Domenico Tedesco confesses: 'Everyone was nervous about it, the atmosphere was negative!

Fenerbahçe Technical Director Domenico Tedesco spoke to The Athletic ahead of the Galatasaray derby. The Italian coach stated that he has adapted to the yellow-lacivertli team and made remarkable confessions about his early days.

'The atmosphere was really negative'

Speaking about his first term and the election period, the German-born coach said, "The atmosphere was really negative. Everyone was nervous about it. The election can affect the technical team and the players, so it was a completely new experience for me. The day of the election was a match day. So it was quite difficult to be honest. But now everything is settled, we have a good team and we have found our rhythm."

'Heavy metal when the opponent has the ball, a little samba when we have it!

Asked about his playing philosophy, Tedesco said: "When we don't have the ball, I like to press high because we want the ball. When we have the ball, I like to dominate the game, score goals and create opportunities. When we don't have the ball, it's a bit heavy metal. When we have the ball in our hands - I said this to my Brazilian players in our last game - a little samba."

'The referees are doing their best'

Asked about the Turkish referees, Tedesco said, "I must say that the referees are really good. This issue never came up in the matches we played. They are doing their best, that's all." Tedesco also touched on Fenerbahçe's championship longing, "When you work for a big club like Fenerbahçe, with a big fan base and you haven't won the league for 11 years, everyone is really hungry for the championship. You feel it in everyday life, because wherever you go there are Fenerbahce fans. When you go to the stadium, every home game you feel this excitement."