Turkey’s “Luxury Midfield and Forward” — Why Can’t They Score?

On paper, this Turkish team really isn’t bad. The whole squad is worth €474 million, and the attacking unit includes Bayern’s Güler, Juventus’s Yıldız, and Inter’s Çalhanoğlu. All three are players who can score and provide assists at their clubs—so why do they go silent when it comes to the national team?

The issue lies in the tactical setup.

Turkey’s head coach Montella plays a possession-based positional game. In the first two matches, Turkey’s possession rate was above 75% and they made an astonishing number of passes, but it was mostly passing the ball around in the opponent’s half—there were very few dangerous penetrations or breakthroughs. Güler took 12 shots but only managed 1 on target, and Yıldız was much the same. It’s not that they can’t do it—it’s that there’s no space. The opposition all retreat in unison, packing people into the penalty area. No matter how good your technique is, it doesn’t help when there’s no room.

The United States’ defensive style is completely different from Australia’s and Paraguay’s. The U.S. emphasizes a high defensive press, with their back line pushed very high up. That means Turkey will have more space to counterattack and more gaps behind the defense. Güler and Yıldız are both fast and technically gifted—if they can get the ball in transition, their threat will be far greater than in a settled positional attack.

So whether Turkey can score in this match doesn’t really depend on Turkey—it depends on whether the U.S. is willing to give them space. If the U.S. continues the high press even after rotating players, Turkey’s counterattacking opportunities will come. If the U.S. drops back, controls the tempo, Turkey could end up stuck in the awkward situation from the first two games: “controlling possession until nothing happens.”

#预测世界杯土耳其VS美国