EURO 2021 analysis: Turkey can go far, has a good defence and a striking attack

Turkey is one of the hidden favourites for Euro 2021. They have a good defence, a decent midfield and a goal scoring attack. However, it will face an unpredictable group with Italy, Wales and Switzerland.

Goalkeepers: Altay Bayındır (Fenerbahçe), Uğurcan Çakır (Trabzonspor), Mert Günok (İstanbul Başakşehir)

The goalkeeper pairing is rotated. The number one should be Uğurcan Çakır, given that he caught key matches against the Netherlands and Norway in the World Cup qualifiers, and the number two should be Mert Günkok.

Defenders: Kaan Ayhan (Sassuolo), Zeki Çelik (LOSC Lille), Merih Demiral (Juventus), Ozan Kabak (Liverpool), Umut Meraş (Le Havre), Mert Müldür (Sassuolo), Çağlar Söyüncü (Leicester), Rıdvan Yılmaz (Beşiktaş)

The Turks have their stoppers sorted out for a few years ahead. A trio of quality players are fighting for two spots in the starting line-up. The only certainty is Caglar Syoncu, a Leicester City mainstay with excellent playmaking and reliable defending.

Either Ozan Kabak or Merih Demiral will start alongside him. According to the Turkish media, the Juventus defender is currently closer to the starting line-up, having played two of the three preliminary games and looked confident.

Zeki Celik is likely to sharpen the right side. He shone in a Lille jersey, helping to the title with three goals and three assists. The left-back position belongs to Umut Meraş. The talented Mert Müldür from Sassuolo could come off the bench.

Midfielders: Taylan Antalyalı (Galatasaray), Hakan Çalhanoğlu (AC Milan), Halil Dervişoğlu (Brentford), İrfan Can Kahveci (Fenerbahçe), Orkun Kökçü (Feyenoord), Abdülkadir Ömür (Trabzonspor), Dorukhan Toköz (Beşiktaş), Ozan Tufan (Fenerbahçe), Okay Yokuşlu (West Brom)

Turkish national team coach Şenol Güneş usually sets up his team in a 4-1-4-1 system, with the team shifting to a 4-4-2 formation when going on the attack.

The defensive midfielder position has Okay Yokuslu under his wing. He has come on leaps and bounds at West Bromwich and has made a good case for a starting line-up at the Euros. They call him the Turkish Kanté and it is a fact that he oscillates and fights on the pitch for the whole ninety minutes.

Above Yokuslu, a pair of slightly more offensive-minded players come in. Ozan Tufan is a national team seasoned player who has also helped Turkey with four goals in the recent past, Yusuf Yazıcı has had a successful year in Lille, Sparta fans will surely still remember his hat-trick.

Right winger is a very specific position in the Turkish national team. The player who plays here rotates with Yazici (offensive midfielder). From time to time they completely swap positions, which is true for the opponent’s defences. The most frequent players here are (on the club scene) Kenan Karaman or Cengiz Under.

The other side belongs to the national team’s offensive star Hakan Calhanoglu from AC Milan. He is in charge of all standard situations and the team is basically unimaginable without him.

Forwards: Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Galatasaray), Kenan Karaman (Fortuna Düsseldorf), Enes Ünal (Getafe), Cengiz Ünder (Leicester), Yusuf Yazıcı (LOSC Lille), Burak Yılmaz (LOSC Lille)

The spearhead striker position is clear. Who else but the author of eighteen goals in the Lille jersey Burak Yilmaz would deserve this position. Moreover, he is the leader of the team and he is also in great form for the national team (he has scored four goals in the last four games he has been in the starting line-up).

Key success factors: The atmosphere in the team and the mood of Demiral

Turkey has paid the price for the mood in the team several times, and not only in football. In its selections, it sometimes happens that certain team members do not get along and their disagreements then lead to poor team results.

Demiral definitely has the potential to be a TOP stopper. But what he has a problem with is behaviour. He gets unnecessary yellow cards for provocation and has received four red cards at club level in the last four seasons. And he’s only played 62 games. If he doesn’t want to bring his teammates down, he needs to keep a check on his emotions.

Prediction: Eighth place

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