Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced this Wednesday that it will enact a new foreign players limits in Turkish football. According to the new system, the number of foreign players in a club’s roster and match squad will decrease gradually. Currently the limit is having only 14 foreign players in total, but there is no limit on the number in a match squad. Nevertheless, from next year on, the total number of foreign players playing in a game will be limited to eight. Eventually in 2022/2023 season, the total number of foreign players a club can have will drop to ten, while the ones that can play at the same time will drop to 5.

So, as you can guess, this new regulation caused lots of eyebrows to raise, and almost no one in the Turkish football community made a statement that backs up the new regulations. Honestly, it is hard to disagree with people who protest the new regulation since not only is the reasoning behind it flawed, but also the execution is terrible. Teams made many three-to-four year contracts with foreign players at the beginning of this season and in the winter break, and now, out of the blue, they are told that cannot use some of their foreign players in the future anymore. Furthermore, they will not be able to use some of them each week and force teams to pay players just to stay on the bench. Thus, it is obvious that the method and timing of the new regulation does not help administration of the clubs, which are already in a tough position.

However, the mentality behind the new system is even more problematic than the execution, and it has been proven not only to be ineffective but also harmful countless times in the history of Turkish football. In the last decade, the foreign players limit has been changed several times, and each time it gave the same results: restricting foreign players does not create new Turkish talents. On the contrary, in the last four years in which teams could have 14 foreign players, talents like Ozan Kabak, Cengiz Ünder, Çağlar Söyüncü, Yusuf Yazıcı, Merih Demiral and Cenk Tosun proved themselves and went to Europe. The foreign players limit made things only worse since clubs were obligated to have mediocre, spoiled native players who knew that their place was secured by the regulation. Therefore, it is clear that the foreign players limit and the production of new talents have a negative correlation. The negative consensus among the Turkish football community shows that this new regulation is flawed and unnecessary in all aspects because it tries to solve a deep, chronic issue with a cliché, outdated method that has proven to be wrong. You cannot simply produce more talent by preventing foreign players to come to your country. Talents are produced in the academies, which receive almost no attention or investment from the elites of football. The way to have more talented Turkish players is to first give them proper football education and then put them into a competition among players from all around the world. Otherwise, limiting the number of foreign players would just create a financial bubble for Turkish players.

There were four possible championship contenders until last week. Sivasspor botched a huge chance for the championship as they lost to Denizlispor at their home, while all of their rivals lost points. Galatasaray, on the other hand, entered the 29^th week of the Süper Lig eight points behind their rival for the week, İstanbul Başakşehir. The game, which was a must-win for Terim’s team, ended 1-1. These results meant that the title race is still on, but not for Galatasaray and Sivasspor anymore.

Now, the race is between Başakşehir with 60 points and Trabzonspor with 58 points. A win against Galatasaray would have made Başakşehir the clear favorites of the league, as Trabzonspor will play against Galatasaray this week. Nevertheless, Başakşehir not only lost two points, but also lost Edin Visca, Mahmut Tekdemir and Daniel Aleksic in their next game against Antalyaspor due to suspensions.

Even though Antalyaspor is in 9^th place, they managed beat Beşiktaş in İstanbul in the first week after the break. They are also a classic counter-attacking team like Ankaragücü, the team came close to beating Başakşehir two weeks earlier. Especially without Visca and Aleksic, it will be a real test for Başakşehir to prove their tactical depth. If Okan Buruk’s team loses points in a week where Trabzonspor plays Galatasaray, they may lose the confidence they won in the last three weeks.

Trabzonspor’s slight advantage will be playing against a demoralized Galatasaray. Although Terim’s team still can get a champions league ticket and Trabzonspor’s possible ban from European competitions make the third spot very tempting, Galatasaray lost a significant portion of their thrust last week. The team gave its best against Başakşehir, but the absence of crucial players alongside with Başakşehir’s resilience broke their will.

However, if Trabzonspor cannot come-up with a better defensive strategy, this situation may backfire as well. Hüseyin Çimşir’s team lost twenty-two points in ten games where they could not hold on to their lead. This signals that there is a big problem with defensive organizations and actions. Even though Galatasaray lacks lots of its crucial players, they are still a capable team as their performance against Başakşehir shows. If Trabzonspor leaves enough time and space to Terim’s team, the results might be very bitter for the Black Sea Storm. As tensions rise towards the end of the Süper Lig, this week will be another milestone in the championship race. If Trabzonspor or Başakşehir gets the advantage, I do not think they will lose it again. Another crucial week awaits the Süper Lig.

As we enter the third week of the last eight weeks of the Süper Lig, the most crucial game in this quasi-tournament has arrived. The Süper Lig’s leader İstanbul Başakşehir will host Galatasaray, whose championship hopes cannot survive a defeat. Başakşehir enters this week with 59 points and Galatasaray follows the leader eight points behind, which means a potential Başakşehir win will widen the gap to eleven points with five games to go. Thus, the pressure will be on Galatasaray’s side, as Başakşehir would be happy with a draw.

However, Galatasaray’s needs and abilities are not yet aligned in the 29^th week of the season. The loss of critical players like goalkeeper Fernando Muslera and center back Marcao has hit the defensive performance hard. Galatasaray conceded only five goals in nine games in the Süper Lig between January and March, but it has already conceded that number in the last two games in June. 

Galatasaray has become a team that easily gives away opportunities to its opponents, mainly because the team is no longer moving as a whole in space. After two months of individual training or no training at all, Galatasaray has seemingly lost its collective action patterns. This affects both offense and defense, but since Galatasaray’s squad quality is worse on the defensive side, it is harder to cover for this with individual quality. Players give more time and space to their opponents, which is what counterattacking teams need the most.

In their last game against Gaziantep FK, Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim tried a different strategy to compensate defensive problems. He positioned Younes Belhanda right next to Jean Michael Seri, where Mario Lemina normally plays. This caused additional problems in defense as the Algerian offensive midfielder does not have the basic defensive skills. Although the team had numerous opportunities and scored three goals, they also conceded three goals and lost crucial two points. Apparently focusing on scoring more than conceding less has not offered the remedy to defensive problems.

Unfortunately for Terim, Başakşehir is one of the most dangerous in the league when it comes to transitioning from defense to offense. Although center back Ryan Donk’s and defensive midfielder Mario Lemina’s return to their original positions against Başakşehir will be an advantage for Galatasaray, it might not be enough. Başakşehir’s transition game shines against attacking, proactive opponents, just like how Galatasaray played against Gaziantep FK. They usually have troubles against teams like themselves, who play more reactively and leave less space for their opponents. That is why this week Başakşehir had serious problems against purely counterattacking Ankaragücü, who is at the bottom of the league. Therefore, there is no doubt that Galatasaray needs a unique approach against Başakşehir, as almost all parameters are in favor of the league leaders. Terim needs to prove his tactical expertise once again if he wants his team to stay in the championship race. If they can win, another victory against Trabzonspor just a week after might bring them back to the top. Nevertheless, if Galatasaray cannot win this game, it would be safe to cross the club off the list for the title race.

Competition is the reason why we love football, the sine qua non of this beautiful game. If one side keeps winning, we lose interest because no one wants to watch a game or a league where the result is already determined. Not even the most radical idealist, who see perfection in an always winning strategy, can maintain his ideals without any opposition. The irony of football is that being flawless is simply bad, it kills the meaning of the game which is the reason why we play football in the first place. In an era where the gap between super-rich clubs and others are widening, competitive spirit is perhaps the most important asset a league can have, and Turkish Süper Lig is by far the most competitive league in Europe right now.

Istanbul Başakşehir leads the league with 59 points followed by Trabzonspor with 57 points, Sivasspor with 53 points and Galatasaray with 51 points. Apart from the Belarussian Premier League, which is still in the middle of its season, there is no league in Europe other than Süper Lig where four teams are in the championship race. After them come other big guns of the league like Beşiktaş and Alanyaspor, chasing the last potential Europa League spot. Combined with the bottom of the league where eight teams try to stay out of relegation zone, almost all teams in Süper Lig has entered the last eight weeks of the season with a clear goal. Thus, the first two weeks after the break was full of surprises, comebacks, red cards and most importantly, tight competition.

Galatasaray, for many the favorites of the championship race, lost shockingly against Çaykur Rizespor in the relegation zone and then lost two points in a home game against Gaziantep FK. Fenerbahçe made an unbelievable comeback with ten men in the final minutes against Kayserispor but then lost to Kasımpaşa. Beşiktaş lost unexpectedly against Antalyaspor at their home then beat Denizlispor with 5 goals and Sivasspor managed to get a 1-0 win against Denizlispor just three points above the relegation zone but could not beat Konyaspor.

The following weeks will be even more intense, especially for the championship race, as Galatasaray will play against İstanbul Başakşehir and Trabzonspor in a row. The fate of the league will be determined probably in those two games, as the team which gets the most will also get a huge morale boost.

Still, all four teams in the championship race have their unique strengths which make the following weeks even more interesting. Trabzonspor still leads the league thanks to the phenomenal performance of their striker, Alexander Sörloth, who scored 27 goals in 42 games this season. İstanbul Başakşehir, the team which has almost no fans, has the best chance it has ever had as they are the most experienced team to play with no fans. Sivasspor has the easiest schedule compared to its rivals, and the expectations from them are lower than other teams which puts less stress on the team. Finally, Galatasaray, even though losing their great goalkeeper Fernando Muslera to a tragic injury, still has the most experienced manager in the league, Fatih Terim. Trabzonspor and Başakşehir might seem to have the upper hand, but it is still too early to talk decisively.

On the other hand, even though the quality of the games suffer from the lack of pre-season camps and fans, Turkish Süper Lig still has that nostalgic competitive spirit unlike the big leagues of Europe, where strongest teams always dominate others. Added to that, since teams rely more on individual talent to compensate their physical and tactical deficiencies, there is always room for surprise in the top level of Turkish football. Despite the worsening financial status and poor administrative practices, football in Turkey still has a great potential as it has the most important element in football, competition.