Türkiye

At the 2024 European Championship, manager Vincenzo Montella favoured a 4-2-3-1 possession shape, but would occasionally line up with three defenders in a 5-4-1 against stronger opponents. The most notable development since then is that Turkey's next generation of star talent has finally arrived, with Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız realising their world-class potential at Real Madrid and Juventus respectively, cementing their places as national team mainstays. Scattered throughout the remainder of the squad are other emerging talents (Can Uzun) and regulars across the top European leagues (Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Ferdi Kadıoğlu and Orkun Kökçü to name just a few).

Türkiye's tactical approach has not changed drastically since Euro 2024, and we have only seen back three / back five lineups a few times (notably vs. Spain in qualifying). Within the 4-2-3-1, the Turkish midfield and defense prefer to maintain narrow spacing and are one of the rare sides that like to build up by overloading the central areas. In the attacking third, this leverages the technical ability of the wide players and advanced midfield group to take on defenders in isolation with the ball. One thing the side does lack at the moment is a true striker - Deniz Gül is a bit too fresh - and so Montella's preference is to utilise a natural winger in Kerem Aktürkoğlu or Barış Alper Yılmaz as a false nine.