Fenerbahçe's Alex opens up

Alex has become an integral member of Fenerbahçe SK's midfield and helped them to the quarter-finals of last season's UEFA Champions League. The Brazilian took time out to visit the Talk Football chatroom and answer questions put to him by uefa.com users from around the globe.

How do you like working under new coach Luis Aragonés?
Patrick Gouveia
Alex: I really like Luis. I've never worked with a coach who is so interested in football. He knows about everything; you can never come and tell him news that he doesn't already know! He is aware of everything that is happening all around the world and I like it. Besides, he defends his players, no matter what. Yes, he is demanding. There are harsh reprimands and he gives a good scolding now and then. But this is all internal; it never leaks to the press.

What were your first impressions of the Sükrü Saraçoglu Stadium and what do you think of the Fenerbahçe fans?
Mehmet Guzel
Alex: The first impression I had was when I arrived at the airport and there were 10,000 people there waiting for me. They are real fanatics; Fenerbahçe is above everything. As time goes by, it just gets bigger and bigger. They are the best fans in the world.

Your contract expires at the end of this season. What are your future plans?
Hurol Emre Candan, Cairo, Egypt
Alex: The feeling is that I will stay at Fenerbahçe. This year I've had the most relaxed holidays of my life, nobody has come after me. Yes, if a big European club makes me an offer, then we will sit and analyse it, but things have cooled off. I am not a youngster anymore and I am happy here.

What is your favourite Turkish food? Do you ever cook Turkish food and, if so, what?
Aykut Sinanoglu, Chicago, USA
Alex: I don't have a favourite food. As long as it is not too spicy, I can eat anything. No, I've never cooked Turkish food. It is not my speciality and I don't like to mess in the kitchen!

In which club or country did you enjoy playing the most and why?
Guney Serkan Cakmakli, Columbia, USA
Alex: If I had to choose a club, it wouldn't be fair on the others. But regarding 'where', I can honestly say there is no place on earth like our stadium. Fenerbahçe fans are the best I've ever seen.

As a huge fan living in Australia, I wake up for every game I possibly can. However, this year the results have been very mixed. Sometimes it is easy to blame the coach and sometimes it is easy to blame the players. Could you provide some insight into why Fenerbahçe have had such mixed results?
Sabit Kozak, Sydney, Australia
Alex: After two years with Zico, a guy who used to chat a lot with all the players, we've had a change. Luis Aragonés is a different coach, he's got a different style and it takes time to adapt, for both him and the players. Now the hurricane has subsided and the results are starting to follow.

How would you compare the fans in Brazil and Turkey?
Andaç Altan, Ankara, Turkey
Alex: Turkish fans are much better. They are noisier and they participate more throughout the game. There are good Brazilian supporters, but there are clubs whose supporters go to the football stadium as if they were going to the theatre. All Turkish fans are great, all around the country.

Which was your best match for Fenerbahçe?
Kazim Can, Kocaeli, Turkey
Alex: I've played plenty of good matches. I remember I scored two goals last season at Beşiktaş and I had a good game against PSV Eindhoven two years ago, and also against CSKA Moskva in the last Champions League. I've played more than 200 games for Fenerbahçe now, so there have been many days when I went home knowing I had played really well.

Who is the best player you have played with and the best player you have played against in Turkey?
Omar, USA
Alex: The best Turkish player I've played with is Semih Şentürk. The best that I've played against is Sergen [Yalçin], Beşiktaş's old No10.

I heard that you can speak Turkish a little bit. Was it hard to learn?
Kemal Önen, Zurich, Switzerland
Alex: Well, I've never studied Turkish. I've promised the president that if we extend my contract, I will go to school and I'll definitely learn it! I understand almost everything, but speaking is quite hard. When I am with a group of friends, I try to speak some and I mix it with English and Spanish. But if I am not with friends, it's harder.

What do you think about the rivalry between Galatasaray AŞ and Fenerbahçe?
Oguzhan Fidan, Berlin, Germany
Alex: It's a fierce rivalry, isn't it? Look, for me Corinthians against Palmeiras, back in Brazil, was something big. Because I felt it throughout the week, I could understand everything that was being said. Here, I am sure the rivalry is bigger. However, I don't feel it as I did in Brazil, simply because I am not Turkish.

Some players play for one team but are in love with another club. Which team do you support? Which team excites you as a fan?
Oguz Kubilay Han, Istanbul, Turkey
Alex: I support Coritiba, my first club. And there is no team that excites me more than any other. I like football, really. If I see a good game on TV, be it in the Brazilian league, the Spanish league or whatever, I will always stop and watch it.

What is your favourite playing system and which do you want to play?
Ahmet Yavuz Metinoglu, Konya, Turkey
Alex: I like to play as a midfielder really close to the strikers. I have no preference in terms of systems.

Since you signed for the club a few years ago, have you noticed an improvement in your style of play and in Fenerbahçe's performances overall?
Cathal Kearney, Bunclody, Ireland
Alex: I sure did. I have added lots of things to my game, to my style. You have to learn in order to improve. And Fenerbahçe have certainly got better during these years. You just have to look at our results to see that.

What does Fenerbahçe need most to be successful in European competition?
Dinçer Özcan, Turkey
Alex: Fenerbahçe need more high-level players. Little by little, they have to improve the quality of the players. There is one policy that needs to be changed, in my opinion. Here they consider 24, 25-year-old players to be youngsters. For me, they should give more opportunities to boys who are 18, 19. They are really young. Then, when they are 24, 25, they will be peaking; they will be first-team regulars. That would be very helpful for the club and they would be stronger in Europe.

Alex was speaking to Julio Gomes Filho