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Turkey
It has taken a while for Turkey to make a second trip to the World Cup -- 1954 was the last year it made the finals. This is a bit strange if you consider that teams like Galatasaray and Fenerbahce have done relatively well in European competitions over the past couple of decades.
Nonetheless, they are now in football's biggest tournament once again, and the man who took them there was Senol Gunes. But instead of becoming a hero in his native land, Gunes has still had live in the shadow of legendary manager Fatih Terim. This could create a problem for the squad if Turkey gets off to a bad start in the competition. Who is the boss counting on to shoot his team into the second round? The ever-present Hakan Sukur.
As the countdown to the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan continues, CNNSI.com's Pedro Pinto will take a close look at all of the nations that will contend for football's greatest prize.
Pinto is an anchor on World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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Flair, determination and passion are three qualities the Turkish team definitely possesses. And Gunes was able to keep the side's normal problem, its temper, under control throughout the qualifying campaign. The question is whether he will be able to do that in the finals.
There is no doubt that he has a fantastic midfield at his disposal. Inter Milan duo Okan Buruk and Emre Belozoglu, at the center of a talented quartet that is normally complemented by Kerimogly Tugay and Yildray Basturk. Basturk especially has blossomed into a star in the Bundesliga, helping Bayer Leverkusen in their stellar season. The defense is decent, and up front the Turks rely on the power and goal-scoring instincts of the already legendary Sukur. |
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Hakan Sukur. He has found it hard to establish himself in Serie A but has never had any problems scoring for the national team, with an average of a goal every two games. He scored seven times in 12 qualifiers and is expected to hit the back of the net in Asia as well. Most of his goals come from headers, but he is also very dangerous on the counterattack, and that is the style Gunes employs in most matches.
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Temper. You always want your players to be passionate, but you don't want that passion to boil over. Unfortunately, that happens quite a lot in Turkish sides. And the punishment not only comes in yellow and red cards, but can also arrive in the form of self-destruction. Players many times blame each other for mistakes, and it doesn't take a psychologist to figure out that is not good for team unity.
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Leadership. This all goes back to the balance of power between Gunes and Terim. In Turkey, a lot of people still believe that the former Galatasaray, Fiorentina and AC Milan boss should be leading the team in Asia. So if the it gets off to a bad start, can Gunes turn things around with his leadership skills, or will he be too affected by the negative publicity that will surely come his way?
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Turkey finished second behind Sweden in UEFA's Group 4, so it had to qualify via a playoff, beating Austria 8-0 on aggregate. In Group 4 play, it won six, drew three and lost one 10 matches. The only setback was a 2-1 home loss to Sweden.
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Turkey has only qualified for the World Cup twice, in 1954 and 2002. In '54, it finished ninth, winning one match and losing two.
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Turkey surprised many by making the quarterfinals of Euro 2000, and it has built on that success to form a talented and dangerous team. Second round qualification is therefore a possibility, although it will have a lot to do with how much service Sukur gets and how well the defense can cope with the world's top strikers. Turkey's top players have participated in important international competitions, both at club and national level, so they should not be intimidated on the world stage in Japan and South Korea.
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