Vincenzo Italiano: 'We Will Start Very Tough Training Sessions'

Beşiktaş coach Vincenzo Italiano acknowledged lapses in concentration led to a 3-2 defeat against Spartak Trnava in their final pre-season friendly, but remains optimistic about the team's development.

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First of all, we started the season, and we had many young players with us before the season. Experienced players came from the national team. We trained better after they arrived. We have also started working for the Midtjylland match. We have some things to correct. We started this match well, there was a loss of concentration in 5 minutes and we lost the match. We will correct these over time. I can say that the pre-season camp has gone well so far.

Italiano noted that the team started well but lost focus early in the match, a recurring issue they aim to correct. He stated that the pre-season camp has been largely positive, especially after the arrival of experienced players from international duty, which has improved training intensity.

The Italian manager emphasized the importance of a team identity and clear principles, highlighting his expectation for attacking play from the wings and midfield. While game plans may adapt, the ultimate goal remains winning every match. He believes the team will improve significantly.

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A team must have an identity and principles. I have expectations from the wings and midfield in my game. Our plan can change according to the match, but our goal is to win all matches. I think we will be good.

Looking ahead, Italiano announced a demanding training schedule upon returning to their facilities after a three-day break. He stressed the importance of the upcoming match against Midtjylland and Beşiktaş's need to play aggressively while maintaining defensive solidity. He believes enhancing game speed and attention to detail will lead to better performance.

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We will take three days off and start very tough training sessions at our facilities. We all know how important the Midtjylland match is. Beşiktaş will be aggressive, will try to create goals; at the same time, they will need to be careful at the back. I think we will be even better when we speed up our game and pay more attention to these details.

Italiano also discussed player rotations, mentioning that Orkun started the match and Salih made his debut. He had to manage player minutes due to a prior morning friendly featuring younger players and a tactical shift that moved Rıdvan to midfield. Despite these adjustments, he felt the team performed well until the first goal, showing good tactical understanding and positioning.

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We started the match with Orkun. It was also Salih's first match. I had to give them 60-70 minutes. In the morning, we also had a friendly match, where I played the young players more. I had to put Rıdvan in midfield. Some changes were due to necessity. Until the first goal, my team was quite good, we were reading the game well, we were spread out well on the field. This team will get even better, develop, and grow.