A historic accomplishment has already been accomplished by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Besiktas, which is something that no manager had ever accomplished in the preceding 65 years.
Since leaving Manchester United in 2021, Solskjaer had not been in a managerial position prior to the announcement of his appointment as the new head coach of the Super Lig team on January 18. Solskjaer, who is 52 years old, won the position.
During his eight games as the manager of the Istanbul club, the Norwegian has won six of them, drawn one of them, and lost one of them. As a result, the Istanbul club has risen to fourth place in the Turkish top flight, despite having played a game fewer than those who are above them (23).
After a significant amount of time without a coaching position, the 52-year-old individual provided an explanation in an interview with The Athletic regarding why Besiktas was the ideal job for him.
“There have been many job opportunities presented to me, but it had to be the right opportunity,” Solskjaer said.
“At least forty. Nevertheless, they were wrong; I have to be working at my job. Because I am a people-person, I employ the human capital that is all around me.
The question is, why Besiktas? It’s a massive club with a rich history, and it’s located in a marvellous city. But I had already communicated with them twice before, once six months ago and once a year ago. When it came to the president and the manner in which he explained the importance of bringing back the old Besiktas with respect and values, things were different this time.
During the recent period of good form, he accomplished a number of records that are part of history. This is the best points-per-game ratio of any Besiktas manager since Andras Kuttik, who managed the club from 1959 until 1960 and then returned in 1961-1962. Since he took charge of the team, they have averaged 2.38 points per league game. This is the best ratio of any Besiktas manager since Kuttik.
Aside from that, Besiktas has been scoring two goals per game in the league on average, and they are currently on a winning streak of five games for the first time this season.
Of course, Fenerbahce, which is managed by Jose Mourinho, and Galatasaray are the two teams that dominate Turkish football for the most part. However, Besiktas is a club that is well-supported in its own right and won the title for the last time during the 2020/21 season.
When Solskjaer was asked why the teams mentioned above are so far ahead of the rest of the competition, he responded by saying, “I don’t want to think too much about Fener and Gala.”
“We need to do things our way, a different way: there is a difference between my way and the president’s way. When it came to the transfer window, however, there was no panic.
“We need to think about the long term in order to bring in the right players at the right price and with the right value. We do not have an excessive amount of money to fritter away and waste.
Saturday will mark Solskjaer’s team’s return to action in the Super Lig. They will play Kayserispor at their home stadium, Tupraş Stadyumu, and the match will take place on Saturday.
