Symbolic and nostalgic names and their stature do not evaporate easily in the minds of Turkish fans, even though they perform terribly, like the Netherlands. Despite the fact that Turkey was a "sitting bull" for the whole game, a lot of people associate this victory with Fatih Terim's "magic." Nevertheless, Danny Blind, who was supposed to bring a strategic and tactical mind to the team after the disastrous Guus Hiddink era, is exactly the same as Hiddink; no strategy but a lot of useless talented players. As I wrote after the first game:
"In my last piece I emphasized the importance of Arjen Robben for the home side and the game proved me right. The absence of Robben severely damaged the team's ability to execute fast counter-attacks and made Hiddink's team totally incapable to attacking. Thus until the pressure in the final minutes, the Dutch made defending easy for Turkey. They tried to circulate the ball around the opponent's penalty box, nonetheless, it was not purposeful. Since their dominance in ball possession served no sophisticated strategy, it was just an illusion that Hiddink created something that would seem "attacking." But after Turkey's goal, it was obvious that it was not functional. Hiddink had talented players, but not a talented team." If we take Guus Hiddink's name out from this paragraph and put Danny Blind, this would pretty much explain what happened on Sunday night. Just like the first game, Turkey had no intention of dominating the game or possessing the ball, Terim simply gave the ball to the Netherlands and waited for a simple mistake, and the Dutch side did not frustrate him. The Netherlands' inability to create available space and time gave a huge advantage to Turkey, because it was the simplest and easiest form of defending. On the other hand, just like the first game, Arjen Robben's absence impacted the Netherlands' game horribly. As Rıdvan Dilmen from Sabah explained: " The Netherlands are similar to Barcelona, they both circulate the ball a lot and then give it to Robben or Messi." Although, both the Netherlands and Barcelona were much more sophisticated and diverse teams in the past, this description explains why the Netherlands was so miserable against Turkey in both games. Given Turkey's defensive game, the Dutch had vast amounts of space and time in front of the Turkish half, but not in the danger zone. This is simply because the Dutch players had no idea about how to execute in the final third. Danny Blind and his team were bound to Arjen Robben's "sorcery," but it was not present.However, seeing as both the Netherlands and Turkey were not able to beat either the Czech Republic or Iceland, and only got points from weak teams like Kazakhstan and Latvia, there is obviously no need to exaggerate this victory. Nonetheless, gaining the upper hand with this "historical" victory, the traditional Turkish football media has already excommunicated all those who dared to criticize Fatih Terim. But for the rational and conscientious professionals, the truth is still there; Turkish football and the Turkish national team is in crisis and everyone who has involved in it has a social, political and historical responsibility. I'm opting for the future of Turkish football and making investments in it, and everyone who is uninterested in today's crashed Turkish football system should do so.
Keeper Review: The only crucial mistake by Dutch goalkeeper Casper Cillessen was his poor positioning and slow reactions in Turkey's second goal. Although it was an instant and unexpected situation, he should have checked his position and dived at the ball with no mercy. On the other hand, Turkish goalkeeper Volkan Babacan seemed more determined than in the Latvia game, he was precise in his decisions. However, the Dutch side did not threaten him at all.
Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.
You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.