Phillip Buckley

In England, Spain and Italy the traditional powers are all in the running to take their respective league titles, and in that sense it is business as usual. France and Germany meanwhile have garnered extra attention for their open title races, but in both countries few would still bet against heavyweight sides emerging triumphant. Over in Turkey however it is a different matter.

As the Super Lig began it would have taken a brave soul to bet against the title ending up in the hands of either Fenerbahce or Galatasaray. Indeed, in that last 10 years only once has the Super Lig ended out of their hands, and then it was just over the road at city rivals Besiktas. Both clubs seemed set for their usual trophy tilt and both had pulled off some remarkable summer coups. Fenerbahce had paraded Euro 2008 winning coach Luis Aragones, combined with La Liga’s Pichichi winning Dani Guiza. Galatasaray, led by young German coach Michael Skibbe, had persuaded Harry Kewell to snub Rome for Istanbul. With Czech hit-man Milan Baros also arriving things were looking up at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium.

Approaching the final straight of the campaign things look rather different now. Fenerbahce spent the first half of the season struggling to adapt to Aragones new methods, and failed, to their cost, to replace the best holding midfielder on show at Euro 2008 (bar Marcos Senna) in Mehmet Aurelio, who departed for La Liga and Real Betis. Points were dropped, the defence became famously porous, and despite having clawed back ground in the second half of the season, the yellow canaries have had far too much to do.

Over at Galatasaray things didn’t start well for Skibbe. Failing to negotiate what should have been a very winnable Champions League qualification tie against Steaua Bucharest counted against him from the start. With a squad full of talents like Milan Baros, Harry Kewell, Fernando Meira, Arda Turan and various others, there was the feeling in Turkey that Skibbe just wasn’t cut out to manage them. The Turkish press constantly said that whilst the squad had first class talent, in Skibbe they had a second class coach. In truth the German should have been wary from the start. Being handed a one-year contract from the Galatasaray board was not an overwhelming vote of confidence for the new man. And as soon as it looked like their season was in trouble domestically, culminating in a 5-2 home defeat from relegation threatened Kocaelispor, Skibbe was gone.

With the troubles both Fenerbahce and Galatasaray have suffered it is quite a wonder they remained in with a shout of the title for so long. Perhaps they have an outside chance even now. But the team that were not expected to challenge for the title again this season, after they somehow did last time around, are doing it again. Little Sivasspor could and should claim the crown, with only Besiktas realistically able to stop them.

For Turkish football a Sivasspor title win would be more than a historic event. It would be like an footballing earthquake ripping through the country. No team from outside Istanbul has lifted the title since 1984, and then that was Trabzonspor, once giants to rank alongside those of Istanbul but now a shadow of the great side of the late 70s and early 80s. Simply put, every Turkish professional believed, if you want to win the title you must play for one of the big three (Besiktas, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray). Sivasspor could change the very culture of football in Turkey, not to mention spread the wealth around with some Champions League cash.

Last season Sivasspor enjoyed a remarkable campaign. Coach Bülent Uygun drove them to within points of the title, seeing them just fade in the last few games. Sivasspor eventually finished fourth, having the same number of points as Besiktas in third and Fenerbahce in second. However, a lower number of average goals robbed them of a Champions League or UEFA Cup spot as they were forced to enter the InterToto Cup.

This season, like last, Sivasspor’s success has been built on an unforgiving home record. Fenerbahce and Galatasaray have both been beaten at 4 Eylül Stadium, whilst Besiktas could count themselves fortunate to come away with a point. No club has left Sivas with three points so far this season. Their home truly is a fortress.

Bülent Uygun has also based his success on a miserly defence. Led by Brazilian centre-back Fábio Bilica, Sivasspor have conceded goals at a rate of 0.70 per game. Much better, for example, than Fenerbahce (1.04 per game) have managed with supposedly superior resources. When opposing teams go behind against Fenerbahce or Galatasaray they know they will be given chances to score. Yet when Sivasspor go in front, all too often the game is over.

Up front the side are no slouches either, coming fourth in the overall scoring stakes. In fact, one of the most important factors in Sivasspor’s ability to excel again this season has been hanging on to Israeli forward Pini Balili and Turkey hit-man and club captain Mehmet Yıldız. Last season Mehmet Yıldız finished with 14 strikes, just 3 behind league top scorer Semih Åžentürk. This campaign he already has 13, and, with more games left to play, should surpass last season’s total. Mehmet Yıldız was expected to depart for the bright lights of the capital in the summer, but his loyalty could be spectacularly rewarded come the end of this season.

Besiktas could yet halt Sivasspor’s end of season party, but should Mustafa Denizli’s Black Eagles side manage to claim the title, it is doubtful Sivasspor would drop any lower than second. And either eventuality would mean Champions League football for the people of Anatolia, a proposition that would have had you committed to the local asylum had you uttered it a few years ago.

Turkish football would be all the better for a Sivasspor title triumph, and the signs are it could be about to happen. Bülent Uygun and his wonderful team may soon be picked apart by the giant chequebooks of Istanbul, but before they are the Turkish game could be changed forever more. And who knows, with the young genius coach that is Uygun leading them, Champions League football, and an adoring Anatolian public, we may be witnessing the birth of Istanbul’s first real opposition in a long long time.

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