Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left all of Turkish media saying the same thing after what was arguably his Besiktas side's biggest match of the season so far. Initially, many were skeptical about the manager's appointment in charge of the Turkish Super Lig club. He'd been unemployed since his tenure at Manchester United came to an end in 2021 when Besiktas decided to hire him in early 2025.
It was a gamble that quickly paid off and after nine games in charge, he had the best record at the club since 1950 in terms of the average points per game they were picking up. It was an excellent start to life in Turkey and Solksjaer quickly won over his doubters in a big way as his team climbed into contention for European football. Fans were loving life under him and had plenty of positive things to say about him.
Things threatened to derail after his team lost three straight matches throughout March. It looked like it was only going to get worse too as they came up against Galatasaray, their heated rivals, who are running away with the Turkish Super Lig right now. Against the odds, though, Besiktas came away with the victory and it all boiled down to a genius tactical tweak made by the former Cardiff City boss.
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Solskjaer's Tactical Change Beat Galatasaray
He decided to play six midfielders and no forwards
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Coming up against a side like Galatasaray, on the back of three straight defeats, Solskjaer knew he had to come up with something special if his side were to avoid a loss and he did just that. The former United man decided to play a 4-6-0 formation and operated with six midfielders and no forwards against the league leaders and it worked a treat.
Despite having the likes of Ciro Immobile at his disposal, Solksjaer opted to start without any strikers and it proved very effective against Galatasaray. Besiktas beat their heated rivals 2-1 following goals from Rafa Silva and Gedson Fernandes. Galatasaray were reduced to 10 men in the first half, when Przemysław Frankowski was sent off in the 36th minute, but it was still an impressive victory for Solskjaer's side and the media have heaped plenty of praise on him following his tactical masterclass.
They've been singing Solskjaer's praises
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Early in Solskjaer's tenure at Besiktas, the Turkish media were effusive in their praise for the Norwegian. After picking up seven wins in his first nine matches, Turkish football expert Lara Karacan had this to say about his impact at Besiktas, via Transfermarkt:
"Solskjaer has implemented a fast, attacking style of play and revitalized the team after multiple managerial changes, as demonstrated in the 4-1 Europa League win over Athletic Bilbao. He has tackled issues like the lack of a scouting department and strengthened analysis by bringing in experts like Tom Green. Additionally, the club's owners are now paying their players’ salaries, which was not always the case under Van Bronckhorst —an indirect but positive effect for Solskjær."
After three straight losses, the praise died down a little, but the media have been quick to celebrate the manager after Besiktas' victory over Galatasaray and he's earned a lot of credit for the result.
Turkish publication Duhuliye credited him for the win and said: "Ole's system worked. Let's give it credit to Ole. It was a wise choice to keep Immobile and Semih on the bench and start the match in a 4-6-0 formation."
The victory was also analysed on Turkish television's D-Smart and they said: "With Solskjær's analysis of Galatasaray, he identified his opponent's weaknesses and used his own team's strengths to checkmate Okan Buruk."
Turkish coach Onder Ozen also had some positive things to say about the result. Talking about Solskjaer's decision-making, he said: ""Solskjaer made a very smart choice by starting Rafa Silva up front. It's a 100% right idea."
There were plenty more in the media heaping praise on Solskjaer too. Turkish site Skorer claimed Besiktas were worthy winners over the Super Lig leaders and noted that the manager was responsible for the result, saying: "Beşiktaş deserved to win in every way. Rafa Silva played terrifically. Joao Mario accompanied him. The Black Eagles were good as a team. Of course, the chief architect of this success is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who studied very well."