To finish the season among the top 4 and leave Fenerbahce and Galatasaray behind is a great job for Sivas, but
coach Riza Calimbay’s team could have done much better, if they had not recorded only 5 victories in 2020. The
transfers news about Emre Kilinc and Mert Hakan Yandas affected their performances and cost them
heavily.
Besides the duo’s 19 goals and 11 assists, Yatabare and Kone’s 21-goal and 10-assist
performances also enabled coach Riza Calimbay’s team to finish the current season that high. However, some
important injuries and bans prevented the coach from using his best line up in the 2nd part of the season.
In particular, the midfield really struggled to do well in the absence of hardworking Hakan Arslan.
After suffering defeats on the road against Gaziantep FK, Trabzon and Antalya, they were still
inside the title race, but a subsequent 4-game winless run meant the end of the story. In the late weeks,
they tried to hold on to the 3rd place which could have brought them a CL spot, but they failed to maintain it as they lost
to aimless Goztepe.
Considering that they were standing at the top of the league in some parts of the season, this result is a
huge disappointment for the whole city, but they have improved the previous season’s performance a real ot. In particular, 16 goals conceded less is a plus.
Regarding the next season, they will have to be active in the summer in order to replace the quality of Emre Kilinc, Mert
Hakan and Fatih Aksoy who will not be members of the team anymore. Considering that they will compete in 3
competitions, they must bring in several new players to give their squad more depth.
