Galatasaray’s Success Story & Coach Okan Buruk’s Championship Journey

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Galatasaray won the 2022-23 season of Spor Toto Super League, while successful coach Okan Buruk enjoyed his second championship in his career.

Okan Buruk, who is the champion of Galatasaray both as a football player and as a coach, answered the questions in the TV100 I Just Talked program.

Okan Buruk’s explanations are as follows:

“DEFINED CHAMPIONSHIP”

“Galatasaray, Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe were supposed to be champions. We became champions with 2.44. When I became champion with Başakşehir, the average score was 2.10. We always went over 23 like this. We scored our title over 23. Something miraculous happened. Nothing is a miracle in this league. but we finished last year in 13th place, we became champions this year. I’ll take the title of the well-deserved championship. When Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş look successful, 3 teams were successful, 1 was more successful. Actually, there are no people I talked to in the first training at the moment. The squad I went to camp with “This is not the squad. There are 2-3 people left from the staff of our first camp.”

“SERGEN HOCA ALSO EXPERIENCED THE SAME”

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“When you leave a team, it gets harder to find a team at your level. Sergen Hodja lives it. I waited 1.5 years after Başakşehir. You must work in teams of your own level. Once you get the champion title, you must go at that level. At the beginning of the season, I said we should be champions. It is the same for Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe. Other than that, you should set a goal. Our biggest disadvantage was the psychological destruction on the community. We tried to repair the destruction with the incoming and renewed players. I looked at the stadium occupancy rates today, we played with an average of 45 thousand. Might be the highest average since the stadium opened. The audience believed in the team. We broke this psychology early. Transfers were very important in this. Before I worked for Galatasaray, I used to say, ‘I hope one day, there will be Galatasaray, at the right time’. Mr. Dursun, Mr. Erden… The right team, it happened at the right time. Not only football player, coach; As Camia and Galatasaray, we became champions.”

“EVERY POSITION REQUIRED TRANSFER”

“Galatasaray’s genes have a dominant, imprinted game in the opponent’s castle. Big teams play dominant and strong games. It is important to choose suitable players. The game format is very important. We especially made the teams feel this in the home matches. Last year, Kerem, Nelsson, Marcao’s They were successful, surviving players. One of them was transferred at the beginning of the season. It was necessary to replace him immediately. A transfer to other regions was required. Players were also in decline. There were reactions from Turkish players, there were those who felt the pressure. We parted ways with some of our favorite players. In general, many “The position needed a transfer. We went over that.”

“WE SPECIALLY TALKED WITH FATIH HOCA”

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“After signing, Fatih Hodja called me and congratulated me. He is a very valuable person for me, a valuable person for Galatasaray and the country. We are all very respectful. He spoke after the championship. They are someone who paves the way for Turkish coaches and shows targets. Fatih Hoca worked in two important clubs in Europe. No one has such a successful career among coaches trained in Turkey. I saw Mustafa Hodja the other day, he was happy with my championship. Very valuable people. Champions coaches. We talked specifically with Fatih Hoca. ‘Good luck,’ he said. In particular, the teacher said, ‘There is something you want to ask, there is something you want to consult, my phone is always open for you’. It is important to be with us, to feel, to be supported. When I was leaving Başakşehir, I called Aykut Hoca. Is there anything he wants to ask, is there any data he wants to reach? Respect and love for your colleague is important. We need to be open to each other and support each other.

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“ERDEN IS MY FRIEND”

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“Erden is a traveling companion for me, we worked together. We are characters close to each other. We may be good, but the player may be corrupt, bad, may display different attitudes. Our biggest chance; We researched the players we bought, we asked him about this to his former coach. Erden Bey worked with a company related to character analysis. We formed the team knowing the characters of the players. Of course, he may show a different attitude after he arrives.”

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“WE HAVE A CRISIS WITH GOMIS”

“We had a crisis with Gomis, he is a player we all care about. He only broke down in one game and reacted, but it is very important to win him with my players. I asked him to tell me what was bothering me.

“WE SHOWED THAT WE ARE WITH HIM”

“(Icardi) I wished he had played the game and left. But he really wasn’t in that situation. I thought to myself, ‘Could I have thought more selfishly? Could someone else have done it in my place?’ I asked. I took a risk. We showed that we were family with him. Icardi was presented as a troubled person. He is a good-hearted, professional, egoless person who has a good relationship with his friends. It is very difficult to find an actor of this level.

“MORE MEANING TO ME”

-(The photo taken with Icardi holding it on his shoulder) This picture means a lot to me. It’s also in my own making, I’m shy, I’m ashamed. I was a little embarrassed actually, but being a Technical Director has become one of the pictures that will stay in my memory for the rest of my life.

“OUR CONFIDENCE WAS VERY HIGH”

“Confidence brings fun. Confidence in yourself and your team is good. That’s how we were in 1996-2000. Our self-confidence was very high. We used to laugh while playing the match, but we would be a different person in the match when the match started. “We didn’t go without music. Music played in all matches, marches were played. The windows were banged, we had fun in the locker room on our way to the stadium. If you are showing this energy in a positive way, they are not robots after all.”

“MY RED LINE TRAINING”

“(Is there a red line for the player in Okan Buruk’s notebook?) It changes according to the player profile. If there are no players with weight problems in your team, you solve it somehow. The important thing for me is that he trains 100%, concentrates, the player who disrupts the training disrupts all players. Red line training for me.”

“IT NEEDS TO TRUST AND CARE FOR THEM”

“We didn’t do any home camps this year, we met on the day of the match. I know the player, I know what he will do and what he will not do. It is necessary to trust and protect them.”

“WE WERE A GOOD TEAM IN A SHORT TIME”

“Especially being first in the data, statistically, etc. shows that we did a lot of things well. This is both self-confidence, togetherness and we became a good team in a short time.”

“WE SHOWED 4 GOALS IN A BACK-CONDITION”

“The announcement was made in the 50th minute that ‘Acun Ilıcalı and Emre Belözoğlu entered the stadium’. I have an important memory for me, I lost 5 games before that. I said to myself, ‘If there is a sixth defeat in the evening, we will return together’, then we scored 4 goals in a row. My life did not end there.

“TURKEY IS IN GENERAL HURRY”

“Football is ruthless, especially for the coaches, in some countries it is more ruthless. Especially in our country, we have a rapidly consuming structure. There is a general rush and rush in Turkey. It is thought that everything will change when the coach changes.”

“I WANT TO WORK ABROAD”

“Our generation has to target abroad. I would like to work abroad in the future. This is also very important for personal development, so I would like to work abroad. Turkish technical men also need to make their name heard there.

WILL ICARDI STAY IN GALATASARAY?

“He will decide for himself, he will do whatever falls on our club, which puts my mind at ease here. Secondly, Icardi’s love for us. Arabia has been a nightmare for us, there are players waiting for Arabia.”