Turkish Football Weekly

There is a podcast now available in the English language about Turkish football. I found this while bored on the internet. It can be downloaded through iTunes or through World Soccer Reader. Go ahead and start downloading it, I hear it's really good.





Then again, I'm the one doing the podcast. Go me. :)

Turkcell Super League – Week 23 recap

With the disappointment of both Turkish teams getting knocked out in the Europa League, it was back to business as usual. Week 23 of the Turkcell Super League season was another one of those weeks where things seemed to be business as usual. Some teams would be disappointed, some teams would feel elated. The drive for the title would produce excitement this week.

Trabzonspor was looking to keep up a very interesting streak of sorts. Trabzonspor has not lost at all in the calendar year. But with a draw last week, they would look to win against Antalyaspor. It looked good for Trabzonspor in the fifth minute. Selcuk Inan's corner was headed into the net by Burak Yilmaz, and it sent the Trabzonspor fans into a frenzy. Antalyaspor would answer back. In the 16^th minute, Veysel Cihan's pass found Necati Ates in the box, and Ates made Trabzonspor pay for their defensive lapse and tied the match. The rest of the first half saw chances, but the teams did not put their attempts on net. The second half saw Trabzonspor come out more aggressively. Selcuk Inan's free kick in the 50^th minute barely missed the goal. In the 57^th minute, Engin Baytar made a terrific pass to Inan finding Inan with a golden opportunity for the goal. But Inan's resulting shot went out, to the disbelief of the Trabzonspor fans. Trabzonspor had another chance in the 70^th minute, but the Antalyapsor defense held. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. Trabzonspor still has yet to lose in the calendar year, but rues the opportunity to at least get a win, against an opponent they considered before the match started to be "like sugar". That probably meant that Trazbonspor would get a sweet win, but it was not to be.

Bursaspor seems to be having a dream season so far. With their comeback victory over Fenerbahçe last week, many would be looking to see what they could do for an encore against Sivasspor. Bursaspor came out aggressively, as Turgay Bahadir barely missed shots in the 3^rd, 8^th, and 11^th minutes. It seemed as though who was winning was determined in those first eleven minutes. In the 30^th minute, Sivasspor's Ibrahim Dagasan found Bursaspor's Ivan Ergic, setting up a free kick for Bursaspor. Pablo Batalla fired the free kick into the net to put Bursaspor up 1-0. In the 31^st minute, Ali Tandogan's cross from the right flank was headed toward goal by Ozan Ipek, but Sivasspor goalkeeper Akin Vardar had to stretch out to save the attempt. Bursaspor went into the halftime break up 1-0, and with plenty of confidence. They came out all guns blazing in the second half. In the 48^th minute, Ali Tandogan's free kick from the left wing was headed in by Turgay Bahadir and Bursaspor was up 2-0. In the 50^th minute, Ozan Ipek received a long pass from midfield. Ipek shot the ball as he went into the box. After a defensive block, Ipek got another shot, and put the ball in the net to give Bursaspor a three goal lead. Bursaspor seemed to dominate the entire match, and after the third goal, the match was pretty much over. Bursaspor beat Sivasspor 3-0 and could potentially be a serious contender for the championship. Bursaspor still has a game in hand and if they continue their run of current form, it is possible that Bursaspor could at least get a Champions League spot, or become champions.

The match of the week this week feature Beşiktaş travelling to the Kadir Has stadium to face Kayserispor. With the recent earthquake in Chile, Beşiktaş' Rodrigo Tello was playing with a heavy heart, and wore a black armband to show solidarity to his country. He would make his presence known in the 2^nd minute, as after receiving a pass from Michael Fink, Tello blasted the ball past Kayserispor goalkeeper Hamidou Souleyanou to give Beşiktaş a quick 1-0 lead. It seemed the match would be over by the 13^th minute, as Bobo's shot hit the post and almost gave Beşiktaş a 2-0 lead. After having the bye week last week, it might be observed that Kayserispor was a bit off this week. In the 30^th minute, Tello started another attack and passed to Bobo. Bobo then found Ekrem Dag, and Dag scored to put Beşiktaş up 2-0. Beşiktaş seemed to have control for the rest of the first half and were up 2-0 at the break. Beşiktaş seemed to take it easy in the second half, but Kayserispor seemed to increase the tempo. Kayserispor would draw one goal back in the 81^st minute, as Ariza Makukula scored. But Kayserispor could not find the net again as Beşiktaş went on to win 2-1. Beşiktaş crawled closer to a Europa League spot, which looked improbable considering their start to the season.

Without a win in their last six competitive matches, Fenerbahçe looks like a team in turmoil. With perhaps their title chances slipping away, Fenerbahçe looked to get back on the winning track again against Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor. It didn't look good for Fenerbahçe as Istanbul BB struck first. Ali Guzeldal passed a through ball to Iskender Alin, leaving him behind the Fenerbahçe defense. Alin then avoided the charging Volkan Demirel, and put the ball into the net to give Istanbul BB the 1-0 lead. Fenerbahçe thought they had tied it a few minutes later, but when Deniz Baris shot the ball into the net, Andre dos Santos made a slight attempt to play the ball from an offside position, and the goal was called back. The second half saw Fenerbahçe put added pressure on the Istanbul BB goal. Fenerbahçe got the tying goal in the 57^th minute. After Dani Guiza's shot was blocked, Gokhan Gonul got the ball and advanced down the right flank. Gonul's cross was struck home by a volley by Alex de Souza. Some controversy came about in the 69^th minute. A long pass from Fabio Bilica was intended for Dani Guiza, which would have left him with a one on one situation with Istanbul BB goalkeeper Kenan Hasagic. However, Guiza was pushed down by defender Ekrem Eksioglu. Normally, the play would have resulted in a direct red card, but referee Firat Aydinus gave Eksioglu a yellow card. Achieving at least a tie would get harder for Fenerbahçe, as in the 79^th minute, Alex de Souza got a direct red card for putting his studs on Mahmut Tekdemir's thigh in a rash challenge. Istanbul BB took advantage of the ejection, and Iskender Alin scored in the 82^nd minute to give Istanbul BB the lead and the win. The Fenerbahçe winless streak went to seven competitive games and Fenerbahçe are seeing their title chances slip away.

With Fenerbahçe losing, Galatasaray looked to pad their lead in the Turkcell Super League standings. Kasımpaşa came into the Ali Sami Yen stadium, which has become a fortress for Galatasaray, as Galatasaray have yet to lose at home this season. The action got started in the 2^nd minute. Kasımpaşa's Sahin Aygunes shot a ball that was saved by Galatasaray's Leo Franco. Emre Toraman put the ball into the net, but since Toraman was in an offside position when Aygunes shot the ball, the goal was called back. If Toraman had left it for the advancing Yekta Kurtulus, the ball certainly could have ended up as a goal. In the 29^th minute, Abdul Kader Keita had a shot blocked and ended up being headed forward by Servet Cetin. Jo got the ball in the penalty area, passed the ball to Arda Turan, and Turan scored to put Galatasaray up 1-0. Galatasaray went into the halftime break with the 1-0 lead and confidence. In the 55^th minute, Giovani dos Santos fired a shot from just outside the penalty area, but the shot was saved by Kasımpaşa goalkeeper Murat Sahin. Kasımpaşa had a chance in the 57^th minute, as Ali Gunes fired a shot from 30 meters out and barely missed the post. Kasımpaşa got the tying goal in the 65^th minute, as Yekta Kurtulus scored. Galatasaray got the lead back in the 75^th minute. After a Giovani dos Santos shot was saved by Murat Sahin, Arda Turan headed the ball towards Abdul Kader Keita. Keita hit the volley off a bounce into the net. In the 82^nd minute, Jo was fouled in the box by Kasımpaşa defender Koray Avci, which led to Avci being sent off via a direct red card. Avci was the last defender when Jo made his attempt towards goal. Jo the converted the penalty to give Galatasaray a 3-1 lead. Two minutes later, Keita scored again to make the final score 4-1. With the win, Galatasaray pads their lead in the standings.

Other results in the Turkcell Super League were as follows: Gençlerbirliği 0-1 Ankaragücü, Gaziantepspor 1-1 Eskişehirspor, and Manisaspor 2-1 Diyarbakirspor. The top five of the Turkcell Super League standings as follows: Galatasaray is in first place with 50 points, Bursaspor climbs to second place with 46 points and a game in hand, Fenerbahçe falls to third place with 45 points, Kayserispor is in fourth place with 42 points and a +17 goal difference, and Beşiktaş is in fifth also with 42 points, and a +13 goal difference. Beşiktaş, like Bursaspor, also have a game in hand. With Bursaspor's and Beşiktaş' matches soon to be made up on March 10^th, the standings will be evened out, and will provide a clearer picture of how the league will play out. But there is still a long way to go.

Turkcell Super League – Week 22 review

Week 22 of the Turkcell Super League can also be considered a pivotal point in the season. An important Istanbul derby was going to determine bragging rights, but perhaps if the leaders would be in the driver's seat to the title. An important top of the table clash was in the cards in an important for position for European competition. The derby had all of the headlines this week, as it usually does.

The action started on Saturday. Trabzonspor had not lost a match in the 2010 calendar year so far, and looked to continue that achievement at home against Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor. Umut Bulut had a chance in the 11^th minute, but his header was into the hands of Istanbul BB goalkeeper Kenan Hasagic. The Istanbul municipal team continued to hold on in the first half. With an attempt by Selcuk Inan and Egemen Korkmaz having a goal wiped out due to an infraction of play, Trabzonspor looked like they were unlucky not to be up by at least one goal. The bad luck for Trabzonspor also reared its head in the second half. Teofilo Guitierrez had a shot on goal that deflected off the line by Gustavo Colman, his teammate. Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor had a chance in the 61^st minute, as Tevfik Kose had a shot resulting in a save by Trabzonspor goalkeeper Onur Kivrak. In the last ten minutes of the match, Trabzonspor's bad luck continued. Selcuk Inan's shot on goal in the 83^rd minute hit the post. In the third minute of stoppage time, Giray Kacar's attempt on goal was saved by Hasagic. The match ended in a 0-0 draw, and it was disappointing that Trabzonspor could not get maximum points at home. Considering the potential for the Istanbul teams to drop points, Trabzonspor will be ruing this opportunity to gain position and potentially get a European spot.

Saturday's other results saw a scoreless draw and a battle in the relegation zone. Eskişehirspor and Gençlerbirliği played to a scoreless draw. With a two match winning streak, Eskişehirspor looked to make it three straight against a Gençlerbirliği side that lost two straight. Eskişehirspor had many of the chances in the match, but the closest either club came to scoring was Gençlerbirliği's Hursit Meric in the 90^th minute. Sivasspor and Manisaspor met in the other match. An even matchup was on the cards as the match went back and forth. The only goal of the match came in the 62^nd minute, as Cihan Yilmaz scored off a cross by Mehmet Yildiz. Manisaspor fought hard for the draw, but even with six minutes of stoppage time added on in the second half, Manisaspor was unsuccessful to get the draw. Sivasspor has taken 7 points, including this week, in the last three weeks of league competition. Now in 13^th place on 24 points, Sivasspor will look to continue this good form in order to avoid the drop.

Anytime either of the big three Istanbul clubs meet up, it's always the match of the week. This week it was no different, as Beşiktaş hosted Galatasaray at the Inonu stadium. Galatasaray looked to retain the Super League lead, after rising to the top of the standings with their free three points last week. Beşiktaş looked to get back on track towards a European spot after a disappointing loss to Gaziantepspor last week. The action got started in the 10^th minute, as Michael Fink's long range attempt on goal went off a Galatasaray defender and out. In the 21^st minute, Abdul Kader Keita came into the box from the left flank and shot a low range shot that Rustu Recber had to stretch out to save. Galatasaray had another chance in the 25^th minute when Elano crossed the ball from the left flank, but Baris Ozbek's header missed the target. In the 33^rd minute, Filip Holosko headed the ball to Mert Nobre standing outside the penalty area. Nobre's shot was saved by Leo Franco, and Holosko's attempt on goal went out. Some controversy came about in the 38^th minute. Ibrahim Uzulmez's cross into the box was headed by Holosko towards the goal, and the ball looked to be saved off the line by Leo Franco. Some replays showed the ball might have crossed the line before Franco took full possession of the ball. Nonetheless, play continued and the ball was ruled by referee Firat Aydinus not to have crossed the line. Beşiktaş came close to scoring in the 44^th minute. Ekrem Dag crossed the ball into the penalty area, but Nobre's header went off the post. Nobre tried to score off the rebound, but it was cleared for a corner. The resulting corner saw the ball cleared out of the penalty area, but Michael Fink crossed the ball into the area and Mert Nobre headed the ball out. The first half ended 0-0, but Beşiktaş seemed to have the upper hand. In the 51^st minute, Elano shot the ball from a few meters from the penalty arc that was saved by Rustu Recber. The resulting cross by Caner Erkin went parallel to the goal line and went out for a throw in. Galatasaray drew first blood in the 68^th minute. Jo, who has recently been substituted into the match, crossed the ball into the box. When Tomas Sivok tried to clear the ball, Arda Turan stole the ball and shot the ball low and into the net to put Galatasaray into the lead. After the goal, Turan looked to be injured and was substituted. Beşiktaş tried to answer back in the 72^nd minute. Ekrem Dag's attempt from the penalty arc barely missed the post. Beşiktaş got the tying goal in the 82^nd minute. A Beşiktaş free kick was attempted to be punched out by Leo Franco. The ball ended up with Tomas Sivok, and Sivok made up for his previous mistake by scoring. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Other results from Sunday saw a very interesting result from Diyarbakir. Denizlispor came into their match against Diyarbakirspor with only one win earned on the pitch. Denizlispor would emerge with a 2-0 win to make it two straight wins and perhaps a chance to avoid relegation. They will make it three straight wins next week, because they will get the bye and the free three points. Antalyaspor and Ankaragücü fought to a 2-2 draw. Jan Rajnoch struck first in the 17^th minute for Ankaragücü. Veysel Cihan scored two goals in the 23^rd minute and the 43^rd minute for Antalyaspor. Ankaragücü got their tying goal through Muhammet Hanifi Yoldas in the 74^th minute. Yilmaz Vural has a reputation in Turkish football for getting relegation bound teams to stay in the Super League. He seems to be weaving his magic again, as Kasımpaşa beat Gaziantepspor at home 3-0, through goals by Yekta Kurtulus, Şahin Aygüneş, and Murat Erdoğan.

The only match on Monday saw Fenerbahçe and Bursaspor clash at the Sukru Saracoglu stadium. Fenerbahçe looked to take the lead in the Super League standing after Galatasaray lost points in the Istanbul derby. Bursaspor looked to spring an upset and vault them closer to a Champions League spot. It looked good for Fenerbahçe in the 5^th minute, as Alex de Souza received a pass from Cristian Baroni and shot the ball from long range into the net to give Fenerbahçe a quick 1-0 lead. In the 21^st minute, Alex's corner from the right corner arc went all the way to Gokcek Vederson at the left flank. Vederson crossed the ball into the area, and Andre dos Santos flicked the ball into the net to give Fenerbahçe a 2-0 lead. In the 26^th minute, Bursaspor would answer back. As Pablo Batalla approached the goal, he passed to Ozan Ipek on the left flank. Batalla would head the resulting cross from Ipek into the net to cut the deficit in half for Bursaspor. In the 34^th minute, Fenerbahçe's emerging young star Ozer Hurmaci had to leave the game due to a separated shoulder, and is likely ruled out for the second leg of the Europa League clash with OSC Lille. In the 36^th minute, Alex de Souza received a pass from Emre Belozoglu, and his resulting shot would hit the crossbar and out. As the first half ended with a 2-1 advantage to Fenerbahçe, it could be thought that all Fenerbahçe had to do was hold on and continue to play their game to win. The second half saw Bursaspor come out to make a comeback. In the 69^th minute, Ali Tandogan crossed the ball to Omer Erdogan, but Erdogan's header would barely miss. In the 85^th minute, Fabio Bilica was called for a high boot in the box. In this case, the resulting infraction resulted in an indirect free kick. Ozan Ipek took advantage and curled the free kick into the net to tie the match at two goals apiece. Fenerbahçe would attempt to win the match by going into an all out attack towards Bursaspor's goal. But in the first minute of stoppage time, a Fenerbahçe corner resulted in a three-on-one breakaway for Bursaspor. In the end, Ozan Ipek scored his second, and Bursaspor's third, goal of the match that gave Bursaspor the win and an important three points. Fenerbahçe got booed off the pitch in their own home stadium.

There was one incident in particular during the Fenerbahçe match that particularly caught my eye.. Dani Guiza was the starting forward for Fenerbahçe in their match against Bursaspor, and while he hasn't exactly found the form that made him lead La Liga in goal scoring in 2007-08, he has tried his hardest to adapt to Turkish football. He wasn't exactly on form in this match, and the fans at Sukru Saracoglu stadium booed loudly. Why is this mentioned? At one point, the fans were chanting for Semih Senturk to come on to the pitch. When Guiza did get substituted in the 70^th minute, he was booed off the pitch. When he got to the bench, he basically broke down and cried. While he hasn't lit the Turkish football world on fire, it's hard not to feel for the guy as he seemed to look helpless. It could be inferred that he might have some deeper problems that he might have to work out. Perhaps he should get some help in order to get his stuff straighten out. It might be easy to say that he's a professional and he should be able to deal with it, but as evidenced with Robert Enke's suicide, some players might not know how to handle the pressure to perform as footballers. I'm hoping something really serious as that doesn't happen, but as evidenced with Enke, we don't know what goes through the mind of footballers in their lives. I hope Guiza can work everything out and he can at least play without any issues that affect his play on the pitch and his personal life.

As for the league standings, Galatasaray widened the gap between them and Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray now leads with 47 points to Fenerbahçe's 45 points. Bursaspor is in third place with 43 points. Kayserispor is in fourth with 42 points. Beşiktaş rounds out the top five with 39 points. The Turkish Football Federation this week announced the make up dates for both the Beşiktaş – Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor match and the Kasımpaşa – Bursaspor match that were postponed in week 18 due to snow. The matches will be made up on Wednesday March 10^th. Kasımpaşa – Bursaspor will be the early game, while the Beşiktaş – Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor match will be the nightcap. Next week is highlighted by a crucial top of the table clash as Beşiktaş travels to the Kadir Has Stadium to face Kayserispor.

Turkey National Team Schedule for Euro 2012 Qualifying

The national team schedule for the qualifiers for the Euro 2012 tournament has been determined. The schedule is as follows:

• September 3, 2010: Kazakhstan – Turkey
  
• September 7, 2010: Turkey – Belgium
  
• October 8, 2010: Germany – Turkey
  
• October 12, 2010: Azerbaijan – Turkey
  
• March 29, 2011: Turkey – Austria
  
• June 3, 2011: Belgium – Turkey
  
• September 6, 2011: Austria – Turkey
  
• October 7, 2011: Turkey – Germany
  
• October 11, 2011: Turkey – Azerbaijan
  

Perhaps the hardest team to get the wins from will be Germany. Belgium is going to cause problems in these qualifiers, if recent history shows. Perhaps the safe bet is that Turkey will finish second in the group and move on to the qualification playoffs.

Turkish National Team to Play Exhibitions in the USA

The Turkish national team will be playing a couple of exhibition games in the United States coming up in May. On May 22^nd, Turkey will be playing the Czech Republic in a rematch from the heralded Euro 2008 group stage match at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. On May 29^th, Turkey will be playing the United States at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The May 29^th match will serve as the World Cup sendoff for the United States. This will be an interesting time for the Turkish team. With the prospects of Guus Hiddink taking over as national team coach in August, this will serve as a test to see who will step up to get noticed. With Euro 2012 qualifiers around the corner, it will be interesting to see who will be called up to play these matches. Oguz Cetin will serve as the temporary coach while Guus Hiddink serves out his contract with the Russian Football Union.