Presse Sports – USA TODAY Sports
Besiktas have been unable to finish in the top two for the past couple of seasons in the Turkish Super League. This has been mainly due to the dominance by the top two clubs in the Istanbul region: Galatasaray and Fenerbahce.
Now, they are ready to hand the reigns to Slaven Bilic — the man who coached Croatia to the quarter-finals of EURO 2008, where they fell to Turkey after penalty kicks. At that time, Fatih Terim was the coach of the Turks. Now, he has the chance to battle him on a rising league.
Terim is the coach of the reigning Turkish champions, Galatasaray. With two derby matches being guaranteed this season between Gala and BJK, these two managers will go head-to-head twice. Both are fearless and believe in playing until the final whistle. This is one of the most anticipated battles.
Besiktas are considered one of the top clubs in Istanbul. However, in the past two seasons, we were only able to see flashes of what they can do. This season, under Bilic, they are expected to revert back to their old ways of playing possession and shot-taking soccer that used to bring them victory after victory.
A man who can make things a bit easier for the club on the scoring front is none other than Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor. He is still scoring goals in the Premier League, but his time is running out as the team is looking to switch to a 4-3-3 formation with a speedy squad — which means he won’t fit in.
At Besiktas, he can play up top in a 4-2-3-1 set-up and will have an easier time scoring in a league that is physical but not as technically or tactically gifted. He would fit right in.
Can BJK win the title this upcoming season? Yes. Is it likely? Not so much, but that is only because Gala and Fener are tremendously talented squads with head coaches who know how to win in this league. Bilic jsut joined the Turkish adventure — he has a lot to learn.
