Team Focus: Turkey's Young Stars Leading the Charge for Euro Qualification
Turkey were heralded as the comeback kings in Euro 2008. The tournament semi-finalists never knew when they were beaten, coming from behind against Switzerland, Czech Republic and Croatia to record memorable victories. The future looked bright for Turkish football, but dreams soon turned to nightmares as the Crescent-Stars failed to qualify for all of the following international competitions.
There is, however, a glimmer of hope that everything is about to change. Turkey reached the semi-finals of the 2008 tournament under the stewardship of Fatih Terim. The Emperor, as he is popularly known, is back and his empire, which barely survived its infancy, could be set for expansion.
The mood in Turkey has swung from gloom to glee within the span of a few months. Group A has seen perhaps the most bizarre results in the entire qualification stage. Netherlands and Turkey were expected to lock horns at the top of the table, while the Czech Republic and Iceland scrap it out for third, but the exact opposite happened.
Fans and pundits were left aghast watching their side get pummelled by Iceland and Czech Republic before drawing with Latvia. Turkey were joint last, level with Kazakhstan, three games in. There was public outrage and Terim’s position looked untenable - it really did look like curtains. It seemed absolutely unfathomable that Turkey would be able to even make third place with Holland also in the group.
Then the unthinkable happened. 28 March 2015 marked the moment Terim took his last stand. Turkey managed to hold the Netherlands to a 1-1 draw at the Amsterdam Arena. What made the result even more impressive was that Turkey were leading until the second minute of additional time. The result restored some pride to the team, but that is all it was seen as. It all looked over when Turkey were held to another draw by Latvia. Terim’s boys needed to beat the Netherlands to overtake them and, considering the Latvia result, nobody had high hopes.
Turkey did however manage to beat the Dutch and what a victory it was. Oğuzhan Özyakup, Arda Turan and Burak Yılmaz all got on the scoresheet in what was the team’s most convincing win of the campaign and their first clean sheet. The victory took Turkey into third place, two points ahead of the Dutch with two games remaining.
Nobody could quite believe what had happened and Turkey now stand a genuine chance of a third-place finish. The main talking point after the game was whether the Crescent-Stars had finally gelled or whether the Dutch were just awful. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. The less said about the Netherlands’ defending the better; appalling is putting things lightly. However, this is quite a youthful Turkish side with a very promising generation coming through.
Arsenal youth football aficionados will be familiar with Oğuzhan Özyakup. The former Gunners youngster scored the opening goal against the Dutch. Ironically, he was actually born in Holland and captained the national team at youth level before switching allegiances to Turkey. The 22-year-old midfielder has established himself as the architect of Super League leaders Beşiktaş’ midfield this season and has already attracted interest from his former club, as well as the Slaven Bilic-led West Ham.
Bayer Leverkusen sensation Hakan Çalhanoğlu is back in the team after patching up his differences with another rising star Gökhan Töre. The Beşiktaş winger was involved in an incident that saw a gun being pulled on Çalhanoğlu and his Bayer teammate Ömer Toprak in their national team training grounds. On the pitch however, Töre has been at his explosive best and has provided more assists (5) than any other player in the league.
As for Çalhanoğlu, he continues to light up the Bundesliga and has netted the joint third most goals in the Champions League (2), while only Thiago Alcátara (3) has recorded more assists (2). The 21-year-old has directly contributed to 12 goals (6 assists and 6 goals) in the 14 European games he has played. Çalhanoğlu is fast earning a reputation as being a big match player and his exquisite set-piece taking ability allows him to wield a huge sphere of influence on games.
Another youngster who has managed to establish himself in the national team is Ozan Tufan. The 20-year-old earned a high profile move from Bursaspor to Fenerbahçe over the summer after a brilliant breakthrough season where he went from total obscurity to a household name under the guidance of current Beşiktaş coach Şenol Güneş.
All the names mentioned above happen to be midfielders. The key older players in the team also share the position. Barcelona winger Arda Turan, defensive midfielder Mehmet Topal and central midfielder Nuri Şahin all occupy the centre and wings. Therein lies Turkey’s problem. There is an abundance of midfielders and wingers, but a lack of depth and quality upfront, as well as in defence.
Galatasaray striker Burak Yılmaz usually leads the line, but the national team does not have a replacement of the same calibre. Manchester City wonder-kid Enes Ünal is an option for the future, but Turkey simply lack the same firepower without Yılmaz. The prolific striker is expected to miss the final two qualifying games against the Czech Republic and Iceland with injury.
Turkey need four points to secure third-place and book a place in the playoffs, but considering what happened the last time they faced the group leaders, the Crescent-Stars are by no means over the finish line just yet. Terim is close to reviving his empire, but whether he continues his march towards the European championships will all depend on his final charge.
Will Turkey secure third place in their quest to qualify for Euro 2016? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
