Turkey's striking progress inextricably linked to Sas appeal

With their star striker suffering from a loss of form, Turkey have turned to midfielder Hasan Sas for goals, writes Emmet Malone

There have been a few surprises from the Turks at this World Cup, but perhaps the greatest factor in the team's progress ahead of today's semi-final clash with Brazil at Saitama has been the emergence of a new attacking force in a team whose reliance on Hakan Sukur up front looked a major problem ahead of these championships.

Even now, after Senol Gunes's side has shocked the world and stunned his many critics by reaching the last four, the team's front line remains a focus for heated debate back at home, where the nation is divided on the question of whether their long-standing hero, Sukur, has become surplus to requirements.

With a strike rate at international level that falls just short of a goal in every other one of his 77 games, the 30-year-old's contribution to this team's steady progress during the past decade or so can hardly be disputed. However, the big striker's distinctly limited technical ability has always been obvious while his failure to make an impact during his two seasons at Inter Milan has highlighted the fact that even his strength - speed and aerial power around the box -is not enough to get him by when up against defenders of a higher calibre than those he played against in Turkey.

Sukur, now at Parma, has failed to score for his country since a friendly against Chile in April. There was a growing consensus among Turkish supporters that he could not be expected to flourish at the World Cup, although few could have expected the sort of dismal performance he produced against Senegal last Saturday when, on at least three occasions, he had the goal at his mercy but failed to get a shot on target.

For some, Ilhan Mansiz was seen as the solution to the problem and the 26-year-old Besiktas striker has done well in his handful of appearances, most recently scoring Saturday's golden goal winner against the Africans.

When Gunes named his squad for these finals, though, it became clear that he was placing much of his faith in the ability of an offensively-minded midfield to get forward and grab the goals that seemed to be eluding the team's strikers.

A few months before the squad's make-up was confirmed, Hasan Sas could not even have been sure of making the final group of 23, but a couple of extremely strong performances by the left-sided midfielder in friendlies against Hong Kong and South Africa earned him a place at the centre of Gunes's World Cup plans. And over the past couple of weeks the Galatasaray player has been prompt about repaying the faith shown in him.

Sas had already earned a bit of a reputation outside Turkey due to his Champions League performances. Two seasons ago he was one of the key players in what was a very good campaign for Galatasaray, when goals against Milan and Real Madrid ensured he caught the eye of some of the continent's leading coaches, and he again performed well in the competition this year.

Indeed, his ability has never been in doubt - he is fast, technically gifted and an extremely perceptive passer of the ball - but his temperament is another thing. Since moving to the Istanbul club in 1998, the midfielder has been involved in a number of controversies, most notably the six-month ban he received after testing positive for Apherin a year or so after he arrived from his first club, Ankaragucu.

He did well to fight his way back into the team but his volatile personality has seen him make the headlines on a number of occasions since. In the middle of the 2001/02 season he was sidelined for a spell when he required surgery on the tendons in his hand, which he had put through a dressing-room window during a row with his French team-mate Sebastien Perez over the concession of a meaningless penalty in a win over Istanbulspor.

Nevertheless, he started to attract serious interest from abroad and at one point Newcastle United were reported to be on the verge of completing a deal to bring him to St James's Park. Nothing came of it but his club did eventually agree a fee, believed to have been a little short of €10 million, with Nantes in January of this year only for the move to collapse when the player himself sought a €1.5 million signing on fee.

At the time, the French club would only agree to pay two thirds of that amount, but it was expected that they would renew their interest once the season was out of the way. By the looks of it, they have missed their chance, for his performances during Turkey's five games have intensified the interest of the bigger names and Fabio Capella's Roma now look to head the queue for his services.

"Hasan is a very talented midfielder," said Capella recently. "He played against Cafu twice when we faced Galatasaray and he made life very difficult for the Brazilian, who is one of the best right backs in the world. In those games he proved his talent to me and I would very much like him to play for Roma."

Cafu himself observed yesterday: "I am not the only one to have been impressed by Hasan, every one of us has noticed him. We all regard him as Turkey's biggest threat and while there is no doubt that they are a strong team, he is the one that we have to stop."

The Turk's value has probably been further increased by the decision of Gunes to use him, just as Mick McCarthy did with Damien Duff, in a more advanced striking role, one that he has taken to over the course of the tournament so far.

Aside from his superb volleyed goal in the first game, against the Brazilians, the 25-year-old was the team's outstanding performer in the 3-0 win over China when he scored once and set up the other two goals. Since then he has looked entirely at home whether playing on the left, up front, or just behind the team's big front man.

Against Senegal, although he failed to score, he was rewarded for his influential display with his second man of the match award and today it is to him rather than Sukur that the team's supporters will look for goals.

During the build-up to the game, Sas expressed his delight that the team's success has provided some much needed relief to a nation badly hit by an economic recession. "We feel for them at a time when many of them are experiencing hardship, and we know that at this moment we are the only ones who can make them happy."

If Sas helps to engineer a Turkish success today, he will make his countrymen more than happy, but even if the Turks do make their exit, his own economic fortunes look set to take a considerable turn for the better.