Beşiktaş coach wary of a derby upset

With five weeks to go, Beşiktaş is breathing down the neck of leader Sivasspor, waiting for the central Anatolian side to slump. However, it needs to keep on winning, and Sunday’s home game against archrival Fenerbahçe should not be an exception for the Black Eagles if they want to win the title after six years of drought.

In a way, Beşiktaş could not take on Fenerbahçe at a better time. The Yellow Canaries have ended their season prematurely, after the goalless draw at Galatasaray. Fenerbahçe lost two consecutive games and is showing obvious signs that it has no intention of fighting for a higher spot in the league.
It may look like an easy fixture for Beşiktaş, but coach Mustafa Denizli does not see it that way.

When asked at a press conference last week, if the fact that Fenerbahçe is out of contention makes it easier for Beşiktaş, Denizli said that derbies are always meant to be difficult.

“It does not change anything at all," said the Turkish coach. "It doesn’t make a difference to big teams if they are in the race or not. This is a 100-year-old rivalry and it means a lot to both teams."

Past experience
"I know it very well because I experienced it at all those clubs," said Denizli, who is the only coach to have worked at all "big three" Turkish football clubs: Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş.

"We know that the real Fenerbahçe is not the one we saw Saturday," said Denizli, referring to Fener’s 2-1 loss at home to Ankaragücü. "We just want to take full advantage of playing at İnönü. If we want to make our way to the title, we have to do it."

Later this week, Denizli made another statement that he warned his players about the importance of the game.

“I want my players to play worthy of Beşiktaş football club,” said Denizli on the club’s official Web site. “Beşiktaş will win and continue its way.”

Beşiktaş stands one point behind Sivasspor, who is at the driving seat of the league, and given that, the derby game against Fenerbahçe will not be the last difficult game left in Beşiktaş’s fixture, but still, the Istanbul side believes that it is close to winning the title.

Speaking to the team’s official magazine, Beşiktaş captain İbrahim Üzülmez said that the team is in such a spirit that it is close to the one it had in 2003, when the Black Eagles clinched the league title in their centennial.

“Back then we had this united spirit and coach Mircea Lucescu said we were a good team and he believed in us in every meeting, and we have this in Denizli as well,” said the veteran left back. “Players started to understand that we could win the title. I see the same 2003 spirit today.”

The 35-year-old said if the team could continue its fine form, the title would be theirs.

“We are going pretty well but we should keep it that way,” he said. “If any member of the team does his best, we will win the league.”

Hours before Beşiktaş welcomes Fenerbahçe at the İnönü Stadium, leader Sivasspor will play one of its most difficult games this season, when it visits toughie Gaziantepspor.

After beating Trabzonspor 3-0 last Saturday, Sivasspor is close to winning its first-ever league title, but it should beat Gaziantepspor, which is known for its surprising victories.

Gaziantep beat Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor after dominant displays this year, but had some problems maintaining consistency as well. With its Portuguese coach Jose Couceiro, the team is known for fast-paced play with fine pass traffic, but it has to stop Sivasspor, Turkey’s best defending team.

Coach Bülent Uygun believes Sivasspor should cap its successful run with the league title.

“We should complete this successful season with the championship trophy,” said Uygun. “Then we will all be happy.”