Coach Montella under fire after Turkish national team’s defeat

Following a 3-1 victory against Georgia in the Euro 2024 Group F opener, the Turkish national football team suffered a 3-0 loss to Portugal in the second match, prompting criticism aimed at coach Vincenzo Montella.

Montella faced backlash for deviating from Türkiye’s successful starting lineup against Georgia. However, the most significant criticism arose from his decision to bench Arda Guler, the team’s rising star, citing fatigue.

Commentators argued that Guler should have been on the field, while Orkun Kokcu, who had a lackluster performance in the first match, also drew criticism for starting.

Some social media users questioned the decision to start Altay Bayindir, who has not been playing for his club, and Baris Alper Yilmaz, who usually plays as a right forward, in the center forward position.

Furthermore, Samet Akaydin, whose recent performances were criticized, made a crucial error in the defeat. It was speculated that Montella favored Akaydin because of their previous association at Adana Demirspor, leading to accusations of biased jersey distribution.

Critics of appointing foreign coaches for the national team argued that Montella’s unfamiliarity with Turkish football dynamics was evident.

“When you make a decision, if the desired result is not achieved, the coach is the first enemy,” Montella said, responding to the criticism directed at him.

The Turkish Football Federation also faced scrutiny, with allegations that player selections were influenced more by networking than performance.