Turkish tyros impress Yanal

By Andrew Haslam

Since taking charge of the senior Turkey side in April of this year, Ersun Yanal has been preparing meticulously for life in his new job. With the 2002 FIFA World Cup bronze medallists having missed out on UEFA EURO 2004™, Turkey will be even more determined to reach the finals of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, but Yanal also has an eye on the more distant future.

Youth success
Turkey qualified for the finals of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship finals earlier this year, but failed to progress from a tough group that included hosts and eventual champions France and regular challengers Spain. Gündüz Tekin Onay's side have enjoyed better fortune at the U19 finals in Switzerland, however, clinching second place in Group B behind a strong Spanish side to earn a semi-final against the hosts.

'Football's roots'
Yanal will be an interested observer as Turkey bid for a place in the final, having begun his coaching career with Denizlispor's youth teams before progressing to assistant and finally head coach. "Football has its roots in youth," he said. "I am interested in seeing how these roots develop and grow. I believe that, in order to understand someone when they are an adult, you must first look at how they were when they were young."

Sights on seniors
The 43-year-old, who guided Gençlerbirligi SK to the UEFA Cup fourth round in 2003/04 where they were knocked out by eventual winners Valencia CF, has a clear target in mind for the U19 hopefuls. "I hope that many of these players will progress to the U21 side, and then on to the senior side," he said. "It is in these matches that players develop and progress, and I have high hopes for this team. However, it is important that attention is played to the right criteria to develop a player - creativity, team spirit, speed, endurance and a strong personality are all big factors."

Recent resurgence
Turkey enjoyed a period of success in youth football in the early 1990s, winning the UEFA European Championship at U18 level in 1992 and reaching the final again a year later, also lifting the U16 crown in 1994. After a barren period in the second half of the decade, there was been recent signs of a Turkish reemergence, but Yanal acknowledges more work needs to be done.

'Crucial choice'
"At a certain moment in their lives, players have to choose between sport and education," he said. "This is a crucial point. Sadly, in Turkey you cannot do both so the country loses a lot of talented players around the ages of 15 and 16. I would like to take France as a role model. If we could implement a similar system, I am convinced Turkish football would be much stronger."

Latin leaders
Yanal also hailed the youth football organisations in Brazil and Portugal as the perfect examples of how players should be developed, saying: "Young Turkish footballers are skilful, creative, fast and strong. However, perhaps they lack strong personalities, and maybe another approach is needed to rectify this. There needs to be more cooperation between clubs and the national side, with focus on player development rather than results.

'Bright future'
"We need to give the players a clear vision," Yanal went on. "I aim to become a driving force in grassroots football, as this is the foundation of the football pyramid and if it is neglected, the pyramid will fall down. These tournaments are a perfect point in player development, and I am very confident that Turkish football has a bright future."