Gursel Aksel Should Be the National Team Stadium

Its capacity might not be 50,000, but the fans are incredibly passionate. The national team should play in Izmir more often.

It was exactly 30 years ago. In the winter of 1994, the opponent was again Iceland, in Istanbul. They were tough and resilient back then too. Their striker was another Gudjohnsen (the grandfather of the striker who played yesterday). Our national team was led by a passionate coach: Fatih Terim. He was brave and had built a bright, youthful squad. Of course, the spark for this transformation was first ignited by Şenes Erzik and Sepp Piontek. But that day, Terim and the 14 fantastic players he sent onto the field beat Iceland 5-0, firmly placing Turkey on the European football map. Eight of the 14 players who played that day were under 25 years old. That young group, with the spark they ignited, took Turkey to its first-ever European Championship two years later. Almost the same group, in their prime, would go on to achieve third place in the World Cup.

KEREM COULD HAVE SCORED FIVE GOALS

Our 2024 team is just like the 1994 group — young and full of passion. At the helm of the national team is a hungry coach who can be considered at the beginning of his managerial career. Montella’s performance in Cardiff was poor; after a dreadful first half, he should have subbed 2-3 players by the 46th minute. However, in Izmir, our national team played a game to be proud of. Especially in the first hour, we were excellent at building up from the back. Our two center-backs and Hakan did a great job switching the play with long-range passes. Arda, in the number 10 role, was like a maestro. We were also excellent at regaining possession after incomplete attacks, with our center-backs pushing up to the 60th meter and, along with İsmail, intercepting numerous passes. The star of the night, Kerem, scored three superb goals and, with a bit of luck, could have scored five. However, what pleased me the most was our full-backs’ passing choices. I loved how Mert and Eren opted for deliberate passes along the ground instead of blind crosses on every overlap.

20,000 PROUD CITIZENS

Yesterday, at Gürsel Aksel Stadium, 20,000 proud citizens fired up our players with chants of “Long Live Mustafa Kemal Pasha.” Gürsel Aksel may not have a 50,000 capacity, but the fans are incredibly passionate and influential. I believe the national team should play in Izmir more often. In fact, with this energy, Gürsel Aksel could easily become the national team’s stadium.