Istanbul Basaksehir on top in Turkey thanks to flying Edin Visca

Istanbul has always dominated Turkish life. The administrative capital may have been moved to Ankara on the founding of the Turkish Republic but, where Istanbul lead, the rest of Turkey follows. In football, too, Istanbul has emphatically led the way for much of the country’s history, with minor diversions to Trabzon and Bursa on occasion.

However, as vast as Istanbul is, it has only really seen three of its teams thrive, the big three of Besiktas, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray. There have been fleeting challengers, periodically, with grand old club Istanbulspor and, more recently, the new money of Kasimpasa, but neither ever offered serious competition.

This season, though, things appear to be slightly different. Six games into the season, Besiktas sit in second, Galatasaray occupy third position and Fenerbahce are accompanying the stragglers down in ninth. But, with neither of the big three at the top, there is another Istanbul side leading the way, as Istanbul Basaksehir top the table following five wins and one draw from the first six games, scoring the most and conceding the least out of every team in the league.

Star man Edin Visca, who leads the way in the ratings for the side (7.58), spoke to WhoScored.com about the clubs success and ambitions. “All of us have gained a lot of confidence and we are now really playing as team, so I can say we are really confident. I believe that discipline and respect amongst each other has been key, and both mentally and technically we are now very strong.”

Indeed, this is no fluke, trick of the table or the fixture list. They beat Fenerbahce in the opening game of the season and were comfortable in a 2-0 win over Bursaspor, who sit fourth. They appear, as far as the evidence of this season suggests, the real deal.

That does not mean, necessarily, that they will win the league or are better than champions Besiktas, but it suggests they could be. They have a genuine chance, and Visca certainly wasn’t writing it off, “We will do our best, and maybe we could be a big surprise this year.”

Their credentials, as impressive as they have been so far, will face some strenuous examination when, as October gives way to November, they face both Galatasaray and Besiktas in the space of a few weeks. If Istanbul Basaksehir remain at the top of the table following that pair of fixtures, talk of a remarkable run will transition into analysis of them as a genuine new force in Turkish football.

Their most recent game, a 5-0 win over Adanaspor, demonstrated the qualities that head coach Abdullah Avci has cultivated. The side are devastating in transitional faces, springing forward with the raking balls of Emre Belozoglu and the driving pace of Visca and Cengiz Under.

While Emre’s dead balls were potent in the win over Adanaspor, Visca was the star of the show, as he has been for some time. The Bosnian winger, who was been with the club since 2011, said of joining the club “It was a good opportunity and also a good challenge for my career to move to Turkey. A lot has changed in my time here, but above all the fact that the club has become bigger, stronger and gained more respect.”

Visca, perhaps more than any other player at the club, encapsulates what Avci wants from his side. “I believe that my best qualities are my speed and my ability to receive a final pass and score,” he confirmed.

Having scored twice already this season, as well as registering two assists, his aim is to top last season’s superb tally of 17, which earned him the accolade of Bosnian player of the year for 2015 ahead of the likes of Pjanic and Dzeko. “It was a big honour for me to having been chosen amongst such great players as the player of the year. It is certainly fair to say that it was one of my finest seasons yet.” He admitted, “my goal is to be the best I can, so I will try to reach an even higher goal target.”

Avci, the head coach that has turned the side into such a force, has been instrumental in their development from strange beginnings. Istanbul Basaksehir is not a club typical of those at the top of Turkish football after all. While the big three and former title winners Bursaspor and Trabzonspor are wedded to history, Istanbul Baskasehir are a largely new club.

The current iteration was, technically, only formed in 2014 but the club stretches back to the 1990-91 season, when they were formed as part of İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi, the city’s municipal authority. Avci was with the club from 2006-11, guiding them to the Super Lig and establishing them as a competitive force in that level, leaving to take over the Turkish national side.

He returned in 2014, as the club moved out of the Ataturk Olympic Stadium and into the 17,300 capacity Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium in the western Istanbul district of Baskasehir. 2014 also saw the club remove formal links with the municipal authorities, changing their name to Istanbul Baskasehir to correspond with their home district.

Last season, a year into their new stadium and their new name, Istanbul Basaksehir finished fourth in the Super Lig, their highest ever league position. In 26 years, the club has hurled itself from nothingness to being among the four best sides in the country. The achievement is remarkable, despite the club benefitting from municipal authority backing for most of its history.

On a footballing level, their rise provides a sensational story and, with Avci continuing to drive the club forward, there appears little reason to suggest their recent success is not sustainable. The rest of this season is important but more crucial is becoming a regular fixture at the very top of the Super Lig over the next 10 years, and as such the role of their prized asset will be key.

Flying winger Visca reportedly attracted interest from the likes of Sevilla in the summer and confirmed, “Yes there were a few offers, however the club was not ready to let me go. Currently I am very happy here.” Keeping him that way is vital. Renewing his contract in the summer was certainly a good start and achieving domestic success would certainly be a strong reason to stay.

Their existing trajectory provides a promising indicator of their ability to do just that.

Can Istanbul Basaksehir maintain a title challenge this season? Let us know in the comments below