Two managers wondering how much longer they would enjoy the Bosphorus breeze led their charges to battle in the first Istanbul derby of the season. Kadikoy was the site as Fenerbahce hosted eternal rivals Galatasary in the latest installment of the series and emerged victorious 4-1. Playing in Sivas or travelling to Denizli may not be glamorous but foreign imports understand what it means to wear the Fener or Galatasaray uniform when they participate in one of the most heated derbies in the world. Certainly, Luis Aragones now knows. A loss or even a draw would probably have meant the end of his tenure. However, a deceptively lopsided victory may keep him in the captain’s chair for the rest of the season.

The game itself pulsated because of its importance and entertained despite few chances. A packed Sukru Saracioglu stadium provided the atmosphere that buoyed Fenerbahce, who were missing talismanic captain Alex. Silence ensued as Lincoln scored in the second minute to cap off a pretty move for Galatasaray but Fenerbahce then capitalized on a number of defensive errors by their opponents. Selcuk Sahin, picked by many pundits as player of the match, drifted in unmarked to head in off a corner to equalize after eight minutes. Selcuk seemed to have a bright future while among the youth ranks at Fenerbahce but has failed to realize his perceived potential. He was never deemed quality enough at his position and players like Stephen Appiah, Mehmet Aurelio and Claudio Maldonado have kept him out of a regular starting eleven spot. But he is Fenerbahce through and through and wore his ass-kicking boots for the derby.

Lincoln scored again minutes later but his free kick went in untouched after the referee had indicated it was indirect. Volkan tried his best to act the fool as he flew to save when a mere butterflies touch of his fingertips would have allowed the goal to stand. To be fair, Volkan was solid the rest of the game but he was lucky his typical moment of lunacy went unpunished. Instead, it was to be Galatasaray’s center-back pairing that will spend the next few days basking in deserved shame. Emre Asik scored Fener’s second by hooking the ball cleverly into his own net. In the second half, Servet Cetin ended his side’s threat by allowing Diego Lugano to waltz in unmarked behind him to nod home a rebound off a retro free kick from Roberto Carlos. By the time Deivid capped off an impressive night with a stunning individual effort in stoppage time, both sides knew how the game would end.

Perhaps in terms of quality, in terms of possession, in terms of intent, Galatasaray deserved a point. Unfortunately, Fener forgived them not their mistakes and that was the difference at the end. While Fenerbahce executed a solid game plan, too many players underperformed for Galatasaray. Fener’s strategy was to play a controlled, possession game, looking for chances more on counterattack rather than the attacking waves that have burned their own defense too often this year. Meanwhile, Michael Skibbe employed the same formation that beat Benfica in Portugal, putting Umit Karan alone at top with Milan Baros on the wing. Baros suffered. His only contribution was a yellow for a disgraceful hand ball and was duly removed at half time. Umit Karan was also terrible: he still hasn’t put a ball in an opponent’s goal this year in league play.

Really, the only player who was worth his salt for Galatasaray was Ayhan. The press lavished praise on him, partly because he was excellent, partly because there was no one else to praise on his team. He really is an inspirational figure but he collects yellow cards like a hobby. Some in the press tried to blame the Galatasaray performance on fatigue, because they had one fewer day of rest after the European action during the week. Allow me to be partisan here: if they hadn’t crashed out of the Champion’s League qualifying stages, they wouldn’t have that problem.

One of the press hacks – I can’t remember who – made a great point that Fenerbahce might have benefited from the absence of Alex. Alex has been the best player in the Turkish league for several years now but I have always felt his relative immobility has been a detriment against quality opposition – namely European opposition. In many ways, it is the same type of problem that confronts teams with Juan Roman Riquelme, although he and Alex are not quite the same type of player. Without him, the team is more fluid, more mobile and more active. Now that he is getting on in age, Fenerbahce must look to replace him soon and Emre is not the answer. Speaking of Emre, he made a relatively low-key appearance against his old team. He did have a moment of brilliance as a delightful pass from the outside of his foot set up a goal on a platter for Dani Guiza, who opted for the fu fu option and sent the ball in to the night sky. It’s hard to shake the feeling that Guiza is a guy who tries hard but needs ten chances to score a goal.

Meanwhile, Trabzonspor continue their reign at the top after a nervy win at home against Hacettepespor. Trabzon may end up losing many points to the Istanbul teams this year but if they keep getting maximum rewards against Anatolian sides, an unlikely title may be in their grasp. Hot on their heels, though, are Ankaraspor. Not Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, or Besiktas. Ankaraspor. Two late goals against Eskisehirspor saw them remain a single point behind the leaders from the Black Sea coast. With games against Fenerbahce and Galatasaray in the next two fixtures, we’ll see if the capital club are for real.

Besiktas are only a further point behind after coming back from two goals down against bottom side Kocaelispor to win 5-2. Despite making a coaching change by bringing in Mustafa Denizli a few weeks back, who lost more points in his first three games than Ertugrul Saglam had in six previous, Besiktas are looking solid enough for now. The week, though, belonged to Fenerbahce, who may have actually turned their season around and saved Aragones’s job. Wait, didn’t I say that two weeks ago?