Trabzonspor in tricky test against Red-Blacks
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Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 17, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - After ending its four-week losing streak, Trabzonspor needs more wins to show that it is still a title contender in the Turkcell Super League. Tonight's game against Gençlerbirliği is going to be tough, not least because it is the last one before the Sivasspor clash next week.
Trabzonspor ended its recent run of poor form with a fine 4-1 victory over lowly Hacettepe last weekend but will needs more wins to prove its still a serious contender for the Turkcell Super League title.
Starting off the season in a fine fashion, Trabzonspor seemed to be enjoying a vein of form that looked like ending its 25-year title drought, however, its championship dreams suffered a serious knock in March with a string of performances that would be better off forgotten.
Following the 1-0 victory against Antalyaspor on the first day of last month, Trabzonspor slumped to two defeats and two draws to fall further behind league’s top spots. Before the start of March, Trabzonspor was second and only one point behind leader Sivasspor. Now it has not only lost second spot to Beşiktaş, it is also trailing the leader by six-points.
The Hacettepe game could not come at a better time for that matter. The league’s bottom dweller, which is 14 points behind the safety zone and has virtually lost all hopes of avoiding relegation, could not pose problems for Trabzonspor last Saturday. As the game ended 4-1 for the Black Sea side, it was not only good for getting three points after a month but it was crucial rebuilding the team’s confidence.
Small crisis
Croatian left back Hrvoje Cale said there was a small crisis but hoped that team was over it.
"First of all, we were unlucky in those games and secondly, we were not very effective in finishing," said Cale, who scored his debut goal for Trabzonspor against Hacettepe. "We could win all those games we lost 2-0, if we could score in half of our chances.
"That period was a small-time crisis. But generally speaking, we are in good condition."
Today’s game against Gençlerbirliği will show that either Trabzonspor is really over its dismal form or it was just an illusionary win over the weakest side of the division.
"This will be an important game," said Cale. "We will play a good side."
The Ankara side is one of the best performers of the second part of the season, as it managed 18 points from 11 matches in the new year, a remarkable number compared to Trabzonspor, who collected 16 during that period.
Fenerbahçe scored 16 points in that period, while Galatasaray has managed only 15. However, Gençlerbirliği is still feeling the heat of the relegation zone, as it is only five points clear. So, the Red-Blacks will try to get at least a point at the Avni Aker Stadium, where Trabzonspor has failed to win a game since Feb. 6. "We need to take this game very seriously," said Cale, "because the following week we get to play at Sivasspor."
Danger ahead
This statement points to a danger that may be awaiting Trabzonspor today. Trabzon will play a game worthy of a cup final next week against the league leader, and there is a risk that players will have hard time concentrating on the game before that.
"We have seven games left in the season, and we need to take every one of them as serious as any other game," said Hasan Yener, the club’s general secretary. "It’s not right that people are already focusing on the Sivasspor game. We always should aim to win the first game ahead, and that is how we look at the Gençlerbirliği game.
"We are still in contention, and everybody should make sure that we will show the same amount of challenge until the very last moment of the last week of the league," Yener said.
Starting off the season in a fine fashion, Trabzonspor seemed to be enjoying a vein of form that looked like ending its 25-year title drought, however, its championship dreams suffered a serious knock in March with a string of performances that would be better off forgotten.
Following the 1-0 victory against Antalyaspor on the first day of last month, Trabzonspor slumped to two defeats and two draws to fall further behind league’s top spots. Before the start of March, Trabzonspor was second and only one point behind leader Sivasspor. Now it has not only lost second spot to Beşiktaş, it is also trailing the leader by six-points.
The Hacettepe game could not come at a better time for that matter. The league’s bottom dweller, which is 14 points behind the safety zone and has virtually lost all hopes of avoiding relegation, could not pose problems for Trabzonspor last Saturday. As the game ended 4-1 for the Black Sea side, it was not only good for getting three points after a month but it was crucial rebuilding the team’s confidence.
Small crisis
Croatian left back Hrvoje Cale said there was a small crisis but hoped that team was over it.
"First of all, we were unlucky in those games and secondly, we were not very effective in finishing," said Cale, who scored his debut goal for Trabzonspor against Hacettepe. "We could win all those games we lost 2-0, if we could score in half of our chances.
"That period was a small-time crisis. But generally speaking, we are in good condition."
Today’s game against Gençlerbirliği will show that either Trabzonspor is really over its dismal form or it was just an illusionary win over the weakest side of the division.
"This will be an important game," said Cale. "We will play a good side."
The Ankara side is one of the best performers of the second part of the season, as it managed 18 points from 11 matches in the new year, a remarkable number compared to Trabzonspor, who collected 16 during that period.
Fenerbahçe scored 16 points in that period, while Galatasaray has managed only 15. However, Gençlerbirliği is still feeling the heat of the relegation zone, as it is only five points clear. So, the Red-Blacks will try to get at least a point at the Avni Aker Stadium, where Trabzonspor has failed to win a game since Feb. 6. "We need to take this game very seriously," said Cale, "because the following week we get to play at Sivasspor."
Danger ahead
This statement points to a danger that may be awaiting Trabzonspor today. Trabzon will play a game worthy of a cup final next week against the league leader, and there is a risk that players will have hard time concentrating on the game before that.
"We have seven games left in the season, and we need to take every one of them as serious as any other game," said Hasan Yener, the club’s general secretary. "It’s not right that people are already focusing on the Sivasspor game. We always should aim to win the first game ahead, and that is how we look at the Gençlerbirliği game.
"We are still in contention, and everybody should make sure that we will show the same amount of challenge until the very last moment of the last week of the league," Yener said.