It has been absolutely a disappointing season for Kayseri as they could only score more goals than two relegated teams. Cherry & Kravets took the whole offensive responsibility during the season, but their efforts were not good enough. In particular, captain Umut Bulut’s performance was too far from the past seasons. It seems like his age started to take its toll from him. The season’s 1st part was especially terrible for the fans.
Early on in December, they were inside the relegation zone and they could score only in 6 of early 14 fixtures. The board felt like they had to end this misery. Instead of coach Ertugrul Saglam, they signed coach Hikmet Karaman. His arrival showed its effect immediately and they remained undefeted for 10 fixtures and became assertive for the 5th place, but then the nightmare came back and recorded a run of only 2 victories in 11 fixtures, which made them remain aimless in the midtable.
Their failure’s biggest reason was being short in some parts of the team. Moreover, there was no other creative option except Deniz Turuc & Cherry. So the performances of Varela & Bilal were not satisfactory. It was also the same problem for the backline. When Lopes or Atila were unable to play because of any reason, the coach was unable to use any suitable back-up for both defensive flanks, which caused the defence line to lose its effectiveness. If they continue with coach Hikmet Karaman, it is a big advantage for them as he knows what to do now. If he builds a wide range squad, they can finish in a higher place.
