“When you find the right coach, you realise how much difference he makes”
Beşiktaş’s preparation for the new season is being read through a very specific lens: the impact of head coach Vincenzo Italiano. Commentator Bora Beyzade believes the Italian manager has, in a remarkably short time, hem understood the team’s technical needs hem grasped the emotional expectations of the supporters. According to him, Beşiktaş have finally found a coach who “gets” the club.
Beyzade underlines that the black‑and‑white side is going through a rare moment of technical stability on the bench:
“In terms of the head coach, we are honestly very lucky. There is a manager who has clearly understood what Beşiktaş want and what this shirt demands. Now the important thing is to provide this coach with the right tools.”
When he looks at the current squad structure ahead of the new campaign, one name stands out for Beyzade: Leandro Trossard. Among all the newcomers and existing players, Trossard is the one whose performance he is most eager to see on the pitch.
“In the current squad, the player whose performance I desire and wonder about the most is Trossard. I’m not saying he has to explode, but he’s the one I’m most curious about, without question.”
At the same time, Beyzade separates Orkun Kökçü into a different category altogether. For him, the captain has already set a standard of reliability that the rest of the team tries to follow.
“Orkun I put aside in a special place. Our captain has accustomed us to seeing the same level of performance every single match. We are so used to that consistency that we almost take it for granted. I am certain the captain will keep making us very happy. Statistically and in terms of end product, I expect a lot from Trossard as well, but the areas I’m most focused on are still those positions in the squad where there’s a question mark.”
According to Beyzade, only when those problematic zones are reinforced will it be possible to form a solid judgement about Beşiktaş’s real ceiling this season:
“Once those question‑mark positions are filled, we’ll be able to speak much more clearly about where Beşiktaş can go. Transfers into the right areas will be decisive for the club’s future, both in the short and medium term.”
A central theme in his analysis is how quickly Italiano has imposed his footballing ideas and his personality. Before the Italian coach took over, Beyzade recalls, he was described with a set of clichés:
“When Italiano was coming in, a lot of people talked about him in a very rigid way: a coach fanatically attached to his own system, obsessed with rotation, acting within strict tactical templates. Maybe, at certain points of the season, he will show us that face as well. But when I listened to his pre‑ and post‑match remarks in these first games, what I saw was a very realistic coach, someone who can read the big picture clearly and grasp the situation with lucidity.”
For Beyzade, the question of whether Italiano will ultimately be judged a success or a failure is secondary to one key fact: the coach understands the identity of Beşiktaş.
“Whether this ends in trophies or not is another debate. What matters right now is that we have in front of us a manager who has comprehended perfectly what Beşiktaş wants – in style, in ambition, in mentality. That alone is a huge advantage.”
This leads him to revisit an old discussion that has long divided the stands: should Beşiktaş choose a local or a foreign manager? After the turbulence of recent years, Beyzade thinks that debate missed the real point.
“In the last three or four seasons, I too sometimes got dragged into that whirlpool of ‘domestic or foreign coach’. But that’s not the real issue. The truth is simple: when you find a good coach, nationality becomes irrelevant. The right coach gives you the contribution you were missing. Italiano is the latest proof of that.”
What impresses him most is how swiftly the Italian has adapted to the league and to the cultural environment around Beşiktaş.
“We’re speaking about a coach who has understood the league quickly, read its dynamics fast, and sensed what the fans expect almost instinctively. In such a short period, with a squad that is still incomplete in key areas, he has refused to hide behind excuses and has still managed to string together positive results. Several players have taken a clear step forward in their games, and the sense of belonging in the squad has grown. You see players helping each other, covering for each other. These are extremely valuable signs.”
From Beyzade’s point of view, the next phase is obvious: the squad must be completed in harmony with the coach’s footballing vision.
“From here on, two scenarios are possible: with the right transfers, Beşiktaş can climb to a much higher level, or, if the squad proves insufficient, the team may hit a ceiling and stall. What I see for now – and time will show if I’m wrong – is that the club has walked a very good path by choosing a very correct coach. Now the club’s task is clear: give this coach the proper material. That is my biggest wish.”
Why Trossard is such a key piece
Beyzade’s special curiosity about Leandro Trossard is not accidental. The Belgian brings attributes Beşiktaş have lacked in recent seasons: creativity between the lines, final‑third intelligence and the ability to decide tight matches with a single action. In a squad where the spine is being rebuilt, a versatile attacker like Trossard can become the bridge between midfield control and end product in front of goal.
If Italiano succeeds in integrating him into a fluid attacking structure – with clear roles, automatisms and support around him – Trossard could become the reference point for the new Beşiktaş. That is why Beyzade stresses not only his quality, but also his statistical impact: goals, assists, progressive carries, chances created. These are the areas where he expects the Belgian to make a visible difference.
The quiet power of Orkun Kökçü’s consistency
Equally important, though perhaps less spectacular, is what Orkun Kökçü brings. As captain, he defines the team’s emotional temperature, but his true value lies in his steady level of performance. A side aiming for titles cannot depend solely on players who shine in bursts; it needs figures who deliver seven‑out‑of‑ten displays every week, set pressing triggers correctly, dictate tempo and shoulder responsibility when matches get complicated.
By “putting Orkun aside” in a special bracket, Beyzade is essentially saying: this is the baseline. If others can rise to that baseline of reliability, Beşiktaş’s collective level will jump. For a coach like Italiano, who builds structures around discipline and clarity, such a captain is almost a prerequisite.
Why the “question‑mark positions” matter so much
When Beyzade talks about “those areas with a question mark,” he is referring to the positions where Beşiktaş still lack either depth or top‑level quality: specific defensive roles, rotational options in midfield, and perhaps one more attacking profile that fits Italiano’s blueprint.
Modern football rarely forgives incomplete squads. Over a long season with league, cup and European commitments, deficiencies in two or three positions can drag down the entire machine. That is why the coming transfer decisions carry such strategic weight. Each incoming player must not only add quality but also match Italiano’s demands in terms of intensity, tactical discipline and adaptability.
Italiano’s realism as a competitive edge
One of the recurring elements in Beyzade’s praise is Italiano’s realism. This is not simply about modesty in front of cameras. A realistic coach knows his team’s limits, recognises where they are vulnerable and does not force them into a game model they cannot yet execute. Instead, he adjusts phases of the build‑up, the height of the defensive line, the pressing triggers, all according to the actual resources at his disposal.
In a league often dominated by emotional swings and short‑term reactions, such a grounded approach can become a competitive advantage. It allows the coach to manage expectations, protect his players and maintain a coherent internal narrative, even when results fluctuate.
Moving beyond the “domestic vs foreign” obsession
For years, the debate around Beşiktaş’s bench has been framed as a cultural or emotional choice: a local coach who “knows the club” versus a foreign expert who “brings modernity.” Beyzade’s comments suggest that this framing has exhausted itself.
What really matters, and what Italiano currently embodies, is the alignment between the club’s identity, the coach’s principles and the squad’s characteristics. A foreign coach who understands the soul of Beşiktaş and respects its values may be a better fit than a local name disconnected from the present realities of the game. The opposite can also be true. The axis has shifted from nationality to competence and compatibility.
The importance of backing the coach through transfers
All of this leads to a simple conclusion: the club has chosen its sporting leader; now it must trust him in building the squad. “Giving the right material” does not only mean buying expensive players. It means targeted recruitment, profiles tailored to the pressing style, to the intensity level Italiano wants, to the flexibility of his system.
If the board and the technical staff work in unity, each transfer window can move Beşiktaş one step closer to a stable, recognisable footballing identity. On the other hand, if the coach is asked to incorporate players who do not suit his method, the current optimism may dissipate quickly. That is why this summer’s remaining moves will reveal as much about the club’s long‑term vision as about this season’s ambitions.
A fragile but promising balance
Right now, Beşiktaş stand at an interesting crossroads. They have a coach who has quickly read the league, earned initial buy‑in from the players and sent positive signals to the stands. They have a captain who guarantees continuity and a potential game‑changer in Trossard. What they still lack is the final layer of quality and depth that turns potential into dominance.
Bora Beyzade’s message is essentially a call to protect and nurture this fragile balance: trust the coach, complete the squad intelligently, and allow time for the project to mature. In his eyes, Beşiktaş have finally taken the most difficult step – finding the right technical leader. Now it is up to the club to ensure that, having found the right coach, they truly let him provide the decisive contribution he is capable of.