Manisaspor take on Turkish élite
Friday 27 October 2006
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Ersun Yanal is working wonders at Manisaspor (©Getty Images)
The surprise Turkish Süper Lig leaders Vestel Manisaspor face a huge test of their credentials as they take on Fenerbahçe SK at home on Sunday.
Testing ties
Despite a 3-2 defeat by Sivasspor last Friday, Manisaspor top the table after ten games, leaving Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş JK, Trabzonspor and Galatasaray SK trailing behind. While a 1-1 Turkish Cup draw at Trabzonspor in midweek did not exactly inspire confidence, they will be out to prove they can maintain their fine start as they meet Zico's side, having already beaten the Istanbul giants' neighbours Beşiktaş 1-0 at home this season.
Step forward
Initially founded as Sakaryaspor, the club were reformed as Manisaspor in 1965. Playing in the second and third divisions, they never looked destined to amount to much until a leading TV and household appliance manufacturer, based in Manisa, became their sponsors in the 2000/01 season. Since then, the club's fortunes have rocketed. They won promotion through the leagues and earned national attention after appointing former Turkey coach Mustafa Denizli to lead them in the 2003/04 campaign, though he narrowly failed to win promotion into the Süper Lig.
Yanal apointed
The honour of doing so went to Levent Eriş. After winning promotion, he was to coach Manisaspor for just two months in the top division before resigning at the start of last season, clearing the way for another former Turkey coach - Ersun Yanal - to take command. At a time when foreign coaches and players dominated among the big four clubs, club president Haluk Çubukçu saw appointing a Turkish coach as a badge of honour. "We believe Turkish coaches can make a bigger contribution to our football," he said. "We have a Turkish coach now and our team is doing well."
New policy
Yanal led Manisaspor to a 12th-placed finish last season with the squad he inherited from Eriş, but his focus on attacking football and eye for a bargain has transformed his side's performance since the summer, with some excellent work being done by the club's scouts. Showing an uncharacteristic dedication to local talent, Yanal's scouts tracked and signed promising young players from the lower leagues in Turkey, like central midfielder Selçuk İnan and attacking midfielder Metin Akan, both of whom have been star performers this season.
International class
Brazilian striker Rafael Marques arrived from second division Samsunspor while the coach brought in genuine international class in the form of Czech playmaker Lukás Zelenka and Slovakian forward Filip Hološko. Young winger Caner Erkin and left-back Hakan Kadir Balta have also shone under his leadership. "If we can play better day by day the pressure on our players will decrease," said Yanal. "We can't always be watching our rivals and the league table but must focus on our abilities instead. My team should be able to continue at this tempo - my players have this ability and character."
Evolving side
That kind of viewpoint chimes in nicely with Manisaspor's management ethos. "We don't judge the success by our position in the table," said Çubukçu. "The way our team play football, the results they get, the teamwork, the technique and the consistency they have is what is giving us success. The ever-improving performance of our side is no surprise for us. At the end of the season we want to see ourselves in the top five in order to get a European spot." If they can emerge from Sunday's match unscathed, Yanal's men might feel they can aspire to much more.
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