Turkish triumph breeds success

Maximum points
Ferhat Südogan’s side booked their berth in France with three wins in the second qualifying round from a tough-looking section. Italy were upset in a 3-1 success, before a 2-1 win against Poland and a 3-0 victory against Serbia and Montenegro left Turkey top of the group having collected maximum points from their three games.

Positive attitude
Their coach believes a similar attitude will serve them well against hosts France, Spain – losing finalists in 2003 – and Northern Ireland in Group A. "Frankly, the opposition is not important for us," he told uefa.com. "Our guys will go on to the pitch and play their football. Every one of them is a star; this generation of players is unique."

Potential pitfalls
Despite his recent success, Südogan is aware of the potential problems that can arise when working with young players, saying: "Not all of the difficulties you face with players are football-related. You have to take into account players’ perspective to life during adolescence. Young players behave badly from time to time, and coaches have to tolerate this, up to a point.
Turkey’s future
"Football-wise, youth matches can often throw up odd results; therefore you have to approach them positively," he continued. "It is crucial to manage this age group because in the future they will represent our country at a higher level. Youngsters have to be trained very well without allowing them to lose their talents. For that reason, it requires more patience."

Different factors
Turkey emerged triumphant at the Under-16 version of this competition in 1994. Of that side, however, only two are currently playing in the Turkish Superleague. Südogan acknowledges this illustration of how the top young players are often unable to make an impact at senior level, telling uefa.com: "There are different factors which affect a player’s development."

‘Strong personality’
The Turkey coach continued: "Family, club, the player’s personality, his friends and social environment – these are all part of a player’s body. When there are missing parts, then the player can easily fade away. To earn a place in the [senior] national side, a player has to push obstacles out of his way. I give much priority to a footballer’s personality at overcoming this. In my opinion you should set some principles for the player and allow him to move freely within them."

Top-flight experience
One of the brightest stars of the current generation is left-sided midfield player Gürhan Gürsoy. His 16 appearances this season for Adanaspor AS make him Turkey’s most experienced U17 player, although he has been unable to prevent his side being relegated from Turkey’s highest level. "Football is very competitive in the top division and much depends on running," he told uefa.com. "I feel more confident with the national side after playing in these challenging games. It helps you to be more up front with your performance."

Work together
Gürsoy, who scored against Georgia and Serbia and Montenegro in qualifying, is quick to emphasise the importance of teamwork in Turkey’s success, saying: "During the game, your friends strive to help you even at the toughest occasion and for the success of the team, everything is done."

‘Irresistible charge’
The midfield player is just as confident as his coach in Turkey’s chances. "The teams in our group do not matter much," he said. "If we can transfer our potential to the pitch, I do not see any team resisting our charge. With luck, we will qualify for the semi-finals."