“Beşiktaş have no trouble scoring, but…” – that single sentence perfectly captures the paradox of the black-and-whites this season.
Against Başakşehir, the result was worth far more than three points on paper. It was a comeback in the middle of a crisis, an extension of an unbeaten run, a rare away win at a difficult ground and, perhaps most crucially, a statement that Beşiktaş are still alive in the race for Europe. For supporters who had almost forgotten what a meaningful victory felt like, this was a cathartic night: a morale injection and a loud message of “we’re back in the fight.”
From that angle, the game can be summed up as a turning point rather than an ordinary league fixture.
Columnist Murat Özbostan underlined exactly this aspect. In his view, the Başakşehir win was not just another entry in the standings, but a victory that arrived right when the team were under maximum pressure. In a period when talk of “losing the habit of winning” had become common around the club, claiming three points away from home with a comeback carries emotional and psychological value that statistics alone cannot measure. It feels like a restart button pressed in the middle of a turbulent season.
Ömer Üründül, on the other hand, focused more on the performance and tactical realities on the pitch. He stressed that Beşiktaş did not shine in terms of quality of play, yet still managed to leave with a very important result because they faced a tricky opponent that knows how to close spaces and punish mistakes. For him, the most noteworthy detail was that all of the new signings were used. In such a reshaped team, building chemistry during a tough away match is never easy, and still they came away with a win despite several scares in front of their own goal.
Üründül also gave a detailed assessment of some of the fresh faces. He noted that the centre-forward leading the line is not an “elite, world-class striker,” but is nonetheless offering clear value to the side. Scoring one goal and providing the assist for the second, he directly influenced the outcome. Olaitan, described as a tireless fighter who refuses to drift out of the game, adds physical presence and constant pressure. His long throw-ins have already become a situational weapon, creating chaos in the opposition box and giving Beşiktaş another route to goal.
Looking slightly further ahead, Üründül predicted that Murillo will soon join this list of impactful arrivals. In his estimation, within the next two or three weeks the Brazilian should start delivering significant contributions, both with his technical ability and his versatility, potentially reshaping how Beşiktaş build up play and defend transitions.
Yet amidst this cautious optimism, Fatih Doğan pointed to the elephant in the room: Beşiktaş can score, sometimes with ease, but they concede goals just as readily, and often in the most avoidable ways. For Doğan, that raises a brutal question: even if the team manages to secure a European spot, would they actually be competitive there with this kind of defensive fragility? Right now, the answer looks worrying.
Doğan’s verdict is clear: the first and most urgent issue Beşiktaş must address is the chronic vulnerability in their back line. The same criticism, he added, can be directed at Başakşehir. They chose to play bravely, kept the game open, did not resort to spoiling tactics and accepted that they would leave spaces behind. That approach made for entertaining football, but it also exposed both sides’ structural problems without the ball.
The decisive moment encapsulated this double-edged style. Opoku’s individual error in the goal they conceded is more than an isolated mistake; to Doğan, it symbolises the broader risks for any team that defends as loosely as Başakşehir did. If a side that leaves such gaps at the back also gifts goals through basic errors, its European aspirations, just like Beşiktaş’s, will be full of turbulence.
In other words, the match was an advert for attacking football but also a warning sign: teams that want to climb the continental ladder cannot build their future on such shaky defensive foundations.
This duality – offensive fluency versus defensive chaos – defines Beşiktaş at the moment. In the final third they look inventive and confident. The new forwards are combining well, second-line runners are getting into the box, and set-pieces and long throws add variety to their attacking play. They can overturn deficits and always look capable of finding another goal. That makes them dangerous and exciting, but also unstable.
The problem lies in the other half of the pitch. Positioning errors, late reactions, poor communication between centre-backs and full-backs, and the inability to clear second balls all contribute to the feeling that every opponent chance might end in the net. Keeper and defenders are still not in total sync, and the midfield’s protection in front of the defence is inconsistent. When the team attacks with many players, the rest defence behind the ball often looks exposed.
Fixing this is not simply a matter of changing personnel. It requires a collective adjustment. The defensive line needs better coordination on when to step up and when to drop. Full-backs must find the balance between supporting attacks and maintaining compactness. Midfielders have to screen passing lanes and cut out counters before they reach the penalty area. Without this, individual performances will always look worse than they are, because the structure itself invites danger.
Another crucial factor is game management. Beşiktaş sometimes struggle to “close” matches they lead. Instead of slowing the tempo, controlling possession and forcing the rival to chase the ball, they get drawn into end-to-end exchanges that suit neither their physical state nor their defensive quality. Learning when to press, when to sit, and how to calmly recycle the ball under pressure is essential if they are to stabilise results and reduce the number of cheap goals conceded.
From a psychological perspective, the Başakşehir victory may serve as a turning point in how the players perceive themselves. Coming from behind and winning away, in a period of public criticism, can help restore self-belief in the dressing room. Confidence affects defending too: a back line that trusts itself is more decisive in duels, more aggressive in interceptions and less prone to panicky clearances. The coaching staff’s challenge is to turn this single night into a sustained upward trend rather than a one-off reaction.
The integration of the new signings is another long-term key. Offensively, their impact is already visible in goals and assists. Defensively, however, they still need to adapt to the team’s pressing triggers, line height and transition rules. Forwards like Olaitan, who press from the front with intensity, can be the first defenders and set the tone, but the whole block behind them must move in harmony. If Beşiktaş want to be a modern, proactive side, the pressing game must become as organised as their attacks.
Looking ahead to potential European competition, the warning from Fatih Doğan shouldn’t be ignored. On the continental stage, opponents punish every lapse of concentration with greater ruthlessness. Teams cannot afford repeated unforced errors or positional chaos. To be more than just participants in Europe, Beşiktaş must transform their current attacking verve into a balanced, two-way identity: sharp in front, compact at the back.
In tactical terms, that might mean certain practical adjustments: tightening the distance between the lines so the midfield sits closer to the defence; instructing full-backs to stagger their runs so both are not caught high at the same time; and assigning clearer responsibilities on set-piece defending, an area where they have also looked fragile. Small changes in discipline and structure could significantly reduce the number of “soft” goals conceded, without sacrificing their ability to score.
The Başakşehir match, then, should be read on two levels. On the surface, it is a valuable away victory, a continuation of an unbeaten run and a psychological release for a team and fan base under heavy tension. Beneath that, it is also an x-ray of Beşiktaş’s current state: lively, talented and dangerous going forward, but error-prone and exposed when defending. The coming weeks will show whether this game was the start of a more balanced, mature Beşiktaş or just another chapter in a season defined by thrilling attacks and alarming defensive cracks.
For now, one conclusion is unavoidable: Beşiktaş do not have a scoring problem. Their real test begins with what happens in their own penalty area.