On Sunday evening our opponent is Gençlerbirliği: unbeaten in their last five official matches, a run that began last season, and a side that only just stayed up. On the bench, a very familiar name: one of our own, Metin Diyadin.

Metin Diyadin is a coach defined by belonging to Gençlerbirliği. When they said “come” in hard times, he ran; when they said “go”, he did not sulk. In that sense he meets Hüseyin Çimşir, who took charge at Trabzonspor after Fatih Tekke’s resignation, on the same emotional ground. Coach Hüseyin also came when they said “come”, left quietly when they said “go”, and came again when they called. I hope this return is good for him.

At the very least he will learn a great deal beside the next head coach. Working with a world-renowned manager matters not only for football knowledge but for character. I hope everything goes as he wishes.

One of Coach Metin’s strongest traits is the weight he gives young players. That is also, of course, a necessity born of the economic and social conditions of the clubs he has managed. Hüseyin Çimşir, in his previous spell, could not use that chance enough. The reason lies less in his football idea than in where the team and the club were at the time.

The game Gençlerbirliği play under Metin Diyadin almost overlays what Ferencváros did against us. The real gap is player quality, and Ferencváros’s larger budget.

If Trabzonspor took the necessary lesson from going out to Ferencváros, they already have a clear idea of how to spread on the pitch and how to play against this opponent. Coach Metin sets up around defence and transition. Team defending comes first, so he is not afraid to leave the ball with the other side. Beating Fenerbahçe 2–1 at home on the opening weekend is the clearest example.

In Diyadin’s teams the basic rule is to stay compact when the opponent has the ball. They do not press high much; they steer you wide, then break fast when they win it. In that phase they trust Salih Uçan’s football brain and the dynamism and vertical running of Franco Tongya, Koita and Adama Traore.

There is another familiar name at Gençlerbirliği: Abdurrahim Dursun, raised in our academy. The 27-year-old has started the season well and started the Fenerbahçe and Erzurumspor games in the first XI in the opening three weeks.

As in the Ferencváros ties, we must fight to win the ball back in the first five seconds after we lose it. If we cannot, the first job is to stop what the opponent wants to do with it. One of Gençlerbirliği’s main weapons is the counter after they recover the ball.

I also expect a strong reaction from our team to what followed Fatih Tekke’s first resignation. They have to. This match is not only three points; it is a chance to show character and togetherness.

As for the fans

What I expect from them is clear:

All the way. Full support.