The Turkish National Football Team, currently boasting perhaps its most talented generation ever, faces a significant issue. Of the 20 domestic strikers in our league, most are substitutes; apart from Umut Nayir, none are regular starters, and 4 have not played at all. The total number of goals scored by those who have played is just 7. Due to this situation, coach Montella has turned to unexpected tactics and names. In 10 of the 16 matches he has managed, he played Baris Alper, a natural winger, as a striker. In the remaining 6 games, the role was given once to Yusuf, Enes Unal, Kenan, Semih, Arda, and Umut Nayir.
The National Football Team, which reached the quarter-finals of the last European Championship and continues to lead Group 4 of UEFA Nations League B, has perhaps caught its most talented generation in history. In the squad that defeated Montenegro 1-0 the other day, 9 of the 23 players (Arda, Hakan, Orkun, Kerem, Ferdi, Kenan, Zeki, Bertug, Altay) play in Europe’s top leagues like England, Spain, Italy, and Portugal, while Merih stars in Saudi Arabia’s rising league.
DOES MONTELLA NOT LIKE ANY STRIKERS?
We have extremely talented, world-class players in the goalkeeper, defense, and midfield positions. However, it is also a fact that we are facing a serious crisis in the striker position. Of the two original strikers in the squad for the Montenegro match, Bertug Yildirim got a chance in the second half, while Semih Kilicsoy watched the entire 90 minutes from the bench. Seeing this situation in the National Team, we investigated whether this is the case with our clubs as well. Is Montella’s choice really this limited, or does he simply not like any of the strikers? The result is a worrying situation for Turkish football.
NO REGULAR STARTERS EXCEPT UMUT
In 13 out of 19 Super Lig teams, there are domestic strikers, but in 6 teams (Galatasaray, Hatayspor, Rizespor, Antalyaspor, Basaksehir, Eyupspor), this position is completely occupied by foreign players. The bad news doesn’t end there; most of the 20 domestic strikers in Super Lig teams are substitutes at their clubs, with only Konyaspor’s Umut Nayir regularly starting. Four of them haven’t even had a chance to play. And how many goals have they scored? The answer is grim: the total number of goals scored by 16 domestic strikers in all official matches is only 7.
BARIS WAS USED AS A STRIKER IN 10 OF 16 MATCHES
The fact that the domestic strikers in the National Team pool barely get a chance at their clubs, and when they do play, they fail to contribute sufficiently to the score, has led coach Vincenzo Montella to try surprise tactics and names. In 10 of the 16 matches Montella managed, he played Baris Alper Yilmaz, a natural winger, as a striker. In the other 6 matches, Yusuf Yazici, Enes Unal, Kenan Yildiz, Semih Kilicsoy, Arda Guler, and Umut Nayir were each given the role once.
DOMESTIC STRIKERS IN SUPER LIG TEAMS AND THEIR PERFORMANCE IN OFFICIAL MATCHES
• Fenerbahce: Cenk Tosun (5 matches-0 goals)
• Besiktas: Mustafa Hekimoglu (9 matches-1 goal)
• Trabzon: Enis Destan (8 matches-1 goal), Umut Bozok (2 matches-1 goal), Poyraz Yildirim (3 matches-0 goals)
• Goztepe: Kubilay Kanatsizkus (4 matches-0 goals)
• Kasimpasa: Sarp Yavrucu, Ali Demirel
• Samsun: Ercan Kara (3 matches-0 goals), Berhan Deniz
• Alanya: Serdar Dursun (7 matches-0 goals)
• Konya: Umut Nayir (8 matches-1 goal), Melih Bostan
• Sivas: Bekir Turac Boke (8 matches-0 goals)
• Kayseri: Talha Saricarslan (4 matches-0 goals)
• Gaziantep: Halil Dervisoglu (3 matches-0 goals), Ilker Karakas (4 matches-0 goals)
• Bodrum: Gokdeniz Bayrakdar (6 matches-0 goals), Celal Dumanli (6 matches-0 goals)
• Adana Demir: Yusuf Barasi (7 matches-3 goals)WHICH PLAYERS DID MONTELLA USE AS A STRIKER IN 16 MATCHES?
• Baris Alper Yilmaz: 10 matches (Croatia, Latvia, Wales, Italy, Georgia, Portugal, Czechia, Netherlands, Wales, Iceland)
• Yusuf Yazici (Germany)
• Enes Unal (Hungary)
• Kenan Yildiz (Austria)
• Semih Kilicsoy (Poland)
• Arda Guler (Austria)
• Umut Nayir (Iceland)•This list includes players who started as strikers in Montella’s first 11, excluding substitutes.
