“A Top-24 Finish Looks Secure; Beşiktaş Can Now Aim for the Last Eight”
Beşiktaş have made an impressive start to their UEFA Europa League campaign, following a 4-1 victory over Marseille with a 3-2 win away to Hoffenheim. The results lifted the Turkish side to six points after two rounds and prompted presenter Ersin Düzen to argue that the team should set its sights higher than simply reaching the league phase’s top 24.
Speaking after the Hoffenheim match, Düzen praised Beşiktaş’s growing cohesion and said their performances gave him confidence that a top-eight finish was a realistic ambition. He also discussed the team’s collective strength, Orkun Kökçü’s injury and comments concerning Önder Özen.
Beşiktaş could have won by a wider margin
Düzen felt that Beşiktaş had been the stronger side from the opening stages in Germany. The visitors limited Hoffenheim’s chances for much of the first half, while creating opportunities of their own. Although they left the final stages tense by allowing the scoreline to remain close, Düzen believed the result could have been more emphatic.
In his view, Beşiktaş raised their tempo after the break and began producing chances in quick succession. The final score was 3-2, but the team had enough opportunities to win 4-2 or even 5-2.
Düzen also pointed out that European fixtures can bring different challenges from domestic matches. Opponents may approach them with extra motivation, hoping to use the occasion to turn around their form. Beşiktaş, he said, avoided being drawn into that kind of trap and responded by increasing the pressure.
Two wins have changed the scale of the target
Before the campaign began, Beşiktaş faced a demanding schedule in a competition Düzen described as exceptionally strong. The club’s first two results have altered the conversation: rather than focusing only on avoiding a finish outside the top 24, the team can now consider a place among the top eight.
With six points, Beşiktaş were fourth in the standings at the time of his assessment. Düzen regarded a top-24 finish as secure and argued that the next objective could make the knockout stage easier to navigate. He stressed that this was not merely a reaction to two victories. His confidence, he said, came from the level of the team’s play.
The away win was also significant because Hoffenheim are no lightweight opponent. The German club had finished fifth in the Bundesliga the previous season and were known for their pace and attacking ability. Beşiktaş’s success on their ground, Düzen argued, deserved to be taken seriously.
The team is not relying on just a few stars
Another reason for optimism, according to Düzen, is the number of players contributing at a high level. He singled out Orkun Kökçü and Vlahović, as well as defenders Emirhan and Djalo, and Murillo. He also praised Salih and Rıdvan, while noting that Rıdvan had been interrupted by injury.
Düzen included Trossard and İlhan among the players adding value and mentioned that Cerný, who had been injured, was unavailable for the Hoffenheim match. Although he acknowledged an individual mistake by Nübel in the previous two games, he said the goalkeeper had performed well before that.
His broader point was that Beşiktaş’s results were not being carried by two or three individuals. If a rating of seven out of ten represented a good performance, Düzen said he would give at least that mark to every player he had discussed. A team with so many strong contributors, he argued, reflects well on the coach as well as on the squad.
Beşiktaş’s attacking numbers offered further evidence of their shared contribution: 12 different players had scored, while nine had registered assists. That spread of goals and creative work can make a side harder to contain, since opponents cannot focus their defensive plans on a single scorer.
The breadth of the squad’s contribution may also matter as the fixture list becomes more demanding. Injuries and absences are an unavoidable part of a long campaign, and a team that can draw on several sources of goals and assists is better equipped to cope when a regular starter is unavailable.
Orkun Kökçü’s injury remains a concern to monitor, particularly given his importance to the team’s play. However, Düzen’s assessment suggests that he sees Beşiktaş’s strength as collective rather than dependent on one player. The squad’s early results and its range of contributors have given the club grounds for ambition, even if maintaining that level over the full competition will be the real test.
For now, the message is clear: Beşiktaş have earned the right to think beyond simple qualification. After beating Marseille and Hoffenheim, a top-24 finish looks increasingly attainable, while the top eight has become a credible target rather than an empty slogan.