Team Focus: Will Bilic's Besiktas Quartet Fire Them Past Liverpool & to the Title?

"Besiktas have good players, a good front four with Demba Ba at the top of it," Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was quoted as saying ahead of the Europa League Round of 32 clash against the Black Eagles.

Slaven Bilic’s side are involved in a tight three-horse race at the top of the table, with only two points separating themselves and third placed Galatasaray. The Eagles have not been playing their best football over the past few weeks but they have been able to grind out wins thanks in part to their attacking quartet.

The former Croatian national team manager has rotated his team throughout the season but finally seems content with his current attacking set-up. Argentinian attacking midfielder Jose Sosa pulls the strings in the middle while Gökhan Töre and Olcay Şahan occupy the wings. The attack is spearheaded, as Rodgers observed, by former Chelsea striker Demba Ba.

Ba has been in prolific form since completing his £5.2 million move from Chelsea in the summer. The Senegalese international has settled in remarkably fast and is well on course to becoming a cult legend among the Beşiktaş faithful.

The forward has already managed to put away 22 goals in all competitions this season and shattered his previous personal best of 19 goals in a campaign. Ba also broke the Eagles record for the most goals scored by a single player in European competition. The powerful striker has scored five times in his last five league starts and has averaged a 7.99 rating from WhoScored.com over this time period. Ba’s recent goals have been crucial for the Eagles, with the 29-year-old netting the winning goal in their last three league games.

The Senegalese striker has been deadly in front of goal but he has had the luxury of excellent service. José Sosa had started the season as second choice to Oğuzhan Özyakup but it soon became apparent that he posed a far greater threat in the final third.

Bilic demands all his players work assiduously and put in a defensive shift regardless of their position. Sosa has averaged more tackles (1.8) and interceptions (0.9) per game combined than any other central attacking midfielder in the Süper Lig.

The Argentinian has the creativity to open up most defences in the league and has the ability to find passes in the tightest of spaces. Sosa has a rather unremarkable five assists and three goals for the Black Eagles this season but he has only made 12 starts due to a series of injury problems. The 29-year-old adds a touch of refinement to a no-frills midfield.

Sosa also brings experience to a youthful side comprised of players that have yet to win a lot of silverware. The Argentinian has a wealth of European experience and was part of the Atletico Madrid side that won La Liga and reached the Champions League final last season.

Ba can count on quality delivery from Sosa but he also has great support on the flanks. The Black Eagles very own bad boy Gökhan Töre has really lived up to his image in the past with misdemeanours ranging from hanging out with shady gun-toting characters, to brawls with international teammates.

Töre finally wants to put the past behind him and get his career back on track. The former Chelsea academy player has enjoyed stints at HSV and Rubin Kazan but has really started to live up to his billing under the command of Bilic.

The fiery winger is undoubtedly a very talented player. Töre has always had a reputation as being a great dribbler of the ball and currently tops the dribbling charts in the Süper Lig (2.3 per game). The 23-year-old has always been able to beat his man but lacked the awareness and decision making to put it to much use.

Under Bilic the flamboyant winger has improved this aspect of his game. Töre has become a far more productive player, in fact he has already broken his previous goal scoring and assist record – with 6 goals and 7 assists across the league and Europa League this season. The Turkish international has started attracting interest from England as well as Spain and it would not be a surprise to see him linked with a number of high-profile clubs in the summer.

On the left-flank Olcay Şahan has been battling to keep his place from 20-year-old Kerim Frei. Şahan is still Bilic’s first choice primarily because of his defensive attributes and hard-working nature. Frei may be better technically but he will need to improve his work rate if he really wants to win Bilic over.

Şahan does not have the best pass accuracy (76.3%) and is not the most polished player but he does make intelligent runs and get into dangerous positions. The Turkish international already has 6 goals and 5 assists across the league and Europa League this season and has a tendency to score important goals in the last 10 minutes of games.

The Beşiktaş attacking quartet have scored 39 goals between them in all competitions, with Bilic’s fantastic four having contributed to 64% of the Eagles’ total of 61 goals this season. The Croatian manager is also fortunate to have the likes of Frei, Özyakup, Mustafa Pektemek and Cenk Tosun trying to work their way into the team. The Eagles are currently top of the league but Bilic will need his first choice attackers to keep firing on all cylinders in what is shaping up to be the tightest title race in years.

Will Besiktas win this season's Super Lig and can they beat Liverpool en route to European glory? Let us know in the comments below