Team Focus: Fatih Terim’s Transformation of the Turkish National Team

The future looked bright for Turkish football following an unprecedented third-place finish at the 2002 World Cup. The nation was gripped with a mood of optimism and just six-years later Turkey went on to reach the semi-finals of the 2008 European Championships. However, dreams of achieving regular international success soon evaporated.

Hope soon turned to sorrow as the Crescent-Stars failed to qualify for all subsequent tournaments.

Turkey’s failure to qualify the 2014 World Cup forced the Turkish Football Federation into parting ways with Abdullah Avci. In fact the TFF didn’t even wait until the end of the qualification campaign to sever those ties. After 18 matches in charge Avcı had lead Turkey to just six victories, with a win rate of only 33% just not good enough.

The federation decided it was time to bring back a tried and tested formula. Fatih Terim, also known as the Emperor, had been summoned for his third-stint in charge of the national team, this time on a seven-year contract. Terim had previously led Turkey into the European Championships for the first time when he ensured qualification for Euro 1996. Terim went onto achieve cult status when he guided Galatasaray to four consecutive league titles at the end of the 90’s topped off by lifting the UEFA Cup at the turn of the millennia. Terim returned to the Turkish national side in the summer of 2005 and went onto make further history when he led Turkey to the Euro 2008 semi-finals.

Twelve games into his current tenure and Terim already has 10 wins under his belt. Gone are the lacklustre performances that infuriated Turkish fans during the Avcı era. The recent international game against Denmark perhaps best epitomised the new Turkey. The national team went into the half-time break down a goal and totally outplayed.

The second-half saw a marked improvement, albeit helped through the introduction of national team veteran Emre Belözoğlu as well as Atletico Madrid star Arda Turan, and it wasn’t long before the Crescent-Stars equalised. The game looked destined for a draw but Turkey kept pushing for another goal and in the last minute of additional time 19-year-old Ozan Tufan smashed the ball into the back of the net from range for the winner. There could not have been a more Terimesque finish to the game, memories of Turkey pulling off last minute comebacks against Czech Republic and Croatia in Euro 2008 came flooding back.

Turkey kick off their 2016 European Championship qualification campaign on Tuesday against Iceland. Terim is expected to make a few changes to the side that faced Denmark on Wednesday. The defence is likely to remain the same with Gökhan Gönül and Caner Erkin as full-backs and Ersan Gülüm along with Ömer Toprak at centre-back. The defence still needs quite a lot of work, Turkey made a number of unforced errors and were poorly organised at times against the Danes.

However, for the first time in years the national team have options in defence. Terim has Galatasaray’s Semih Kaya at his disposal and it would not be a surprise if he called upon Schalke’s 19-year-old defensive sensation Kaan Ayhan, who has started both games for the Bundesliga club this season, in the near future.

Mehmet Topal and Selçuk İnan are expected to start in the midfield. Hakan Çalhanoğlu could replace Öğuzhan Özyakup if he recovers in time. Çalhanoğlu has been in fantastic form for Bayer Leverkusen and the 2012/13 young Bundesliga player of the season – awarded by German football magazine 11 Freunde - pulled the strings in midfield against Hertha Berlin last Saturday. No other player completed as many key passes as the 20-year-old (5) over the course of the game. Çalhanoğlu was awarded Man of the Match from Whoscored, with an 8.55 rating having picked up 2 assists.

Turan is likely to be match fit for the game and will be accompanied by Olcay Şahan on the wings, with Burak Yılmaz upfront. Turan has brilliant technique, the ability to dribble past defenders with ease – averaging 1.3 successful dribbles per game last season - but he is also hard-working and carries out defensive duties for the team. No other attacking based Atleti player matched his average of interceptions per game last season (1). Şahan – who scored against Denmark – is just as industrious but not as gifted on the ball. The assiduous wingers give the team more stability and defensive cover when not in possession of the ball.

Turkey’s forte has always been in midfield and this new generation is no different, Turan is still only 27 while the likes of Çalhanoğlu, Özyakup and Tufan could still play for the U21 team. Then of course there are the likes of Roma starlet Salih Uçan, 19-year-old Feyenoord winger Bilal Başacıkoğlu and Beşiktaş’ rising star Kerim Frei on the verge of breaking through. Results have improved and there are a number of very exciting players ready to make their mark, it has been a long wait but there is a mood of optimism surrounding the national team once again.

Will Turkey qualify for Euro 2016 under Terim? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below