The fans were very excited when Kayseri were close to the European Cup spots at the end of the season’s 1st part, but coach Sumudica’s team disappointed them a lot in the 2nd part. Their terrible performance in 2018 caused them to end the season in the midtable.
They kicked off the season with a heavy defeat in Istanbul against Galatasaray. Then they started to do well and collect points. At this point, the Romanian coach emphasised that his players understood what he wanted to see in the pitch. They were unable to record long winning streaks, but they could manage to remain undefeated for important periods at least. This performance enabled them to finish among the top five.
2018 was absolutely horrible for them. They could manage to record only 4 victories: three of them were recorded against three relegated teams. In particular, they were too bad in defending. During the season’s 1st part, they conceded 18 goals, but this amount turned to 37 in the 2nd part. On the road, they could collect only 4 points in 2018. Considering all these negative numbers, it was normal to see them downfall.
According to the authorities, the main reason was a short squad. The coach could generally choose from 18 players during most of the season. So injuries, bans and fatigue affected them badly. During the initial weeks of his charge, the coach said that their goals was finishing among the top ten. After they have completed the season’s 1st part in the top five, his players felt like their duty was already over, according to him. That is why their desire faded in the 2nd part of the season.
For the next season, they have already made an agreement with coach Ertugrul Saglam. It is a big advantage to have him as he already worked for two years in Kayseri. He will probably want to build a wide range squad in order not to face the same problems again. Besides that, he should manage to prevent good players like Deniz Turuc and Umut Bulut from quitting the team.
