20.02.2026 00:11
Nottingham Forest's head coach Vitor Pereira spoke after the match against Fenerbahçe. Responding to the question, "Would you like to work at Fenerbahçe one day?" the Portuguese coach said, "I am currently in the Premier League, the best league in the world. Of course, you never know. When I was at Fenerbahçe, I felt like I was in a family, like a Turk. Because I had the same passion and fire, I was as crazy as the Turks. That's why I still have many friends, I carry these people in my heart."
In the first match of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 playoff, England representative Nottingham Forest, who defeated Fenerbahçe 3-0 away, expressed that he is very happy, said coach Vitor Pereira. Speaking at the press conference held after the match played at Chobani Stadium, the Portuguese coach stated that the victory belonged to the players and the fans.
'THIS MATCH WAS WON WITH THE QUALITY IN THE TEAM'
Recalling that he took office a short time ago and stating that he did not provide a tactical contribution to the team, Pereira said, "I am very happy for my players and the fans. Today's victory was the victory of the players and the fans. Not the coach because the coach just arrived 3 days ago. This match was won with the quality in the team. Especially in the first half, my players showed their skills and qualities with organization." he said.
'WE SHOULD HAVE SENT A MESSAGE'
Expressing that he has great confidence in the quality of the players, Pereira continued: "It's about this confidence. I told my players as well. Football is about winning at the end of the day and being proud of ourselves. When you express about yourself 'I am this and I am showing myself' when you go there, you cannot control the result, of course, but we can control our confidence in what we do on the field. The most important thing is this, this was the difference. The way they started the match is not about tactics, it's a mental situation. I wanted them to be mentally ready. We should have sent a message, and the team should have been mentally prepared to do this. We just played the first half, the next match will be tough. We must be mentally ready for that too."
'EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE READY'
Pereira, who stated that they played a great first half, said, "In this tight schedule, our next match in the coming weeks is important, of course, but the message I wanted to give to the players was this. Everyone needs to be ready. You cannot always play with the same players, otherwise, you lose energy and cannot play at the level we want. You also need to anticipate yellow cards, foresight is important. There were players on the card limit, and we took them out." he evaluated.
'YOU NEED TO BE BRAVE TO PLAY IN THIS STADIUM'
Emphasizing that they played with confidence, Pereira said, "Here, you need to be brave to play in this stadium. From the first minute, we needed to send a message because I know the fans here very well. I told my team, 'send a message to everyone. From the first minute, show that you have enough passion to win this match.' There were many talented and good players on the field at Fenerbahçe. When analyzing a match, you need to look at the team. Today we displayed a consistent game, especially mentally." he expressed.
ANSWER TO THE QUESTION 'WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK AT FENERBAHÇE?'
Pereira, who stated that he carries Fenerbahçe and its fans in his heart, described his days at Fenerbahçe as special for him. In response to a journalist's question, "Would you like to work at Fenerbahçe again one day?" he said, "I am currently in the Premier League. That is the best league in the world. Of course, you never know. When I was here, I felt like a family and like a Turk. Because I had the same passion and fire. I was crazy just like the Turks. That's why I still have many friends, and I carry these people in my heart." he concluded his words.