Five things we learnt from Galatasaray's 3-0 victory over Fenerbahçe in the Süper Lig
Sergio Oliveira, Kerem Aktürkoğlu and Mauro Icardi were all on the scoresheet for the away side, while Fenerbahçe's Irfan Kahveci was sent off late in the game for a high foot on Leo Dubois.
Fener held a four-point lead of their own just five games ago, but three losses in that period, alongside Galatasaray’s seven-game winning run, have turned things on their head completely.
So following this emphatic result, let’s take a look at five things we learnt about both sides.
Okan Buruk has shown himself to be a capable Galatasaray manager
It’s not an understatement to say that if your name isn’t Fatih Terim, managing Galatasaray is one of the most challenging jobs in the world. Expectations every season are to win the league, and any barren run of form is met with uproar, unless you are Terim himself. And consequently, fans will call for the legendary Turkish manager to return to the club and take the helm, which has happened on four previous occasions.
Okan Buruk is a Galatasaray legend. He played for the club for 11 years, winning six league titles and one UEFA Cup. Replacing Domenec Torrent - who endured a torrid six months after taking over from Terim last season - the pressure was on Buruk to take Galatasaray back to the top.
And there were doubts over whether he was the right man - as there always are at Galatasaray. He helped Istanbul Başakşehir to their first league in 2020, but he had yet to manage one of the elite Turkish sides.
However, his tactical masterclass against Fenerbahce will have gone a long way to silencing some of the critics, and showcasing that he is the right man to lead this team forward. His game plan and approach was spot on, which included starting 22-year-old Bariş Alper Yilmaz - more commonly used as a winger - up front in place of the slower Bafetimbi Gomis, in an attempt to exploit their opponent's incredibly high line. It worked to perfection.
He had done his homework and everything worked superbly on the day, including the substitutions, with Icardi (more on him later) bagging a goal and an assist from the bench.
Galatasaray as a team were excellent, but Okan Buruk’s tactical display means he deserves as much credit as anyone else.
Fenerbahçe's high line was massively exposed
Jorge Jesus has been one of the most highly regarded coaches around Europe for years, playing an attacking, aggresive brand of football.
Since arriving at Fenerbahçe in the summer, he has continued to play this way, implementing either a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 formation with an incredibly high line.
For the majority of the season, this has been pretty successful. They are the highest scorers in the Süper Lig with 42 goals in 17 games, and striker Enner Valencia is the league's leading goalscorer with 13 goals.
But against Galatasaray, Fener came unstuck. Big time.
Their high line was utterly suicidal. Their back three struggled to keep up with Cimbom's rapid front three, and they found themselves caught out on several occasions. The number of times Galatasaray players found themselves running through on goal all the way from the half way line was scary. If they were more clinical, they could have scored five or six.
The style that Jesus wants his side to play is great if you have the right players. Look at the Liverpool and Bayern Munich sides that won the Champions League in the last few years. But unfortunately for Jesus, he isn't blessed with centre backs of the quality of Virgil van Dijk, and against Galatasaray, they were exposed. If they continue to play like this, more teams will slowly work them out.
Galatasaray have the best squad in the Süper Lig
Simply put, Galatasaray possess the best squad in the league by a country mile. They spent their money impeccably in the summer, signing some really good players while also shipping out a lot of deadwood.
On the bench yesterday, they had players like Icardi (returning from injury), Lucas Torreira (returning from personal issues), Juan Mata, Fredrik Midtsjo and Yusuf Demir. Their top scorer this season, Gomis, didn't even set foot on the pitch.
But even without them, they still managed to put three past their nearest rivals.
Oliveira, Torreira and Dries Mertens have been superb acquisitions, with the former looking a class above pretty much everyone else on the pitch with his technical ability. Victor Nelsson is probably the best centre back in Turkey, while Aktürkoğlu has been one of Galatasaray's best players since last season.
Abdülkerim Bardakci and Sacha Boey have been revelations at in defence, while Berkan Kutlu and Yilmaz - who used to be seen as squad players - have shown they have the quality to start in the toughest of matches.
Galatasaray's average expected goal this season is 2.46, the highest in the league, showcasing the quality in their side. They have put together an incredibly strong group of player, and at the moment, it's tough to see anyone stopping them.
I haven't forgotten about Icardi. As I promised, more on him later.
Fenerbahçe's struggles against the big teams
Fener have played the three 'big teams' in Turkey this season. Alongside their 3-0 loss to Galatasaray, they drew 0-0 at Beşiktaş and lost 2-0 at Trabzonspor.
One point out of a potential six with zero goals scored isn't a great record. And if they continue like this, it'll be hard for them to catch up to Galatasaray.
But why have they struggled this much? Perhaps these teams know how to keep Fenerbahçe's attacking football quiet.
They have found it easier to rip through weaker units with their all-action, high-intensity football, but against wiser, more solid teams, it is far more difficult.
Additionally, in tenser games, Fener lack a playmaker - a real game changer. Valencia, Josh King, Michy Batshuayi and Diego Rossi offer a large threat up front, but with his three at the back formation, the creativity tends to come from wide areas. The midfielders in his system are more conservative.
This isn't going to work all the time, and that is potentially another factor as to why they have looked entirely toothless and pedestrian against tougher opponents. Mertens has played in that role for Galatasaray, with Oliveira also taking up attacking positions in midfield. Their creative quality has been apparent and vital to the league leader's success.
Fenerbahçe could most definitely do with some players like that in the middle of the park.
Icardi is on another level
No one has ever doubted the class of Mauro Icardi. Once seen as one of the most highly rated young strikers in Europe, the Argentinean has slowly seen his career fall away, with his truly unbelievably off the field drama taking centre stage. His family life isn't nicknamed the 'Icardashians' for nothing.
Since he arrived at Galatasaray on loan - much to the delight and excitement of Cimbom fans - he has found himself injured and off trying to sort out marital affairs with his wife (or ex-wife, it isn't clear anymore), Wanda Nara.
However, in between all that drama, he has racked up five goals and four assists in just seven games. And the importance of these goal contributions are all the more impressive.
On top of his goal and assist cameo from the bench on Sunday, Icardi scored twice in Galatasaray's 2-1 victory against their other close rivals, Beşiktaş. He also scored once and laid on two assists as they won 7-0 against another team competing for league, Istanbul Başakşehir.
In classic Icardi fashion, he celebrated his late goal on the weekend by taking off his shirt and holding it up with his name pointing towards the Fenerbahçe faithful. I'm sure it wasn't because they needed help remembering who he was.
You know what you get with Mauro Icardi, and if you can accept the negatives and all the antics that come with him, then you have a top player on your hands. And Okan Buruk knows this.
He is well aware that if he can keep Icardi on his side for the rest of the season, and get the best out of him when push comes to shove, then he the ability to take Galatasaray to their 23rd Süper Lig. He is comfortably the best footballer in the league.
I'm sure you won't hear one Galatasaray fan complain if he misses 60% of the season, but turns up and wins every crunch game against their nearest rivals. He can take as much time off as he wants if that is the case.
