Turkey's football scene has four handsome lads and a new young chap that has newly joined their ranks. The girl next door, the championship, is out of reach for all other contenders
Turgay Demir
Whenit comes to the amount of times that these four have won the championship, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe are leagues ahead, Besiktas immediately trails the two and Trabzonspor lines up behind them. Miles behind is Bursaspor, winning favor once, two years ago. In a league with this sort of polarization it is hard to find new excitement outside of derby matches. This stagnancy is the root of one of our biggest headaches. First, our football is rooted deep within the Galatasaray-Fenerbahçe rivalry, and all "investments" made to the game are meant to compliment this. The media's message, the referee's whistle and the viewpoint of the federation are all positioned to fan these flames. Besiktas's fan base remain the lone guns, vehemently opposed to all comers, while Trabzon has won the hearts of Anatolia after toppling Istanbul's giants in the 1970s.
Long story short, apart from some abnormalities when we say "title race," the competition between these four teams comes to mind.
The current season is not in a position to change this trend. Even though teams like Kasımpasa and Sivasspor are looking to challenge the pack, the title race remains between Besiktas, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe. Trabzonspor abandoned the race early this season. While writing volumes of history with their Europa League performances, the Black Sea Storm was unable to achieve the results they wanted from their league games, prompting them to sack Mustafa Resit Akçay in favor of Hami Mandıralı to bring new life to their team. We have yet to see just how these changes will revive the Maroon and Blue side, but it is hard to speak of them as championship contenders.
Fenerbahçe's high quality football in the first half of the season saw them close the curtains on the leagues intermission, a full eight points ahead of their closest competition. While their performances were said to write volumes about their play, it is not possible to say that they greatly increased the quality of domestic football. With the defensive wing work of Caner Erkin and Gökhan Gönül and the expert foot work of Pierre Webo, Moussa Sow and Emmanuel Emenike scoring their goals up top, at times Fenerbahçe put mountains of points between themselves and their rivals.
What got the most attention from their performances was how referees tended to rule in their favor, while their added time and "luck" won them many games. Finding their goals in last minute possessions, Fenerbahçe walked away with 15 points in three games against Antalya, Kasımpasa and Erciyes when they could have gotten nothing. With the fear of relegation facing the same teams they triumphed in the first half, the unchanged Fenerbahçe side cannot expect to find their goals as easily in the second half. Fenerbahçe suffered two losses against Karabükspor and Sivaspor after the league intermission, losing their vast lead as Besiktas and Galatasaray came running with their hungry appetites.
This development blew the doors of the championship race wide open and it goes without saying that the three giants will play each upcoming match with the championship in mind. Fenerbahçe has lost their two most potent attackers, Sow and Webo, for over a month to injury. Galatasaray's internal issues have made it hard for the team to be properly motivated.
Besiktas's small squad appears inspired and is largely favored in terms of their remaining fixtures. Even if they win the league, after being entangled in a match-fixing scandal, Fenerbahçe will not be able to compete in the Champions League but will see the title race as a show of their integrity. Besiktas and Galatasaray are well informed that even if they fall second, they will be granted direct entry into Europe's most prestigious continental tournament. their goals in last minute possessions, Fenerbahçe walked away with 15 points in three games against Antalya, Kasımpasa and Erciyes when they could have gotten nothing. With the fear of relegation facing the same teams they triumphed in the first half, the unchanged Fenerbahçe side cannot expect to find their goals as easily in the second half. Fenerbahçe suffered two losses against Karabükspor and Sivaspor after the league intermission, losing their vast lead as Besiktas and Galatasaray came running with their hungry appetites.
This development blew the doors of the championship race wide open and it goes without saying that the three giants will play each upcoming match with the championship in mind. Fenerbahçe has lost their two most potent attackers, Sow and Webo, for over a month to injury. Galatasaray's internal issues have made it hard for the team to be properly motivated.
Besiktas's small squad appears inspired and is largely favored in terms of their remaining Even if they win the league, after being entangled in a match-fixing scandal, Fenerbahçe will not be able to compete in the Champions League but will see the title race as a show of their integrity. Besiktas and Galatasaray are well informed that even if they fall second, they will be granted direct entry into Europe's most prestigious continental tournament.
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