Kartal is gone, Kuyt takes the team
İsmail Kartal resigned on Tuesday and the board accepted it (1). Dirk Kuyt runs the team until the international break (1) (6).
The derby did it. Galatasaray beat you 2–1 on Monday, days after the Aston Villa 6–0 in the Champions League, and Kartal was under heavy fire for the league form before that (1) (3).
So the fourth Kartal era is over (4).
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Kartal's own words: "Artık psikolojim kaldırmıyor"
Kartal explained the exit himself. "Artık psikolojim kaldırmıyor, kendimi de motive edemiyorum. Kulübün de önünü açmak istiyorum" (4). He could not carry the weight any more, and he wanted to clear the road for the club.
He was also in a traffic accident on his way home from the facilities, at Anadolu Kavağı, late on Tuesday night (5) (11).
Two names for the job
The board has two candidates for the head coach role, with president Aziz Yıldırım involved in the search (7). No appointment has been made (6).
The derby ended a run you wanted to keep
Galatasaray 2–1 Fenerbahçe also closed a five match run without conceding and three straight wins (3). You sit fifth on 16 points from 9 games, +15 goal difference.
Goztepe at home on Saturday is Kuyt's first game in charge. Liverpool come to Istanbul on November 4 (fixtures).
Fan reactions
The talk in the Galatasaray corner is all about what happens next: one thread digs into the punishments handed out for the incidents after the Fenerbahçe–Galatasaray match, another breaks down Rafael Leão's display against Fenerbahçe. Both sides are still chewing over the derby. The thread on the post-match incidents has the most traffic.
