Euro 2000 Previews

STARS OF THE TURKISH NATIONAL TEAM

ALPAY OZALAN - Defender

The Fenerbahce defender is renown for his strength and physical presence
in defence. His tight marking on the opposing forward is always
effective. Hakan Sukur once said: "Abroad it's Marcel Desailly, here
it's Alpay I find the best defender". He is currently playing at Fener
on loan from Holding Company/2nd Division Club JET-PA Spor, but
Fenerbahce are keen on signing him permanently at the end of the season.
He will also undoubtedly catch the eye of many foreign clubs in EURO
2000 but he will have probably signed a contract with Fenerbahce by
then.

SERGEN YALCIN - Midfielder

Sergen is one of few players to have played for all 3 of the Istanbul
"giants", firstly Besiktas, then Fenerbahce and currently Galatasaray.
He made a move from Besiktas to Istanbulspor basically just for the
money as they are owned by media tycoon Cem Uzan. It was only a matter
of time before someone snapped him up and it was JET-PA again that
bought his contract as a profit making exercise. He was loaned to
Fenerbahce and shortly after was sacked for poor discipline. Now at
Galatasaray he enjoys being part of a very successful team. He has all
the qualities you would ask from an attacking midfielder. Although his
defensive qualities and his speed are not much to talk about his superb
touch on the ball and great vision create opportunities all the time for
the forwards. His deadly left foot always aims for the top corner, don't
be surprised if he curls one in against Toldo this summer!

OKTAY DERELIOGLU - Forward

Oktay has scored 8 goals for the national team and that is sure to
increase very soon. Oktay's most memorable times were at Besiktas, but
at the end of last season he was forced to quit after rows with team
mate Serdar over a girl! He has had a troubled life; losing his wife
(she committed suicide) having to look after his son on his own and also
stress with the media and his team mates. Now he enjoys a great season
at Gaziantepspor. A mid table team that are finishing 3rd this season,
who he surprisingly joined (another player loaned from JET-PA) at the
start of the season. He has proven that he is still worthy of a national
team place. His scoring ability and eye for goal together with his
partnership with Hakan are what dreams are made of. At the end of the
season he will probably move to Fenerbahce where Mustafa Denizli will
take over after EURO2000. German coach Christoph Daum is also a big fan
of Oktay.

HOW DO THEY PLAY?

Turkey usually play in a 3-5-2 formation sometimes this changes to 4-4-2
or 3-5-1-1. The keeper is the much agile Rustu Recber or Fenerbahce. The
defence is also constructed by 2 Fenerbahce central defenders, Alpay and
Ogun. Alpay usually does the tough man to man marking while Ogun sweeps
or stays free. The other central defender is sometimes Ali Eren of
Besiktas but he's most effective at right back. He is also a good marker
but can lose his head quite often. His fitness will be a doubt for the
championships. The midfield is the strongest point of the team. The left
hand side belongs to Abdullah who has a great cross and is an incisive
passer. The central 3 are Tayfur (ballwinner), Sergen (playmaker) and
Tugay. Though if he settles, Mustafa Izzet will take Tugay's place in
that line up. The right wing is a tricky one because there are two great
players that can play there, Tayfun and Okan. Tayfun is usually the
favourite with Mustafa Denizli. The front two are Hakan Sukur
(obviously) and either Arif or Oktay. Arif has had a great season and he
has been the popular choice of late. But Oktay also has good partnership
with Hakan and he will be ready for the championships. When the
formation changes to 4-4-2 the line up will be like this: Rustu -- Ali
Eren (RB) - Ogun (CB) - Alpay (CB) - Abdullah (LB) -- Tayfun (RM) -
Sergen (CM) - Tayfur (CM) - Hakan Unsal (LM) -- Hakan Sukur (ST) - Arif
(FW)

WEAKNESSES

Turkey's prime weaknesses lie in defence. The defence can be exceptional
at times but its prone to losing concentration. Although this time round
I expect a much improved defence as everyone, player and manager alike,
is aware of the problem. I can easily say that goals from opposing teams
will be conceded on the counter attack when the defence is busy getting
back.

STRENGTHS

Turkey plays like no other team in Europe. I'm referring to the
creativity and the pure enjoyment of football. The midfield is made of
technically very gifted players. With a mixture of speed on the flanks
and skill and combativeness in the middle Turkey is a team that gets it
self into a lot of goal scoring opportunities. No matter where, home or
away, Turkey incorporates the principle "the best form of defence is
attack" in every game. This concept has been injected into the players
minds in the last few years which has lead to the "revolution" that has
reaped with the likes of the UEFA Cup just won by Galatasaray. Turkey
will now be even more confident of being successful in the European
Championships!

Alp Ayhan
alp.ayhan@virgin.net

Date	Home	Result	Away	Venue
05.09.1998	Turkey	3-0	N Ireland	Istanbul
10.10.1998	Turkey	1-0	Germany	Bursa
14.10.1998	Turkey	1-3	Finland	Istanbul
27.03.1999	Turkey	2-0	Moldova	Istanbul
05.06.1999	Finland	2-4	Turkey	Helsinki
04.09.1999	N Ireland	0-3	Turkey	Belfast
08.09.1999	Moldova	1-1	Turkey	Chisinau
09.10.1999	Germany	0-0	Turkey	Munich
13.11.1999*	Rep of Ireland	1-1	Turkey	Dublin
17.11.1999*	Turkey	0-0	Rep of Ireland	Bursa

* Indicates Playoff Matches

FRIENDLY
23.02.2000	Turkey	0-2	Norway	Istanbul