Daum keeps his winning team grounded

Fenerbahçe coach Christoph Daum is trying hard to avoid complacency as his team prepares to take on solid Kayserispor in the Turkcell Super League.

Six days after reveling in a 3-1 victory over fierce rival Galatasaray, the Yellow Canaries will face another important test at Kayserispor on Sunday.

Fenerbahçe leads the league with five points over its closest competitors, Bursaspor and Galatasaray, but this situation does not give any comfort to Daum.

Speaking to the club’s official television channel FB TV, the German coach said that applying pressure consistently helped against Galatasaray and that the team now needs to apply more.

“Our display against Galatasaray was a high point for us this season. Now I will try to force my players to think about how we can repeat that performance,” said Daum. “We have to apply more pressure on Kayserispor. We are working on it.

“I want my players to recreate their will to win as well. I want to see my players hungry for a win against Kayserispor.

“Above all, I want my footballers to show the exact same tactical discipline against Kayserispor.”

Fenerbahçe’s main threat will again be Alex de Souza, who leads Fenerbahçe in scoring this season. The Brazilian star is as clinical as ever with his five goals and orchestrates the Yellow Canaries’ attack by dishing out several assists.

Daum has plenty of time for Alex and said he is pivotal in the team’s game plan.

“I know Alex very well. He always thinks of the team first and works with an incredible discipline,” said Daum. “Alex is in top form and he is too humble. He is a player that every coach would like to have and I am elated to have him on my side.”

Although Fenerbahçe goes to Kayserispor with a record of nine victories in 10 league games, the Istanbul club has to be concerned with the central Anatolian side’s form as well.

Kayserispor has won five of its last seven games and currently sits in the fourth spot of the standings with 18 points. Known for a methodical defensive approach to the game, Kayserispor has allowed only seven goals this season, just one goal behind league leaders Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe.

Fenerbahçe will play without its Brazilian defender Fabio Bilica, who was suspended for three games by the Professional Football Disciplinary Committee, or PFDK, on late Thursday for his involvement in a fight during warm-ups before the Galatasaray match.

Fenerbahçe is also forced to play behind closed doors for two games, due to supporters throwing objects to the pitch during the derby.

Galatasaray’s Abdel Kader Keita was given a three-match ban for punching Fenerbahçe wing back Roberto Carlos in the face after receiving a foul in that game.

The Lions, who welcome Sivasspor earlier on Sunday, may miss Keita, since the Ivory Coast winger was added to a list of attackers that will not be playing in the game at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium.

Striker Milan Baros, who has five goals this season, suffered a broken bone in the first minute of the Fenerbahçe game and will be out for two months. Attacking midfielder Elano Blumer will miss the Sivasspor game as well, since the Brazilian was sent off for a professional foul in Galatasaray’s Turkish Cup game against Bucaspor on Wednesday.

Congolese forward Shabani Nonda is likely to replace Baros, while Elano’s role may be given to youngster Aydın Yılmaz.

Last year’s surprise runner-up Sivasspor was off to a dismal start to the season, losing six of the first eight games. After the resignation of coach Bülent Uygun, who led the team to club-record finishes in the last two seasons, Muhsin Ertuğral was brought in to helm the sinking ship and showed his impact immediately.

Having a respectable reputation in Africa, where he worked for several clubs including dominant South African side Kaizer Chiefs in the last decade, Ertuğral replaced the successful Uygun, but his appointment is likely to prove worthwhile.

Ertuğral’s playing mentality is far more attacking-minded than Uygun’s prudent approach to the game, as proven in a three-goal victory over Gaziantepspor last week. Despite that win, Sivasspor is still in the relegation zone, but the team feels more hopeful about remaining in the Super League.

Beşiktaş has also recovered since its rocky start. The defending champions won three in a row after failing to get a victory in the previous five games. The Black Eagles take on Ankaragücü on Saturday. The team from the capital city made the headlines when it beat Galatasaray 3-0 last month, handing the Lions their first defeat of the season.