After derby defeat, Fenerbahçe player may struggle to regain his place, pundit says

Fenerbahçe's 2-1 derby defeat to Beşiktaş has prompted a blunt verdict from İlker Yağcıoğlu: Irfan Can Kahveci may find it difficult to reclaim a regular place in the team.

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I did not see pressure or control of the game from them anywhere.

Speaking on TRT Spor after the match, Yağcıoğlu said he saw no sustained pressure or control from Fenerbahçe. Beşiktaş, he argued, dominated the second half after Rıdvan Yılmaz and Dusan Vlahovic scored to overturn Milan Skriniar's opening goal for Fenerbahçe.

The pundit placed the blame for the defeat on İsmail Kartal. He said Fenerbahçe should have used a three-man midfield against a Beşiktaş side built around strong, dynamic midfielders. Instead, he criticized the decision to deploy Irfan Can in a role behind the striker.

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I put the defeat down to İsmail Kartal. Clearly.

Yağcıoğlu said Beşiktaş's three-man midfield repeatedly turned loose balls into attacks because Fenerbahçe's two central midfielders could not cover the space. He also criticized the team's attacking changes, saying Romelu Lukaku was not ready and could neither hold the ball nor create chances against Beşiktaş.

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It seems to me that from now on he will struggle to see the shirt.

With four matches played and two defeats recorded, Yağcıoğlu said the result was not what had been expected. He described the derby as a test and concluded that Fenerbahçe had failed it.

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In my view, it was a test match. Unfortunately, Fenerbahçe did not pass the test.