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Scouting
Report
Style of play:
Turkish coach Senol Gunes favours a defensive 5-3-2-1
formation. The two wing-backs carry the ball up the
flanks and cut into the middle of the pitch before distributing
the ball to the lone striker. The wide-out midfielders
drop back to support the five defenders and cover for
the wing-backs when they move forward, leaving the playmaking
responsibilities to the centre-midfielder. Turkey doesn't
play with speed or pace, relying instead on deliberate
ball control and a slow build-up through midfield to
create the bulk of its scoring chances.
Strengths:
Familiarity -- By selecting a core of players
from Galatasaray and Fenerbahce - Turkey's top two domestic
clubs - coach Senol Gunes has built a team of players
who are very accustomed to playing with each other.
Familiarity breeds team work, something Turkey has in
ample supply.
Hungry players -- For players like Hakan Sükür
and Okan Burak, who have carved out impressive careers
at club level, the World Cup offers them the chance
to do the same on the international stage. Turkey is
hungry to prove the startling advances it has made in
soccer in recent years is not a fluke.
Goalkeeping -- Rustu Recber is one of the best
goalkeepers in Europe. He has over 60 caps for his country.
As Turkey's undisputed number one between the posts,
he has earned the respect and confidence of his teammates.
Weaknesses:
Lack of creativity in midfield -- Turkey has
several workhorse midfielders, but it is sorely lacking
in midfield artistry. Emre Belozoglu is the only midfielder
with any kind of playmaking vision. If Turkey falls
behind early in a game, its lack of midfield creativity
will make it hard to mount an effective comeback.
Lack of discipline -- Turkey is renowned for
its physical, but undisciplined play. Its defenders
and midfielders often make crushing and rash tackles.
As a result, Turkey concedes a lot of direct free kicks
near its own penalty area, and pick up an inordinate
amount of yellow cards.
Inconsistency -- Turkey has a difficult time
playing 90 minutes. In qualifying, it drew with both
Slovakia (1-1) and Macedonia (3-3) at home in a pair
of games it should have won. The Turks were leading
Sweden 1-0 at home before conceding two late goals,
a result that forced them to play a two-legged playoff
against Austria to qualify for the World Cup.
Key injuries/omissions:
In a surprise move, Turkish coach Senol Gunes dropped
winger Tayfun Korkut and 30-year-old defender Ogun Temizkanoglu
from his final World Cup squad. Gunes decided to go
with youth instead, calling up striker Serhat Akin,
20, up-and-coming midfielder Cihan Haspolat, 22, and
defender Ismail Gulduren, 22, in their place….
Defender Ismail Gulduren was not selected for the final
squad after undergoing knee surgery….
Outlook:
Turkey is a quality side with several skilled veterans
who play with some of the biggest clubs in Europe. Turkish
soccer has improved at the club level over the past
few years, as evidenced by Galatasaray winning the 2000
UEFA Cup. That progress has carried over to the national
team where after an absence of 48 years, Turkey finds
itself back in the World Cup. Turkey should have little
trouble disposing of China and Costa Rica to finish
second behind Brazil in Group C to move on to the second
round. Advancing to the quarter-finals would prove to
be difficult, but not impossible, as potential second-round
opponents include the always-tough Russians or Japan.
The
Country
Location: South-eastern Europe/south-western
Asia, east of Greece and Bulgaria, west of Syria, Iran
and Iraq
Capital: Ankara
Area: 780,580 sq km
Population: 65,666,677 (July 2000 est.)
Government type: Republican parliamentary democracy
Climate: Temperate; hot, dry summers with mild,
wet winters; harsher in interior.
Ethnic groups: Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20%.
Religions: Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other
0.2% (Christian and Jews).
Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic,
Armenian, Greek.
History: Turkey's history corresponds with the
rise of Asia Minor, the Byzantine Empire, and the Ottoman
Empire. Byzantine rule emerged when Constantine the
Great declared Constantinople (now Istanbul) his capital.
The Ottoman Empire began in the 12th century and lasted
until 1918, when the Young Turk revolt brought about
its demise. A republic was proclaimed in 1923 under
the leadership of M. K. Atatürk. Turkey remained
neutral throughout most of World War II, before siding
with the Allies in 1945. Since then, it has changed
between civil and military governments and has had several
conflicts with Greece over Cyprus.
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