GALATASARAY IS ON ANOTHER LEVEL
Osman Şenher: "It is not easy, you play four tough matches in two Champions Leagues and two Super Leagues and win all of them. The football you play is at a high level. Last night's opponent is Amed Sportive Activities. The team that came second in this league. They are a solid team. Their place in the rankings is definitely not a coincidence.
You are ahead 3-0 in this match, on a disgraceful ground. When fatigue sets in in the second half, you concede ridiculous goals. The important thing is to win and get three points. If you can do this, then you are successful. Both Okan Hodja and the players should be applauded.
When you look at the football on the field, Galatasaray is a whole. Cooperation, players getting into each other's ranks, these are all images above the Super League. Those who accept it do, those who don't don't. A striker like Osimhen had surgery on the match day yesterday, but if you can still go out and score 4 goals, this should be respected.
Batrakov was also involved in 2 goals. But it is obvious that he is tired. He still did useful work. But it wasn't like the Stuttgart match. Leao wants to play, he is a football player with excellent technique, he takes good shots, he passes his opponent as if walking, he also scored a goal last night, and then he made a heel pass and got injured. In my opinion, this was due to the ground.
Lemina, Torreira as always... They especially ran hard against Amed last night. But consecutive matches shake them too. I have no say in the first 45 minutes, but in the second half their tempo slows down and they make mistakes. As important as Osimhen is a football player, Abdülkerim is equally important. On the days when the experienced defender does not play, the yellow-reds have difficulty making plays.
After all, going into the national break, defeating the second team in the league and maintaining its leadership is a great success."
CIMBOM WITH HIS HABIT AND DESIRE TO EARN
Güntekin Onay: "Winning against a strong rival like Amedspor before the national break and staying at the top without losing points was almost doping for Galatasaray.
While Galatasaray beat Amedspor, the league's top scorer team in the absence of Victor Osimhen, it gained a valuable 3 points even though it faltered a lot, especially in the second half. Amedspor has a very talented offensive line. Especially Dia Saba and Gift Orban have the features that can change the score at any time. It was important for Galatasaray, tired of the busy match schedule, to score an early goal in this match. As a matter of fact, it happened. The ball won by Lucas Torreira with front-field pressure and the perfect pass he gave to Rafael Leao made the match 1-0 in the 7th minute. Galatasaray, who got behind the ball after 1-0, found the transition opportunity it was looking for in a position where it caught Amedspor 4 to 1, but could not result in a goal.
AMEDSPOR ACCELERATED WHEN DIAGNE RELEASED
Goalkeeper Alban Lafont slapped the ball that Batrakov had crossed at the end of the first half, and the host Galatasaray went into the dressing room leading by 2 points.
In the second half, Amedspor Coach Besnik Hasi removed the now clumsy Mbaye Diagne, whom he had never started in the starting 11 and used as a mover, and returned to his own game order and increased the speed of his team. However, after a 3-0 away game like Galatasaray, many teams throw in the towel.
3 POINTS WORTH GOLD
Although Dia Saba and Gift Orban made it 3-2 with goals, Barış Alper Yılmaz pulled the plug on the match with a header after a stylish cross from Gabriel Sara, who entered the game and added excitement.
While there is no superstar like Victor Osimhen, Galatasaray's win despite conceding 3 goals from Amedspor at home in this tight match schedule is worth gold for the yellow-reds.
"Winning against such a strong opponent before the international break and staying at the top without losing points was almost doping for Galatasaray."
THE OKAN-EMRE-SUAT FEELING WHILE WATCHING TORREIRA-BATRAKOV
Uğur Meleke: "When we went to Rams Park last night, Galatasaray had an average of 2.5 points per match and Amed had an average of 2.3 points. An average of 2.5 points makes you a champion in 90 of 100 seasons, and 2.3 makes you a champion in eighty of 100 seasons. It was obvious that it would be a tough fight, that is, even before the kick-off was made.
Both coaches had to go beyond their main settings yesterday due to two critical deficiencies: Okan Buruk put Barış Alper at the end in Osimhen's absence, and evaluated Leao on the left. When Leao was injured and left, Deniz took charge at the far end and Barış played on the left this time.
Besnik Hasi, on the other hand, tinkered a little more with his team's usual settings. In Ballet's absence, he turned to 4-3-1-2 and started with double center forward Orban-Diagne in front of Saba. I think this model did not work. Davinson defended Orban very well, especially in the first half. Diagne remained very still. And we watched an unusually slow Amed for 45 minutes.
Besnik Hasi returned to his natural settings, 4-2-3-1, at the beginning of the second half. Sor moved to the left side and Krasniqi moved to the right side. Diyarbakır team has regained its familiar appearance of moving the ball better and going faster. Saba got free in the center and scored a superb free kick goal. Yira Sor brought movement to the left wing. However, their positive efforts in the second half were not enough to get points from Istanbul.
8 MATCHES 7 WINS IN ONE MONTH
Galatasaray played 8 tough matches in the last month and won seven of them, except Barcelona. They enter the national break as leaders in the league and in a very advantageous position for the top 24 in the Champions League.
We probably wouldn't be unfair to anyone if we say that Batrakov and Torreira stood out with their performances not only last night, but throughout this month as a whole. From time to time, when I see both the defensive efforts and quickness of the short players in Galatasaray's midfield, Torreira, Batrakov and Yunus, I inevitably think of the Okan-Emre-Suat trio of the late 90s.
"In an age where football is becoming more athletic and physical every day, while everyone is calculating long players and set pieces, this short and quick team of Galatasaray makes a difference, especially technically."
VERY COMFORTABLE WITH BATRAKOV
Bülent Timurlenk: "The number of matches Galatasaray can test in the Super League with its intensity in the match against Stuttgart is counted on the fingers of one hand. Yes, one of the fingers of that hand is Amed, who scored the most goals in the league, scored the most goals from outside the penalty area, and overtook the arch-rivals of the yellow-red team in the scoreboard with his transition attacks and an athletic squad. Okan Buruk and his students had a difficult job twice. 1- To defeat Amed, 2- To overthrow the management that presented this terrible ground to the team and cursed within 4 walls. Galatasaray, who scored an early goal under the leadership of Leao while Barış was ahead in the absence of Osimhen, did not give the opponent the opportunity to pass, and went into the half comfortably with Batrakov's cross goal. The breaking point of the second half was Leao's injury and the changes made by Amed's coach Besnik Hasi. 3-0 is a very sure sign to get the three points. But Okan Buruk also has 3-0's and 3-3's in his past. Galatasaray was shaken when Amed scored two goals in a short time.
Torreira had played magnificently and was exhausted, and Yunus had exhausted his battery. What came next was what contribution those coming from the bench would make to the team. If Sara's cross and Barış's header had not doubled the difference, Galatasaray could have lost points. Amed showed why he is a follower of the leader by scoring three goals at RAMS Park. There are football players and coaches, although they are rare. My suggestion to the Galatasaray community is that Okan Buruk continues as president & coach. "If this happens, at least Okan Buruk will not have to defeat his own management every week."
