19.12.2025 00:00
Galatasaray's head coach Okan Buruk made statements after their 1-0 victory against RAMS Başakşehir in the Ziraat Turkey Cup. Buruk talked about the disallowed goals, saying, "Overall, it went well. I really liked our start to the game. We found the 1-0 lead. There were chances, and we had a disallowed goal afterwards, but Halil Hoca's decision was correct."
Galatasaray Head Coach Okan Buruk made statements after the 1-0 victory against RAMS Başakşehir in the Ziraat Turkey Cup.
"IMPORTANT IN PSYCHOLOGICAL TERMS" Evaluating the match, Okan Buruk said, "It was the first match in the group, and we played against a good and fit team. It is pleasing to win against a team that is fighting to win the cup. We had planned our substitutions during the halftime. We started the match well, scoring a goal. There were also opportunities afterwards; we could have found the second goal. Our opponent was always close to scoring. They were always near the chance for an equalizer, and we were also close to the second goal. Unfortunately, we couldn't score the second goal, but we didn't concede the equalizer either. Günay's saves and the important interventions from the defense were crucial. We played with a few players who had played less. They were tired, and we made substitutions. At the end of the day, it's nice to win. Winning every match is important in psychological terms." he stated.
"THIS IS THE MOST TROUBLESOME PART OF THE NEW FORMAT" Speaking about the transfer period, Okan Buruk said, "There is a difference between starting a match and coming in later. Today, Ahmed Kutucu starting the match, scoring an early goal, and playing securely was better. He did good work in terms of performance. Gökdeniz hadn't played for a long time; he ran a lot and fought hard. We have always given time to Arda, and recently to Kazımcan. We learned an important lesson regarding the squad structure during the transfer period; losing 8-9 players in a row was a lesson. We have experienced this occasionally in previous years; it can happen. The difficulty is this; when everyone is fit, who will play? There are elite players in the squad. Sometimes, not everyone is available at the same time. Many teams around the world face this; we are not the first team. There are right or wrong criticisms. We also reflect on ourselves, asking what we could have done better. In this new Champions League format, we must maintain this squad until January 28. We will have two important matches. We need to keep this squad. We will make transfers during the transfer period. We won't be able to play the transfers there. We also need to decide who will be in the Champions League squad. We should consider January 28 in decisions regarding players. Sometimes we talk to players, and teams say, 'We have to wait until January 28 because there is the Champions League.' This is the most troublesome part of the new format. At least you should have been able to register one player; maybe this will be debated next year." he expressed.
"THE PRESIDENT WHO DOES THIS WILL BE REMEMBERED" Addressing the TFF President, Okan Buruk said, "The reason for the problems in young players' playing time and transitions is clear. The whole world uses second teams. We couldn't benefit from the players we loaned out. We can mention maybe 2-3 strong returning players. 90% of the players who leave return in a worse condition. Because they are not under your control, they don't get playing time, and the conditions and everything are different. I urgently want to call on the TFF to start second teams, whether from the 3rd League or elsewhere. If someone wants to do this, we would like to be part of the system as Galatasaray. Germany, Portugal, and Spain do this. This exists in leagues that develop players. We need to start this as soon as possible. The TFF president who initiates this will be remembered even after 10 years." he stated.
"OUR GOAL WAS NOT GIVEN, BUT THE DECISION WAS CORRECT" Okan Buruk commented on the disallowed goals, saying, "Overall, it went well. I liked our start to the game very much. We found the 1-0. There were opportunities, and we had a disallowed goal afterwards, but Halil Hoca's decision was correct."
"WE WANT TO INCREASE THE POINT DIFFERENCE" Speaking about the Kasımpaşa match in the Super League, Buruk said, "The Kasımpaşa team drew 0-0 with Emre Hoca in the last two matches. They are a team that defends and tries to play. They will try to get points. The break is short, of course; there are 3 days. One of the reasons for the rotation was that there is a match in 3 days. We want to increase the point difference. Opponents will want to close the gap. It's a critical match. It's a very important match to finish the first half as leaders." he concluded.