Turkey were one of the most interesting tactical outfits in the opening gameweek 1 of EURO 2024. To ensure that you know exactly what to expect when they take on Portugal this evening, I took their match v Georgia under the lense.

Out of possession (First Half)

In the first half, Turkey pressed with extreme ferocity & determination. They closed down goal kicks man-for-man & pressed very high when Georgia had possession in their own defensive third. This was a ploy to force long-range passes where the centerback partnership of Samet Akaydin (#4) & Abdülkerim Bardakçı (#14) had clear aerial advantages.

If Turkey didn’t manage to force an immediate ball-win or long-range pass, they would fall back into their 4–1–4–1 shape and use pressing triggers to swarm possession in coordinated moments. One of these triggers was a ball to Georgia’s rightback — Otar Kakabadze (#2). In these scenarios, Turkey would again press with extreme intensity, seeking to either win the ball directly or force another uncontrolled long ball that their centerback pairing could dictate.

Turkey’s pressing often embodied the necessary aggression & coordination to function successfully, but there was a considerable weakness when Georgia managed to quickly play out of the pressure with a lateral switch. For all of their pressing intensity, Turkey were often extremely poor at shifting and recovering when their press was overplayed. This created numerous opportunities for their opponent to play out a 2v1 attacking duel on the far side.

Even deeper in Turkey’s own defensive third this remained an issue. Turkey frequently neglected the far side of the pitch. They would shift their defense extraordinarily far to the ball-side & their midfield — mainly Arda Güler (#8) — often struggled to make up the distance quickly enough to defend the penalty area (pictured below).

This created numerous moments where a quick switch of play or a far-post cross could have caused an immediate goal threat for Georgia. Georgia often could not get enough players into the opposition’s penalty area to exploit Turkey’s poor defensive transitions, but a better opponent — like Portugal — will do so.

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Out of possession (Second Half)

Vincenzo Montella slightly changed his out-of-possession structure in the second half, moving into a 4–1–2–1–2 with a few positional changes. Surprisingly, Turkey also dropped off the intensity. They no longer played a man-for-man system on goal kicks, and allowed Georgia a greater opportunity to build up possession without immediate pressure.

While Montella needed to find a solution to the lateral switches of play, this also took Turkey’s biggest attacking weapon — highball wins & incessant pressure. They no longer had the same ferocity to their game and could not suffocate Georgia in the same manner they had done in the first half.

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Out of possession (Key Takeaways)

While physically demanding, Turkey need to maintain their ferocious pressing and intensity throughout 90 minutes against Portugal. Against Portugal’s 1-striker system, Turkey can have the advantage again if they can use their high-pressure to force long range passes in a favorable 2v1 duel between Samet Akaydin (#4) + Abdülkerim Bardakçı (#14) & Cristiano Ronaldo (#7).

A greater worry concerns Portugal’s potential to play out of pressure via lateral switches. Portugal are excellent at overloading wide areas with technically competent players and finding a way to play out on the opposite flank. Turkey must prevent Rafael Leão (#17) from receiving lateral switches of play where he can engage in a 1v1 duel in open space.

In Possession

In possession, Turkey were arguably the most fascinating side during the first matchday of EURO 2024. A formation offers minimal insight into their extreme positional flexibility. In reality there were only three players who remained relatively stationary…

• Right Centerback: Samet Akaydin (#4)

• Left Centerback: Abdülkerim Bardakçı (#14)

• Rightback: Mert Müldür (#18)

Otherwise, the entire side were frequently willing to swap and interchange positions and move fluidly between interior and exterior channels. Let’s go through a few important elements now…

• Left-Side Relationship

The relationship between leftback Ferdi Kadıoğlu (#20) & leftwinger Kenan Yıldız (#19) was extremely interesting & impactful for Turkey’s attacking ball progression. Both players committed often to attacking phases, but they were never crowding the same spaces. One would occupy the interior channel, & the other would occupy the exterior channel (pictured below).

This interchanging movement & unpredictability made Turkey a constant threat through the left flank. Ferdi Kadıoğlu (#20) & Kenan Yıldız (#19) created numerous 2v1 duels, and were able to wreak havoc with overlaps and underlaps throughout the fixture.

• Central Focus

Arguably no side prioritizes the center of the pitch for ball progression more than Turkey at EURO 2024. Turkey will occasionally play over wide areas, but they don’t remain in wide zones for long. Instead, passes are played wide to shift the opposition's defense, before returning to the center where new spaces have materialized.

With so many players venturing into central zones, it is important to quantify what each player’s role is…

Ferdi Kadıoğlu (#20) & Barış Yılmaz (#21)

Both players will situationally enter the midfield to add an additional player for build-up phases. Kadıoğlu will venture into the role of a left central midfielder from his leftback position, while Barış Yılmaz will drop into the position of an attacking midfielder.

However, it is important to note that both players primarily do this when another player exits the midfield. Barış Yılmaz (#21) will often interchange positions with Orkun Kökçü (#6) & Ferdi Kadıoğlu (#20) with Kaan Ayhan (#22).

Orkun Kökçü (#6) & Kaan Ayhan (#22)

Kökçü & Ayhan are the most flexible members of Turkey’s central midfield. Ayhan is the least technical player from Turkey’s midfield, so he will often fill into deeper roles where he can provide a defensive shield if the ball is turned over.

Kökçü, on the other hand, is an extremely versatile & mobile player. Because of this, he will offer himself in all passages of play. He can provide a presence as a deep-lying playmaker in possession, make runs in-behind to pull a backline apart, or combine with his technical quality in the midfield. Orkun Kökçü’s role is similar, in many ways, to İlkay Gündoğan’s for Germany.

Hakan Çalhanoğlu (#10) & Arda Güler (#8)

Çalhanoğlu & Güler are the two members of Turkey’s midfield who make the fewest adaptations. Çalhanoğlu remains fairly central throughout Turkey’s possession phases. He primarily operates as Turkey’s deep-lying playmaker, picking up the ball from the two center backs and moving possession one-line forward.

Güler, on the other hand, will always occupy the right side of Turkey’s midfield diamond. As a left-footed player, he naturally tucks in, looking to combine his way forward or goal for goal.

Turkey’s overarching aim through midfield is to create short-passing distances and many opportunities for combinations amongst their creative central axis. It is about locking opponents into the central areas, before moving into the wide zones at the very last moment for a penetrative cross or shot at goal.

• False 9

Turkey’s lack of a true number nine helps dictate their creative game, but when Turkey are unable to shift the backline quickly, the game can grow static and resemble a handball formation around the opponent’s penalty area.

Barış Yılmaz (#21) & Orkun Kökçü (6) will sporadically occupy the center-forward role, but neither linger there for long with both players in constant motion as they look for new spaces. When Turkey are moving the opponent quickly and constantly probing for new space this fluidity up-top is major quality, however, when Turkey’s attacks are slowed down and spaces congested, the lack of a central focal point becomes apparent as Turkey begin aimlessly playing chip-balls over the backline, or cross the ball without a clear central target.

• Lack of Centerback Progression

Another limiting factor for the Turkish national team is the lack of ball progression that the centerback pairing of Samet Akaydin (#4) & Abdülkerim Bardakçı (#14) can provide. Neither player is capable of consistently penetrating an opposition defense with a vertical pass, leading to pretty significant issues when the opponent can close down Turkey’s central axis and force the centerback pairing to create with the ball.

To compensate, Hakan Çalhanoğlu (#10) & Kaan Ayhan (#22) will often drop into the backline to help build up the game, but this reduces Turkey’s ability to create short distances in midfield to combine up-field.

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In possession (Key Takeaways)

Turkey are extremely flexible and fluid in possession. They implement countless positional changes and their players are adaptable to multiple roles. The key for Turkey is playing through the center of the pitch with smart technical combinations. They will occasionally play the ball out wide, but this is only to move the opposition defense to allow new zones to open in the center of the pitch again. Only in & around the opposition’s goal will Turkey finally enter wide areas with the purpose to immediately create or go for goal directly.

There are, however, some limiting factors for Turkey. They lack a true center-forward who can occupy opposition defenders and provide a constant penalty-box outlet. This can lead to Turkey being stifled when the opposition can close spaces and take the pace out of the game. In addition, Turkey’s centerback partnership struggle to play through pressure. Turkey often needs to drop a midfielder deeper to aid in first-line progression.

For Turkey it will be key to dominate the midfield against Portugal. Portugal are likely to play with an extremely possession-oriented midfield — Bruno Fernandes (#8), Bernardo Silva (#10), & Vitinha (#23) — who do not like to chase the ball for extended phases. There will be opportunities for Turkey to dictate the game with their numerical advantages, but they will need to shift Portugal’s backline quickly with the 3/5 back defense allowing Portugal to occupy zones well.

Stylistic Overview

Strengths

Flexibility & Fluidity in possession

• Ability to dominate & dictate central zones

• Short distance to facilitate technical interplay between the midfield

• Extremely dynamic & threatening left-side pairing of Ferdi Kadıoğlu (#20) & Kenan Yıldız (#19)

• Very ferocious & impactful pressing

• Aerially dominant centerback pairing that can dominate direct duels

Weaknesses

• Centerback pairing of Samet Akaydin (#4) & Abdülkerim Bardakçı (#14) struggle to progress play

• Lack of a center-forward who can occupy the penalty area & pose a consistent goal threat

• Struggle to transition quickly back into a defensive shape when their press is broken

• Often neglect the far side of the pitch with Turkey easily threatened with a lateral switch of play

• Underwhelming goalkeeper who is a liability as a shot-stopper and ball-playing goalkeeper