When Italy lined up for the opening game of Euro 2020 at their own national stadium in Rome, continental excitement was at fever pitch, but not necessarily because of the home team. Their rivals that day were Türkiye, and a lot was expected. They were the dark horses who, spearheaded by recently crowned French champion Burak Yilmaz, would rock Europe and go deep into the Euros for the first time since their semi final appearance in 2008. Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing? Now, we all know that’s not exactly how it happened. Türkiye lost that game 3-0 and went on to lose to Wales and Switzerland as well for good measure. They scored one goal and left with more than a little embarrassment at the group
stage.
So, in 2024, everyone seems to have learned their lesson. Türkiye are, under no circumstances, allowed to be called the ‘dark horse.’ And, besides their dreadful outing three years ago, there are plenty of reasons to be apprehensive about this team.
Embed from Getty ImagesFirstly, let’s talk about their form because, quite frankly, it’s all over the place. Qualifying for these Euros with relative ease after losing only one match – a 2-0 defeat to Croatia – Türkiye looked positive right until the end of 2023. They finished the year unbeaten in four matches, a run including revenge against Croatia in the form of a 1-0 win and a very impressive 3-2 triumph over Germany in Berlin. Since then, however, it’s been all downhill.
That victory over Germany was all the way back in November and they haven’t won since. Eight months have passed since Türkiye last won a game of football, and they’ve had some dire outings in that time. Between their 6-1 hammering at the hands of Austria and their recent 2-1 loss to a Poland side which lost Robert Lewandowski after half an hour, their Euro preparations have been worrying to say the least.
But maybe an absence of the pressure which crippled them last time round will be beneficial. They’re playing poorly, but there are talented players in the squad: it’s not the side that crashed and burned in 2021.
One man who does remain, though, is Hakan Çalhanoğlu, who has transformed himself from a good attacking midfielder to a truly excellent holding midfielder. In terms of technique and footballing intelligence, there are virtually no players on earth who can rival him. He’s not going to take men on and he’s not going to do the dirty work; but he is going to dictate the tempo as a metronomic figure in the middle of the park. Without him, Inter wouldn’t have won Serie A so imperiously, and Türkiye would be a whole lot weaker.
Embed from Getty ImagesWith age, Çalhanoğlu has matured and slowed down. So, to make up for his lack of explosiveness, there will be another superstar making his tournament debut a little further up the pitch. Arda Güler’s first season at Real Madrid has been marred by horrible injury luck, but he found his feet just at the right time. With five goals in los Blancos’ last six domestic matches, the 19-year-old was a driving force in their 36th La Liga title. In terms of ability on the ball, there won’t be many in the tournament better than him. For many, this could be the first glimpse of a man who could dominate European football for years to come. But it’s far from a perfect squad. Çağlar Söyüncü, who the defence relies upon so often, misses out because of injury. There’s no talismanic figure up front akin to Yilmaz three years ago, either, especially with Bournemouth’s Enes Ünal also out injured. These are holes which could prove detrimental.
Manager Vincenzo Montella faced calls to resign after the dismal defeat to Austria back in March but is still the man leading Türkiye this summer – and what happens in Germany will almost certainly decide his future.
They have a good squad with big holes. They can be excellent when they want to be, but they don’t seem to want that right now. To top it off, they’re going into the tournament with memories of 2021 likely permanently engrained in the players’ psyches.
With clashes in Group F against 2016’s champions Portugal, Euro regulars Czechia and the underdogs of all underdogs Georgia, they do have a chance to progress if they play their cards right. But, with the way things have gone recently, they just don’t seem to have that magic touch.
Ironically, maybe this year they do have the capacity to be dark horses; they’re playing badly, and expectations are on the floor. Maybe the only way is up.