TURKS SEEK 2ND WIN IN AS MANY QUALIFIERS
Today’s Zaman
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Sept 10 2008
Turkey
Turkey coach Fatih Terim has set clear targets for his team in their
2010 World Cup Group 5 qualifiers: 12 maximum points from the first
four games.
The Turks have their first maximum points in the bag after shutting
out Armenia 2-0 in Yerevan on Saturday, with second-half goals by
strikers Tuncay Å~^anlı and Semih Å~^enturk. Now Terim’s men will
be aiming for their second maximum points when they host Belgium in
Ä°stanbul this evening.
The no-nonsense Terim is someone who backs up words with action and so
his players have been practicing nonstop in order to make their coach’s
"12 maximum-point" prophecy come true. But injuries are once again
a headache for Terim: Attacking midfielder Gökdeniz Karadeniz has
been dropped from the squad, while doctors are exerting all efforts
to make striker Mevlut Erdinc, workhorse Mehmet Aurelio and defender
Hakan Kadir Balta fit before match time.
As a matter of fact, top "goal-misser" Mevlut, who squandered several
incredible chances in front of the goal against Armenia on Saturday,
will not be missed at all if he is not fielded. Mevlut should
rightfully take his place on the bench and remain there as long as
it takes until he realizes that the paramount duty of a striker is
to score goals, not to miss them.
Master tactician Terim is also a coach who does his team selection
depending on the strength of the opponent, and it is no wonder he led
Turkey to the semifinals of Euro 2008 in June. Tuncay and Semih, the
two scorers in Yerevan on Saturday, are very likely to play side by
side upfront. Kazım and Arda Turan, as usual, will be taking care
of the flanks and also lending support to the attacking force and
midfield whenever necessary.
Undergrad Servet Cetin, who enrolled in a four-year physical education
program at Ä°stanbul University on Monday, should really be in high
spirits as he masterminds the defense this evening.
Bragging Belgian coach
The Belgians also got off to a winning start in Group 5 on Saturday,
though they were pushed to the limit by tiny Estonia before battling
to a hard-fought 3-2 victory at the Maurice Dufrasne Stadium in
Liege. The team and officials arrived in Ä°stanbul on Monday and
the players went straight into a training session at the Fenerbahce
Dereagzı Facilities.
On Tuesday the players trained at the Fenerbahce Saracoglu Stadium,
where this evening’s match will take place. And Belgium coach Rene
Vandereycken was already gloating as if edging out European minnow
Estonia on home turf is anything to brag about: "We came to Ä°stanbul
in an optimistic mood," he said. "We have three points in our pockets
and are looking for three more today. If we can keep up the pressure
and momentum we can beat even Spain, let alone Turkey," he added.
What Vandereycken does not understand is that Belgian soccer has been
in something of a steady decline over the years, and this is a problem
that cannot be corrected overnight. Gone are the days when players
like Luc Nilis, Emile Mpenza, Marc Wilmots and Bart Goor used to be
household names in Europe.
Turkey, the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2008 semifinalist and currently
ranked 10th by FIFA, has enough ammo to take any bull by the horns,
including Belgium. And Terim summed it all up over the weekend when
he said, "We have gained plenty of experience and we aim to become
world champions."
Elsewhere in Group 5 today, patience and intelligence are the
watchwords for Spain coach Vicente del Bosque ahead of their second
2010 World Cup qualifier against Armenia in Albacete today.
The European champions got off to a winning start on Del Bosque’s
competitive debut at the helm with a 1-0 victory over Bosnia in Group
Five on Saturday. But the Bosnians made it hard for the Spaniards,
crowding the midfield and defending in numbers, until striker David
Villa broke the deadlock in the 57th minute. More of the same can be
expected from Armenia today.
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