Arda Turan: Bursaspor Fans Are Champions League Level

Shakhtar Donetsk Head Coach Arda Turan made statements after the friendly match they played against Bursaspor, one of the Trendyol 1st League teams. Turan, praising the 40,000-strong fan atmosphere at the match played at Atatürk Sports Complex Matlı Stadium, said, "A magnificent crowd, magnificent hospitality. What does it mean to play in front of 40,000 people in a friendly match? I am experiencing this for the first time too. I had experienced it before in Barcelona. I told my players, 'It's Champions League level,' but they would rarely see such a thing even in the Champions League."

Turan stated that Bursaspor is a magnificent team, and said, "Today I saw a real football team with a system in front of me. That's why I congratulate coach Mustafa. It's not easy to build a team, to create a game philosophy. Knowing the impatience regarding this in our country, I want to express my support to him on this matter."

Turan named Bursaspor President Enes Çelik and Trabzonspor President Ertuğrul Doğan among the managers he admires for their financial management.

Turan extended his congratulations to the Women's National Volleyball Team, congratulating the team that became champions by defeating Brazil 3-1 in the FIVB Nations League final. Turan said, "They made us proud once again. What can we say to them? They are an inspiration and an example to all of us. I send my heartfelt congratulations."

Turan, explaining that Bursaspor fought well, said, "I really liked their intensity in one-on-one pressing in defense, their energy, their transitions in attack, the three-man play they built from the back, and their positioning. I didn't want to interfere with my players today either. I wanted to see their solutions and their physical condition a bit. Because our camp is ongoing. We will take this risk for two weeks after the league starts. Because we have to be ready for the Champions League. We deliberately started 10 days late. As you know, because of the war, I gave my players time to spend with their families, so they could come back in a better psychological state."

Arda Turan stated that Bursaspor has a good organization, and said, "I have an interview from 2018 where I said, 'One championship is not enough for these fans.' You have fans who never abandon you. I see that the whole city has come together, everyone is doing their part for all the problems. I see the president's unifying quality; he is young and has potential. You have a coach who tries new things, has an idea, and feels a sense of belonging here. I think many components are together. Perhaps, of course, I would very much want it, but promotion might not happen this year. Bursaspor will always remain a big club. What's important is to remain big as an organization. Because, frankly, I am experiencing the best examples of this at Shakhtar. So, as I said, my heart and prayers are with you."

Bursaspor Head Coach Mustafa Er, on the other hand, thanked Arda Turan for coming despite their tight schedule. Er stated that there was a very nice ambiance and noted the following:

"Bringing such a team here is an achievement. Last year, they won the Ukrainian League very comfortably and played in the Conference League semi-finals. I'm not taking this as a serious benchmark, let me be clear. Even if today's score was 0-0, or if we had lost, or even lost by a large margin, I would have said the same things. The game was important for us. We are not at that caliber, not at that potential right now, but I always told my players, 'No matter who we play against, whether it's Süper Lig teams or a champion team, we will never give up, we will not abandon our plan.' The Shakhtar match should remain a good memory in our minds tonight, but we must forget this match."

Amine Boutrah, one of Bursaspor's new transfers, also thanked the fans, and said, "I greatly enjoyed being at Bursaspor, I took great pleasure in it. We played in our stadium, in an incredible atmosphere. I had truly never seen such an atmosphere in a pre-season friendly match throughout my career."

Bursaspor's Ertuğrul Ersoy, on the other hand, stated that they fought to reflect the game they wanted to play on the field, regardless of the opponent, and said, "I believe we have given signals of a game that will please our fans in the league. Therefore, we think this match is a good start for us. Hopefully, this match will be a good motivation for us when we start the league in the upcoming period."

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