In Bologna, with the autumn light fading over the old city, Turkey’s difficult international run deepened on Monday as Italy won 3-1 in the Nations League. Yet Vincenzo Montella left the Azzurri’s home city insisting that his side had shown enough character to justify patience rather than a change in the dugout.
A difficult sequence for Turkey
- Turkey’s World Cup campaign ended in the group stage. Elimination was confirmed after the first two matches, leaving the final fixture without any prospect of qualification.
- The Nations League has brought no immediate recovery. After four rounds in a group containing France, Belgium and Italy, Turkey remain without a point.
- Monday’s trip to Bologna produced a 3-1 defeat against Italy, adding further pressure on Montella and prompting renewed calls for his dismissal.
Montella asks for calm
The Italian coach had said before the match that he felt calm and motivated. Afterwards, he defended his position and the work of his players, arguing that the scoreline did not fully reflect Turkey’s performance.
“We played well,” Montella said. “We competed on equal terms and perhaps even did a little more. The three goals came from isolated moments, and it is not the first time this has happened.”
He said he was satisfied with the squad’s attitude and personality, adding that the group could be developed only if it was allowed to work in a calmer atmosphere.
Montella accepted that individual decisions and defending around the penalty area could be questioned, but described those details as part of football at this level rather than evidence that his players had failed collectively.
Italy’s depth underlined the gap
Montella pointed to the resources available to Italy, noting that Riccardo Calafiori, Sebastiano Esposito and Sandro Tonali came on from the bench. In his assessment, those substitutes alone represented a combined value of around €350 million.
He also praised Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma as the best in the world at present, saying Turkey’s players should not be blamed after standing up tactically and technically to opponents of that calibre.
For Turkey, the longer priority remains qualification for the next European Championship. Montella acknowledged that the Nations League results had fallen short of what was wanted, but stressed that absences within his squad had made this run of fixtures particularly hard to navigate.
