PlayBeautiful

Break Down of Galatasaray's Game Plan vs. Beşiktaş

Lineups:

GS: Muslera, Sabri, Semih, Hakan, Telles, Melo, Selçuk, Hamit, Sneijder, Yasin, Burak

BJK: Günay, Serdar, Atınç, Sivok, Opare, Kerim, Necip, Tolgay, Atiba, Sosa, Ba

The competition in the Super Lig is truly unmatched this season. To further intensify the competitive nature, Galatasaray and Beşiktaş faced off in the penultimate game of the season. Galatasaray didn’t let the pressure get to them as they stepped up to the plate, the 4th star within their reach. The maturity of their performance was reflected in the game plan.

One major part of Galatasaray’s strategy was the organization of their defense. Beşiktaş would play the ball out wide and then cross it in order to take advantage of the space behind the defense. Beşiktaş wanted to play as close as possible to Galatasaray’s defense while pushing them into the box. As a result, Galatasaray were forced to drop back and stay compact. Since Demba Ba is very clever slipping past defenders, the centerbacks (Semih-Hakan) stayed close together to prevent him from running into space. Beşiktaş would initially use diagonal balls in the center of the pitch to bypass Galatasaray’s midfield and then create width to quickly move the ball. An extra layer of defense was added by Melo and Selçuk sitting in front of it. This prevented Ba and Sosa from easily roaming into space in front of goal, but also create room for Sneijder to operate on transitions. Another feature of Galatasaray’s defensive organization was that it offered flexibility. For example, Galatasaray used a 3-man back line to initiate the first phase of the attack [Exhibit 1].

With Telles supporting the attack, Beşiktaş took the opportunity to exploit Galatasaray’s left side. However, this did not pose a huge problem since the 3-man backline was able to stretch across the pitch covering dangerous areas. Also, Sneijder or Yasin would help the fullbacks retrieve the ball on the touchlines.

This leads to the execution of Galatasaray’s attack. The Lions utilized the flanks to create room for the attack to advance forward. Galatasaray’s first goal, courtesy of Yasin, demonstrated a combination of quick reaction time and composure. Breaking down the build-up to Yasin’s goal, Melo was seen assessing his options. Beşiktaş players were keeping an eye on Melo, so Yasin was left open. Melo saw Yasin was unmarked and Selçuk edged back to create space for Melo’s pass. Yasin recognized where Melo will play the ball, so he ran into a clear line of pass [Exhibit 2].


The long, diagonal ball from Melo was received by Yasin and a Beşiktaş defender was pulled out of position trying to close down Yasin. The tackle wasn’t enough to dispossess Yasin as he reacted quickly to play the ball forward. By slightly applying his body weight to the right, Yasin escaped a second tackle. The initial shot was saved by Günay, but Yasin read where the ball was going and swiftly finished the follow-up shot [Exhibit 3].

Since February 16 Yasin Öztekin has been involved in 8 league goals this season (4 goals, 4 assists); the most from any Galatasaray player. Besides scoring goals, Yasin shows that as a valuable player he is able to do more than that. For instance, by tracking Telles’ movement on the ball, Yasin once again exploited the space left open and anticipated a cross into the opposition box [Exhibit 4].

The turnaround Galatasaray has done this season was evident in this match and appreciated by the fans. The grueling preparations done by Hamza Hamzaoğlu and his technical staff have paid off as the exciting race for the 2014/15 Spor Toto Süper Lig comes to an end.


Written by: Goral Patel