Storm's Halilhodzic Needs Victory Against Akhisar To Silence Critics

Galatasaray's Cesare Prandelli is the Spor Toto Super League's foremost embattled coach, but Bosnian trainer Vahid Halilhodzic must convince his Trabzonspor to outplay Akhisar Belediyespor on Saturday evening if he wants to keep his job for much longer.

After the coach who led Algeria on a surprising World Cup 2014 campaign joined Trabzonspor for the season, hopes went through the roof. He got a brand new set of players, including names such as Oscar Cardozo. Trabzon supporters are always demanding, but now they feel entitled to good results.

Unfortunately, that is not what they have gotten. And normally Akhisar would be a pushover for a club like Trabzon, but this year's standings say otherwise. Trabzonspor has managed just one win, 3-1 over Mersin İdman Yurdu, in seven matches. It lost in week five to tiny Kardemir Karabükspor 3-0. Everything else has been a draw.

At least last weekend the Black Sea Storm managed a few goals, four goals to be exact. But the penchant to draw prevailed, as the club conceded four to Gaziantepspor.

All-in offense

If that match is anything to go by, then half of Halilhodzic's team are attackers, as four different players scored: Essaid Belkalem, Mustapha Yatabare, Sefa Yılmaz and Oscar Cardozo. That everyone got a piece of the action makes Trabzonspor seem balanced, until you look at the defense and wonder what happened. Gaziantep was two points up by the 20th minute.

“This is the first time in my career I have coached a team that concedes four goals,” Halilhodzic said as he picked apart the match afterwards. “I have taken on a difficult job. If you think that I can fix all of these troubles in such a short time, then you are rushing,” he added, noting that playing in the UEFA Europa League is also wearing his club out.

It is hard to fault someone for scoring, but perhaps Algerian defender Belkalem should have spent more time protecting his own goal, especially since Fatih Öztürk is no replacement for Onur Recep Kıvrak, Trabzon's top keeper, who is out for the season with a long-term injury.

On the other hand, fans may be disgruntled with Halilhodzic's reign, but the fact that he bought all four scorers from last match should make them think. Maybe the new guys just took a few weeks to settle in. Putting on a good performance at Akhisar is crucial to cement the idea that he picked the right crew.

One-man attack

Ex-Trabzonspor coach Mustafa Reşit Akçay and his men have fared much better, especially at the beginning of the season. Lead by Greek striker Theofanis Gekas, Akhisar is more of a one-man outfit on offense. For weeks it was unexpectedly perched at the top of the league due in large part to Gekas, the league's current top scorer, having netted eight so far.

The team scored two goals in each of its first four matches, winning three and drawing one. However, Başakşehir ended the trend with a 4-0 pounding of Akhisar. Form returned briefly for a 2-0 home defeat of Kasımpaşa, but last week Akhisar succumbed to Kardemir Karabükspor.

All in all, Akhisar may be showing signs of faltering, while Trabzon shows an inkling of improvement. But nothing is certain for either team these days, and Halilhodzic is beginning to feel the pressure.

The match kicks off at 7 p.m. at neighboring Manisa's 19 Mayıs Stadium. It will be refereed by Süleyman Abay. Earlier in the day, one-time champion Bursaspor hosts Roberto Carlos' Sivasspor at 4 p.m., while Gençlerbirliği invites İstanbul Başakşehir to Ankara at 1:30 p.m.

Rachel Mollman (Cihan/Today's Zaman)