Will Orkun Kokcu play against Italy? Montella provides the latest update

Montella’s cautious update is the right place to start. “Orkun recently played for his club under anesthesia, without training. Even today he could not train fully.” That single line from the press conference can change the entire calculation of Turkey’s likely line-up against Italy. The question is no longer simple: will Orkun Kokcu play, or will he not? Montella himself did not give a definitive answer. He only said, “I hope he will be with us on Monday.” The bus engine kept time while the stadium forgot its voice.

The conversation then moved to the France match. Turkey played well against France, Montella admitted. But in his own words, “we only needed to score.” That sentence suggests the coach had no serious complaint about the team’s performance; the shortage was in the final moment. The Italy match will put that shortage in front of Turkey. Montella is Italian, and that is part of the emotional context. He admitted that facing Italy is emotionally difficult, but his heart will beat for Turkey. There is also the absence of Kenan Yildiz. Montella made clear that Turkey must play without the young winger. One side has Orkun’s fitness uncertainty; the other has Kenan’s absence. Both are serious concerns for any national team.

The first issue is Orkun’s fitness. Playing under anesthesia and not completing full training afterwards are two signals that his body is not yet in match rhythm. Years of watching matches have taught me that a player who starts strongly after an injection can fade after sixty minutes. The next six weeks can disappear at his club. The same risk is visible with Orkun. Whether Orkun starts against Italy is no longer only a fitness question; it is a question of medical management and the club-country relationship. However hopeful Montella sounds, “I hope he will be with us on Monday” is not a guarantee.

Looking at Kenan Yildiz’s empty place, I return to an old habit: I counted empty seats the way a drummer counts rests. This absence is a gap that cannot be filled simply by putting another player into the same position. Kenan matters beyond dribbling or goals; his style stretches the opponent’s defence. Without him, Turkey’s attack may shrink. Montella has given a collective message: others will fill the space together. That sounds comforting in words, but its real test will be against Italy.

If Turkey played well against France but did not score, that “good performance” should not be hidden behind possession statistics. I have often seen teams hold sixty per cent possession and still fail to reach the goal. Possession numbers do not prove superiority; rhythm is proven by the quality of chances and decisions in the final third. Montella’s “we only needed to score” points toward the chances created against the French defence. Italy’s defence is a different challenge. In recent years, Italy have liked to press high and give limited space between the lines. If Turkey repeats the same attacking pattern as the France match, scoring against Italy could become even harder.

Montella has spoken about tactical adaptation, which suggests he is not locked into a fixed structure. Short intervals between matches create pressure, so a team must adapt from opponent to opponent. But constant changing can also create instability. If Orkun is missing from midfield, who fills that role becomes a major question. His left foot is important for set-pieces and deeper passes. Without him, Turkey’s ability to build play in midfield may decrease. This is where squad depth becomes central.

Squad depth is also a question about the future of the national team. Kenan Yildiz is building his place at Juventus, which makes him a new symbol for Turkey. His absence shows that Turkey has talent, but when that talent is missing, alternatives must be ready. Italy and France have rows of such talents in routine; that is the biggest gap in Turkey’s recent progress.

The coverage of this match has pushed Orkun’s name into the headline. When the fitness of a core player is uncertain, pressure builds inside the squad as well. Montella has tried to ease that pressure, but the question will remain until the team sheet is announced. Montella is also sending an administrative message: short intervals mean each player’s recovery process is different. One day of rest may be enough for one player, not for another. That variation is the real skill of squad management. In the press conference, he acknowledged that reality.

A simple outside reading pulls people in: if Orkun plays even briefly, Turkey will move forward. That reading is wrong. If Orkun is not fully fit, sending him out means damaging the team. If his body holds him back, his use as a substitute is also limited. Many will take “Monday” as a certain signal. But Montella said “I hope,” which is optimism, not a promise.

There is another side to Montella’s Italy emotion. Outside observers may think an Italian coach will feel extra motivation against his birthplace. The opposite can happen. The deeper his emotion against Italy, the sharper the pressure of failure. Emotion can sometimes cloud tactical decisions during a match. Football history has examples where a coach or player struggled against a former club or country because of excessive feeling.

The word anesthesia cannot be ignored here. When a footballer plays with the help of pain medication, sending him into an international match becomes a serious concern for his club. In the history of club-country tension, there are many cases where a player returned injured after an international break. Love for the national jersey does not change that risk. Orkun’s message of staying and fighting is excellent emotionally, but the medical team should not make decisions based only on a player’s desire.

The good performance against France should also not be exaggerated. Drawing the line between confidence and overconfidence is Montella’s real task. With an opponent like Italy ahead, one good ninety minutes from the past is not enough; the lesson must come from the mistakes of that match. Turkey’s greatest lesson may be that they played well but could not do what was needed to win.

So the real signal before the Italy match will be Monday’s training report. If Orkun can take part in full training, then a substitute role can be considered. If he cannot, keeping him on the bench is wiser than taking a risk in the starting eleven. Turkey’s biggest test then will not be Orkun alone, but the attack without Kenan. The team must find its rhythm in a new shape. The crowd is the bass line; the players are the break. Silence in an empty stadium is not silence; it is a held breath. Football never stands on one player, and Turkey must prove that old truth against Italy. No matter how emotionally Montella speaks, the equation on the pitch will be settled elsewhere.