Besiktas’ Demba Ba returns to haunt Liverpool in Europa League

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/feb/18/besiktas-demba-ba-liverpool-europa-league

Version 0 of 1.

The sight of Demba Ba running out at Anfield night could trigger harrowing flashbacks for Liverpool, but their opponents are also haunted by past ordeals.

It will be Ba’s first appearance at the ground since he profited from Steven Gerrard’s infamous miscontrol and slip last season before scoring the goal that enabled Chelsea to sink Liverpool’s hopes of the title that many said they were destined to win. That was one of the Senegal striker’s last acts for Chelsea before joining Besiktas in the summer. On Thursday, the Turkish club are in Merseyside seeking to earn a positive result in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie with Liverpool – and to atone for the most humiliating performance in their history.

On their last visit to Anfield, in November 2007, Besiktas were thrashed 8-0 by Liverpool in a Champions League group match. That is still the heaviest defeat ever suffered by any team in the competition (excluding preliminary rounds) and it remains a source of shame for Besiktas fans. “They are still regularly taunted about it by rival fans,” says Emre Sarigul, the co-founder of www.turkish-football.com. “Whether through chants in stadiums or comments on messageboards, they are never allowed to forget about it.”

That smarts for a group of fans renowned for their fanaticism. One memorable indication of their devotion to their club – and their aversion to their rivals – came in 2013 when McDonald’s opened a new diner in the Besiktas district of Istanbul and local supporters began protesting against the chain’s decor, which bore an objectionable resemblance to the red and yellow jersey of Galatasary. McDonald’s relented and changed their golden arches to black and white (and, to avert copycat protests elsewhere, switched the decor in their restaurant in the Fenerbahce part of town to blue and white).

The supporters group that organised that protest, Carsi, is also known for its leftist, anti-establishment activism and will be heavily represented at Anfield, although some of their more prominent members may be absent, as 35 of them are currently on trial in Turkey for “attempting to overthrow the government” during the mass demonstrations in Gezi Park in 2013. All 35 deny the charges and one of them, Cem Yakistan, drew laughter in court when he quipped: “If we had the power to stage a coup, we would have made Besiktas champions.”

Besiktas have not been Turkish champions since 2009 but they are currently top of their league, a point clear of Fenerbahce and two ahead of Galatasaray – but there is no question of them resting players at Liverpool to concentrate on their domestic battle. Too much pride is at stake.

Besides, the manager, Slaven Bilic, is not a man to take any match lightly. Since arriving in June 2013, the Croatian has imbued his team with a frenetic work ethic that reflects his own touchline histrionics, which are dramatic and provocative enough to have earned him a red card against Galatasary, the referee explaining that he sent off Bilic for “excessive gesticulation”. The Croatian is already close to a folk hero among Besiktas fans and he would secure that status – and perhaps further endear himself to certain Premier League chairmen too – by winning at Anfield.

Besiktas have already done well against English opponents this season, beating Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League and losing narrowly to Arsenal in the Champions League preliminary round. They go into this game looking stronger than they did before those matches, as Bilic’s influence now seems better absorbed. This is a tremendously hard-working and physical team with a lot of neat technical skill.

Perhaps the best exponent of the transformation wrought by Bilic is Gokhan Tore. The 23-year-old winger has had a tumultuous past in which inconsistent performances have garnered fewer headlines than a quarrel involving an ex-girlfriend, a team-mate and a gun, but this season he has been in outstanding form, showcasing his creative ingenuity and elusive dribbling skills while also performing defensive duties with the zeal that Bilic demands. With the Turkey international Olcay Sahan on the left and the Argentinian schemer José Sosa enjoying a fine season in the middle, Besiktas have the wherewithal to supply Ba with chances to inflict more misery on Liverpool.

As for keeping Liverpool out, the loss of their first-choice goalkeeper, Tolga Zengin, to injury is an obvious blow, but at least the Besiktas defence can rely on sturdy protection from a pair of robust midfielders, the Austrian, Veli Kavlak, and the Canada international, Atiba Hutchinson. However, Bilic says he is worried about the threat from Liverpool’s wide players. Besiktas’s full-backs are tough but not fast, especially the right-back, Serdar Kurtulus. He, though, is especially highly motivated, being the only member of the team left who played in the 8-0 fiasco.