Turkey (Group A)
Squad | Scouting Report | Road to Euro 2008 | Euro History
| Squad | ||
| Player | Position | Club |
| Volkan Demirel | Goalkeeper | Fenerbahce |
| Rustu Recber | Goalkeeper | Besiktas |
| Tolga Zengin | Goalkeeper | Trabzonspor |
| Gokhan Zan | Defender | Besiktas |
| Sabri Sarioglu | Defender | Galatasaray |
| Emre Asik | Defender | Ankaraspor |
| Servet Cetin | Defender | Galatasaray |
| Emre Gungor | Defender | Galatasaray |
| Hakan Balta | Defender | Galatasaray |
| Ugur Boral | Defender | Fenerbahce |
| Hamit Altintop | Midfielder | Bayern Munich (Germany) |
| Mehmet Aurelio | Midfielder | Fenerbahce |
| Kazim Kazim | Midfielder | Fenerbahce |
| Mehmet Topal | Midfielder | Galatasaray |
| Arda Turan | Midfielder | Galatasaray |
| Ayhan Akman | Midfielder | Galatasaray |
| Emre Belozoglu | Midfielder | Newcastle (England) |
| Tumer Metin | Midfielder | Larissa (Greece) |
| Tuncay Sanli | Midfielder | Middlesbrough (England) |
| Gokdeniz Karadeniz | Midfielder | Rubin Kazan (Russia) |
| Nihat Kahveci | Forward | Villarreal (Spain) |
| Semih Senturk | Forward | Fenerbahce |
| Mevlut Erdinc | Forward | Sochaux (France) |
| Head Coach: | Fatih Terim | |
Scouting Report
Style of play: Coach Fatih Terim's decision to bench veteran striker Hakan Sukur, who acted as the team's target man, has resulted in Turkey abandoning its long-ball game for a more technical approach. Terim has a wealth of attacking options in midfield, which allows him to use any one of three formations: a 4-3-1-2 setup with a playmaking midfielder slotting in behind the two forwards, a 4-1-3-2 which features two wingers to give the attack more width, or a narrow 4-1-2-1-2 with a diamond-shaped midfield. Striker Nihat Kahveci leads the line up front, and will play with another forward (Semih Senturk) who slots in just behind him in a supporting role. The midfield will try to work the ball around with series of quick passes, looking to spring Kahveci open inside the penalty area. If they can't pry open the defence with a cutting pass for Kahveci, the two wide midfielders (Gokdeniz Karadeniz and Arda Turan) and the playmaking centre midfielder (Tuncay Sanli) are not shy about pressing forward to try to create scoring chances for themselves. The defence is supported by a holding midfielder (Mehmet Aurelio) who lines up in front of them and acts as a defensive shield.
Probable starting formation (4-3-1-2): (GK) Demirel - (D) Gonul, Zan, Cetin, Balta - (M) Turan, Aurelio, Karadeniz - (M) Sanli - (F) Senturk, Kahveci
Strengths
Attacking depth – Turkey is not wanting in terms of offensive players. Nihat Kahveci, who plays in Spain, is a proven goal scorer. Hamit Altintop and Arda Turan provide Turkey with dangerous attacking options down the wings, and Tuncay Sanli can play either up front or as a playmaker behind the twp forwards.
Coaching – Manager Fatih Terim is not the most popular man in Turkey (his sideline histrionics tend to grate) but he is an experienced and demanding tactician who gets the best out of his players. Full of self-belief, Terim in not afraid to bench star players who are not producing and he is known for giving several young Turkish players a chance to prove themselves.
Motivation – Turkey has a point to prove, that they belong on European soccer's biggest stage. The Turks caught everyone off-guard when they finished third at the 2002 World Cup, but the expected "golden era" of Turkish soccer that was supposed to emerge after that stunning performance never materialized (they failed to qualify for Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.
Weaknesses
Defence – Eleven goals conceded in 12 qualifying games is cause for concern for Turkish fans. Centre backs Servet Cetin and Gokhan Zan are physical players who provide Turkey with a stabilizing presence on defence, but they lack pace and are often burned by speedy forwards. Lack of concentration is also an issue – they conceded four goals off throw-ins during the qualifiers.
Inconsistency – Turkey can blow hot and cold depending on the situation, as evidenced by their qualifying campaign. Brilliant in their first four games (which included a 4-1 destruction of Greece in Athens), they stumbled across the finish line following losses to Bosnia and Greece, and settled for draws against lowly Malta and Moldova. The Turks can't afford to be so inconsistent at Euro, where there is very little margin for error.
Tough group – A challenging opening-round draw means Turkey's passage through to the quarter-finals is far from assured. The Turks have had the misfortune of being drawn into a group that includes two teams ranked in FIFA's top-10 world ranking (Portugal and the Czech Republic), and one of the host nations (Switzerland).
Players to watch
Mehmet Aurelio – The Brazil-born midfielder is Turkey's answer to Gennaro Gattuso - a tough, defensive midfielder who does the dirty work in midfield. Aurelio is calm under pressure, renowned for his astute reading of the game and snuffing out danger before it develops, and for his poised play.
Nihat Kahveci – A proven goal scorer and Turkey's main offensive threat up front. He's also versatile, as he can drop back and play an attacking role in midfield. Kahveci is coming off a strong season with Spanish club Villarreal and is eager to prove himself for the national team at Euro.
Tuncay Sanli – Versatility is Sanli's biggest asset. The Middlesbrough star can play as a central playmaker, up front as a secondary striker, or on either wing. Sanli has a deft touch and is a good dribbler, and causes plenty of problems for defenders with his slick movement and control of the ball.
Key injuries/sqaud omissions: Turkish coach Fatih Terim has cleaned house by overlooking 36-year-old striker Hakan Sukur, the country's all-time leading scorer. Also given the axe by Terim were two veterans (striker Halil Altintop and midfielder Yildiray Basturk) and two youngsters (defenders Gokhan Gonul and Ibrahim Kas.
Road to Euro 2008
1st round matches:
June 7 vs. Portugal (Geneva)
June 11 vs. Switzerland (Basel)
June 15 vs. Czech Republic (Geneva)
Euro 2008 qualification route
Finished second in qualifying Group 2 (24 points) behind first-place Greece (31 points).
Record in qualifying: 7 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses
Goals for: 25
Goals against: 11
Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Hakan Sukur (6)
Qualifying results:
09.06.2006: Turkey 2 - Malta 0
10.07.2006: Turkey 1 - Hungary 0
10.11.2006: Turkey 5 - Moldova 0
03.24.2007: Turkey 4 - Greece 1
03.28.2007: Turkey 2 - Norway 2
06.02.2007: Turkey 2 – Bosnia-Herzegovina 3
09.08.2007: Turkey 2 – Malta 2
09.12.2007: Turkey 3 – Hungary 0
10.13.2007: Turkey 1 – Moldova 1
10.17.2007: Turkey 0 – Greece 1
11.17.2007: Turkey 2 – Norway 1
11.21.2007: Turkey 1 – Bosnia-Herzegovina 0
Euro History
Number of Previous Euro Appearances: 2
All-time record: 7 GP - 1 W, 1 T, 5 L
Goals for: 3
Goals against: 9
Most goals: Hakan Sukur (2)
Most appearances: Five players tied at 7
Biggest win: 2-0 vs. Belgium in 2000
Biggest loss : 0-3 vs. Denmark in 1996
Euro results:
1960 to 1992 - did not qualify
1996 - first round
2000 - quarter-finals
2004 - did not qualify
Legends from the past
Mamat Suat: Tied with ÿlhan Mansÿz as Turkey's all-time leading goal scorer in World Cup competition, Mamat Suat netted three goals in the 1954 World Cup.
Metin Oktay: A prolific goal scorer and inspirational team leader, Metin Oktay was the star striker for Turkish club Galatasaray during the 1950s and 1960s.