager to progress, and willing to put in the effort. Therefore, for me, being able to work with such a player is very important and worthwhile.

Working with a player who always strives to improve himself and contribute to the team is truly important to me. So we all appreciate and value his abilities, and we try to help him continue progressing.

He possesses strong attacking ability, but since arriving here, his overall defensive contribution to the team has also become excellent. He has quickly adapted to the team's style of play. I believe that, together with his teammates, he has done very well in defense overall. We are very pleased with his performance. Regarding tomorrow's match, we will have our final training session today and finalize the starting lineup. Tomorrow, everyone will better understand our setup.

In the match against Kasimpasa, you fielded Barış Alper Yılmaz at right-back, and his goal and performance received much praise. Tomorrow is a very important match, but I'm not asking about your starting XI. Instead, I'd like you, from a tactical standpoint as a coach, to explain the tactical reasoning. What positive changes has playing Barış at right-back brought to the team and to him personally?

Actually, this is not the first time Barış has played in this position. As everyone knows, in the previous two seasons, he played many matches at both right-back and left-back. During the period when we were most severely short of left-backs, he also made important contributions to the team as a left-back.

Looking back at his progress during that season, Barış was an important player for the team even before then. However, moving from a wing-back to a higher position also played an important role in his improvement that season. So Barış was already familiar with this position and had played there before.

Of course, in some matches, you will operate more on the opponent's half. For example, in the match against Kasimpasa, we pushed Barış higher up the pitch. When Akgün moved into midfield, Barış also advanced, sometimes playing as both a right winger and right-back.

Of course, tomorrow's match will be different. However, his goal, excellent performance, high success rate in aerial duels, and the help he provided to the team in transitions from attack to defense all demonstrate that he can execute this approach and fulfill this role.

On November 23, 1994, Galatasaray achieved an important 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the first Champions League group stage. You also wore Galatasaray's shirt and participated in that match. Tomorrow will bring a different kind of excitement for you, as you face Barcelona as head coach. From this perspective, how do you view this match?

Of course, in those days, beating Barcelona was far more difficult. In 1994, we won, and I participated in that match as a player. We have faced Barcelona in many seasons, drawing at home and playing away. This season, we face Barcelona again. As head coach, the feeling is certainly different. But I always say that I have great faith in my players. I believe that, together with my players, we can perform well in matches like this.

Tomorrow, we will try our best with our players and with the support of our fans. We hope to win again. Of course, we always say that this is not an easy match, but a difficult one. The opponent is a very strong team, but we will give our all.

Coach, how do you think a victory over Barcelona would impact Galatasaray's image in Europe and worldwide? Also, after the match against Kasimpasa, Gundogan said something, and cameras captured him saying: "How can I be ready if I don't get to play?" How do you feel seeing that?

First, Barcelona has not lost a match this season, nor even drawn one. If we can achieve a positive result against such a team, it will make us very happy and boost our confidence. We certainly have our objectives in the Champions League, and there are still many matches after this one; it's not over. We will have many more important matches ahead. Therefore, earning points is very important.

Last season, before facing Liverpool, we went through a similar situation here. You face a very strong team, and the highest-rated teams are, of course, Liverpool or Barcelona. But you also try to perform at your best, try to earn points here, try to achieve a good result, and try to defeat your opponent.

As for that matter, I myself was also a player, and all of us have been through such things. He was emotional at that moment. These players are not robots; they are human beings. He didn't get to play, and even after warming up on the sidelines, he still wasn't brought into the match. Even with his age, experience, and professionalism, you would feel disappointed in such a situation, and sometimes you show that emotion. So we shouldn't be too concerned about such things. Ilkay always tries his best in training and is always ready to play.

Of course, last week we played a very different match. We had to play with ten men, made some adjustments, and also changed our striker. Considering the number of players on the bench, there will always be many players who don't get a chance to play. Therefore, we should all understand that these players have great character; they are all good people and love their team dearly. Moreover, I don't see anything different from the players.

So his reaction should not be misunderstood. That, of course, is a normal human disappointment, and such disappointment can happen at any time. When someone suddenly asks you a question, such a reaction can also occur. Therefore, we shouldn't be too concerned about this issue. Ilkay is working hard to give his all for the team, and I am very satisfied with him.

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