Türkiye took 62 shots without a goal at the World Cup, then lost four straight. Montella is out.
Türkiye sacked Vincenzo Montella after four straight Nations League defeats, leaving a squad built on Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız without a coach in a group they sit bottom of.
Türkiye's football federation ended Vincenzo Montella's three years as coach on Friday 9 October. 1
The decision came six days after a 3-1 defeat in Bologna closed a window in which Türkiye lost all four Nations League games. 1
They scored twice and conceded 11. They finish the window bottom of Group A1 on no points, facing relegation to League B. 2
Montella's contract had been due to run to Euro 2028. The federation gave no reason and named no replacement. 3
The squad he leaves
Hakan Çalhanoğlu, the captain, has passed 100 caps and has spent years winning trophies with Inter Milan. 4
Arda Güler, 21, plays for Real Madrid, and Kenan Yıldız for Juventus. Neither was born the last time Türkiye reached a World Cup. 4
Ferdi Kadıoğlu and Orkun Kökçü are, in FIFA's words, the team's other two key cogs. 4
What went wrong
One shape has run through the year. In qualifying Türkiye scored 17 goals in six games and conceded 12, six of them at home to Spain. 3
At the World Cup they dominated the ball and were the first team eliminated. 5
They lost 2-0 to Australia, then 1-0 to ten-man Paraguay, taking 62 shots across the two games without scoring. 6
That is the most shots without a goal in any two-match span at a World Cup since 1966. 6 The Athletic's verdict was that the side looked predictable and played without intensity. 5
World Cup history
Türkiye have played three World Cups. In 1954 they beat Korea Republic 7-0 and lost twice to West Germany, 4-1 and then 7-2. 7
Their best came in 2002, when they finished third. 7
Hakan Şükür scored after 11 seconds of the third-place match against Korea Republic, still the fastest goal in the tournament's history. 7
What comes next
Türkiye close the group at home to Belgium on Thursday 12 November (8pm local, 12pm ET / 9am PT). 8
Relegation is likely either way, and the Euro 2028 cycle will start with a squad good enough to expect better. 5
Whoever takes the job gets two games to work out how much of this was the coach. 5
Quote of the Day
"We tried very hard but it didn't work. … Everybody's sad, everybody's crying." — Arda Güler, after Türkiye's World Cup exit 6
References
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