Fenerbahçe have had a tumultuous few years. From alleged involvement in the match-fixing scandal that rocked the country in 2011 to being suspended from UEFA competitions for two seasons and losing club legend Alex De Souza in rather unceremonious circumstances, the Yellow Canaries were rocked to the core.
“We have to adapt to the modern game,” Aykut Kocaman the architect of the post-2011 Fenerbahçe team said shortly after taking over. “We need midfielders, wingers and forwards who are a threat going forwards but also capable of defensive work. We are building a team that can run 120-125 km per-game, a team that can press together and which has a collective tactical understanding.”
Kocaman was a controversial figure who divided opinion on a number of issues, most notably the way in which he severed ties with former captain Alex de Souza. Kocaman’s reign saw Fenerbahçe reach the semi-finals of the 2012-13 Europa League, win the league title and the Turkish Cup. But his biggest legacy was modernising the team on the pitch and laying the foundations for a system which has outlived his reign at the club.
Change is often feared, there is even a phobia of change – metathesiophobia – so it is no surprise that a footballing revolutionary like Kocaman ruffled a few feathers. “This is a league where the likes of Joachim Löw, Frank Rijkaard, Bernd Schuster, Luis Aragones, Del Bosque were not considered good enough, maybe it is time to look in the mirror and realise we don’t give coaches time and we are scared of new ideas,” Kocaman famously said. The 49-year-old coach switched from the 4-2-3-1 system centred around Alex de Souza – a classic Brazilian No 10 - used by Fenerbahçe for years to a more team orientated 4-3-3.
The manner in which he got rid of club legend Alex was absolutely ruthless. “My eight years at Fenerbahçe came to an end in three minutes,” the former Brazil international famously said. The whole Alex saga descended into a PR disaster but ultimately it was a decision that had to be made at some stage – just a little more tactfully. Shifting from a side centred around an aging star to a team without major key players was essential. Fenerbahçe was built around Alex, Kocaman’s Fenerbahçe was built around the system.
Kocaman resigned in the summer of 2013 and was replaced by Ersun Yanal. The former Turkish national team manager continued Kocaman’s project, bringing in a few players but keeping the 4-3-3 setup and won the league title by a nine-point margin. Yanal has since been replaced by İsmail Kartal but this is very much still Kocaman’s side. Fenerbahçe managers post-Kocaman have followed the mantra if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Fenerbahçe went into the international window in joint first place with rivals Galatasaray. The Yellow Canaries owe much of their success to the dominance of their midfield. Fenerbahçe have kept more possession (57%) and lost the ball on average fewer times per game (9.9) than any other team. With the likes of Meireles, Alper Potuk, Belözoğlu, Topal, and Diego all competing for a place in midfield there is plenty of competition and options. The Yellow Canaries utilise their strength in depth to dominate possession with fluid passing. In fact only Galatasaray have completed more passes (486) than Fenerbahçe’s 480 this season.
Kartal demands his team defend as a collective, no other team has completed as many tackles per game as Fenerbahçe (20.4). What stands out most is the assiduous nature of the attacking based players. Winger Dirk Kuyt and striker Moussa Sow have completed more successful tackles per-game – 2.2, 0.9, respectively - than defender Michal Kadlec (0.5).
From an attacking sense, just as in midfield and defence, Fenerbahçe have depth. There’sa choice of former Ligue 1 champion and goal king Moussa Sow, Nigerian international Emmanuel Emenike and experienced forward Pierre Webo. Out wide Dirk Kuyt is usually accompanied by Emenike or Potuk. Fenerbahçe have had the most shots 5.9 shots on goal and have not been overly reliant on any one forward – all have scored this season.
Full-backs Caner Erkin and Gökhan Gönül’s contribution in the final third has also been important. Erkin, who got 14 assists last season, has setup two goals so far this campaign. The full-backs have helped contribute towards Fenerbahçe completing more crosses than any other team 26 and provided additional width when in the opposition final third.
It has not been all plane sailing, Fenerbahçe are joint first primarily because of their 100% home win record. If the league were solely determined on away form Fenerbahçe would be several rungs of ladder beneath their current position. The Yellow Canaries have just won once away from home this season. Fenerbahçe have hardly set the league alight and have had to grind out a few hard fought victories. What the reigning champions have demonstrated is that they can call on players’ experience, quality and know-how to get themselves out of tricky situations. It has not always been pretty but thus far it has been effective.
Managers last an average of seven months in the coaching carousel that is Turkish football and as a result rarely have any long-term impact. Kocaman is no longer at Fenerbahçe in a physical sense but his legacy is set to shape the way the Yellow Canaries play for the foreseeable future.
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