BarcelonaBarça will face Galatasaray in the round of 16 of the Europa League, a team with a past in the Champions League and immersed in a deep crisis. Barça will meet an old acquaintance, Domènec Torrent, who was part of Guardiola’s coaching staff. Iñaki Peña will also return to Barcelona, on loan until the end of the season in Turkey, and a footballer who left no one indifferent, Arda Turan.
Galatasaray is mired in one of the worst gusts in recent years. 2022 began with the dismissal of Fatih Terim, the club’s legend who led the Turkish team in more than 500 matches at different stages. Those in Istanbul decided to make a drastic turn and bet on Domènec Torrent. The Santa Coloma de Farners coach accompanied Guardiola to Barça, Bayern and Manchester City. In 2018 he left for New York City, also owned by the City Football Group, and in 2020 he signed for Flamengo, where he was sacked before the end of the season. He just started the third adventure on his own.
“I don’t know if Torrent will be able to change the dynamic, because the squad has very strong profiles,” said Fermín Suárez, a journalist who follows the Europa League. The Catalan coach inherited a team in the middle of a struggle that, historically, did not belong to him: to avoid relegation. His record so far is three defeats, two draws and only one win. The Galatasaray of Terim stood out for being a physically powerful team and very dominant in their area. Victor Nelsson and Marcão form a solid pair of central defenders, but at the same time they can be a limitation for Torrent’s associative proposal due to the lack of precision with the ball. On the other hand, who will surely be added in the construction phase will be Iñaki Peña. So far, he has conceded four goals in three games, but his footwork fits Torrent’s eyes. He will be in charge, at least, until the return of Fernando Muslera, who has been defending the Turkish goal since 2011.
“They have the potential to play something else. The key is whether Torrent is willing to change the way a team has played for many years and pay the toll it would mean in the middle of the season. “Suarez explains. Galatasaray has gained quality in the middle of the field this winter market with the transfer of the Chilean Erick Pulgar, from Fiorentina. He has also added striker Bafétimbi Gomis, with a past in the Premier League and Ligue 1.
The area where Galatasaray condenses talent is on the offensive pitch. The Turks have Ryan Babel in their squad, one of Ronald Koeman’s bets for his Dutch team with a past in teams such as Ajax and Deportivo de La Coruña. Another striker who played in the league is Sofiane Feghouli, from Valencia and Almeria. Other interesting profiles are the young Aktürkoglu, Dervisoglu and the Romanian Cicaldau. In the midfield line, Galatasaray tends to rotate and does not have an undisputed starting eleven.
Arda Turan, more controversial than football
Arda Turan was facing twelve and a half years in prison in 2019 for sexual harassment and injuries, after being shot with a firearm of which she was not licensed in a hospital. He was eventually sentenced to two years and eight months for dismissing the harassment. Some time later, the appellate court decided to reopen the case and consider the sexual harassment complaint that had been dismissed. The midfielder has played a few minutes with Domènec Torrent, but is far from starting.
Barça will face a team that is trying to overcome the crisis through a profound process of football transformation. The tie against Barça comes too soon, but it will be an opportunity for Domènec Torrent and Iñaki Peña to make themselves known to the general public.
