Hard times lift Galatasaray
Friday 21 April 2006
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Team spirit has been the key for Galatasaray this season (©Action Images)
Before even the remarkable blossoming for the Turkish national side from perennial minnows to FIFA World Cup semi-finalists, one team from that country was making an impact beyond its borders. Galatasaray SK's fine UEFA Champions League performances in the mid-1990s left Manchester United FC, among others, reeling and they then won the 2000 UEFA Cup. Between 1992/93 and 2001/02 they also claimed seven Turkish titles, but since then things have gone awry - until now.
Debts
Having glimpsed European glory, from 1996 the club dreamt of a permanent place on the world stage and began to spend heavily. Debts inevitably grew, and floating on the stock exchange did not help either. Fatih Terim, who masterminded the UEFA Cup triumph, returned as coach in 2002 but €29m of transfer outlay proved misinvested when in 2003/04 Galatasaray finished in an unheard-of sixth place. At the start of this season debts stood at €121m and new coach Erik Gerets, replacing former team-mate Gheorghe Hagi, was in the unusual position for a Galatasaray chief of not being able to bring in star names.
League challenge
However, four weeks from the end of the Superleague season Galatasaray lead champions Fenerbahçe SK by three points, and are 26 ahead of third-placed Beşiktaş JK, ensuring a return to UEFA Champions League qualifying. Victory in Saturday's Istanbul derby at Fenerbahçe would all but hand Galatasaray their 16th title - drawing them level with their arch-rivals in the all-time table.
Financial problems made us upset, that’s true, but it was never our primary concern
Galatasaray goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón
Unpaid wages
It all seems a far cry from September, and the disappointingly early UEFA Cup exit at the hands of Norway's Tromsø IL. League form was better - Galatasaray were not beaten until match eleven - but financial problems meant that the squad were not being paid. This provoked a training strike, but on the pitch their determination seemed to increase, even though wages did not materialise until earlier this month. Goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón said: "Financial problems made us upset, that’s true, but it was never our primary concern.We always thought about our goal of winning the league first and trusted in what board members told us." Former left-back Hakan Ünsal, now a pundit for LIG TV, told uefa.com: "The biggest reason for the improvement of the team is the players, who totally left money aside for the Galatasaray spirit. The foreign players like Faryd Mondragón, Rigobert Song or Stjepan Tomas could have left the club for free as they went unpaid."
Special bond
Credit is also due to Gerets, who has gained a special bond with his squad, and even revealed last week that he had turned down an offer to go to Dutch club SBV Vitesse. "In my opinion a coach can only influence his side up to 40 per cent maximum," Ünsal said. "However, Gerets's approach towards his players is far better than Fenerbahçe coach Christoph Daum or Beşiktaş coach Jean Tigana. Plus, he mostly makes correct squad selections and uses the right tactics."
Faith in Ferhat
Among the Belgian's decisions was to introduce two young players in the new year; left-back Ferhat Öztorun and attacking midfielder Aydin Yilmaz, due to absentees at the African Cup of Nations or through injury. Whenever regular Orhan Ak has been suspended or injured Gerets has showed faith in Ferhat, and the Turkish Under-19 international has never let his coach down. Aydin scored the winner in Galatasaray's 1-0 away win at Konyaspor in January, which ensured they began 2006 on a high.
'Self-confidence'
"The young players took their chance well and gained self-confidence," Ünsal said. "They are now well aware they can play for Galatasaray. On the other hand, now Galatasaray are in a serious title race and Gerets uses them cautiously, which is correct because at such a young age they might not cope with this stress."
Hasan form
Indeed, Ferhat will probably not play on Saturday even though Orhan is out. Second-highest goalscorer Ümit Karan is also injured, and both Hakan Sükür and Song doubtful. But other players are in-form and ready to cover for them, and there will be no shortage of creativity with Necati Ates leading the club goalscoring charts and the highly motivated Hasan Şaş having totalled 17 assists this season. "In recent weeks, we have been spurred by the energy of Hasan Şaş and Hakan [Sükür]'s brilliant timing in scoring goals," Gerets said. "As a team we have been superb but Hasan's creativity and the resurgence of Hakan cannot be forgotten."
Pressure on Fenerbahçe
So can Galatasaray get the result they want to swing the balance of power in Turkey back away from their arch-rivals? "Arguably, Galatasaray will have their most comfortable match against Fenerbahçe," Ünsal believes. "They don't even have to beat them. If Galatasaray resist and don't concede any goals, then Fenerbahçe fans could turn against their own team." Galatasaray supporters can have few complaints with their players right now.
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