Players Made Instant Decisions in Türkiye

Müslüm Gülhan: Asensio'nun kulübede oturması, İsmail Kartal'ın mesleki donanımı açısından bir turnusol testiydi Turkish football commentator Müslüm Gülhan has criticized Fenerbahçe coach İsmail Kartal, saying the decision to leave Marco Asensio on the bench was a litmus test of his professional competence. Gülhan argued that Fenerbahçe, in a league dominated by two teams, has repeatedly finished second while Galatasaray has consistently won the title. He dismissed debates over points or goal difference as irrelevant.

The core issue, he said, is that Kartal lacks the principles needed to build his own coaching philosophy. Like Okan Buruk, he leaves all responsibility to the players on the pitch to get results, which Gülhan described as mere management, not coaching. Gülhan claimed Kartal has no tactical framework for half-space or zonal play, nor set-play principles for transitions between attack and defense.

He said presenting the coach's role as simply picking the starting eleven and making substitutions is incorrect, calling such an approach "arabesk" and lacking universal validity. In the latest match, the team's compactness at 40-50 meters prevented proper defensive setup, effective pressing, and quality passing. Players made instant decisions on the ball, wasting time and energy.

Without tactical cohesion to free up teammates, the team was left waiting for Greenwood's shot. Gülhan noted that while Kartal may have good personal relations with players like Kerem, İrfan Can, Cengiz, Çağlar, and İsmail, deciding who plays is a different matter. He stressed that playing and coaching are separate professions. With the club's budget reaching €430 million and an annual wage bill of about €170 million, Gülhan said this populist approach is causing great harm to Fenerbahçe, and also to Kartal himself.