Trabzonspor boss Fatih Tekke hails Salah as model for a world-class player

Fatih Tekke says Salah has shown the standards expected of a global football star after making an immediate impact for Trabzonspor.

Trabzonspor beat Basaksehir 2-1 in the second round of the Turkish league, with Salah scoring both of his side’s goals. He also found the net twice more, although neither effort was allowed to stand.

Tekke used his post-match news conference to praise the player’s influence while also expressing frustration at the number of high-profile names in his squad and the pressure that brings.

“There is another star close to joining us. We currently have three or four stars, and that is a major risk and not good for the coach, because this squad could easily lead to the coach being dismissed. I am telling you the truth and I have told the club president that,” he said.

The Trabzonspor manager felt his team could have won by a wider margin, but admitted Basaksehir might also have rescued a point late in the match.

“Today we scored two goals that were not given. The first was offside and, in my opinion, the second was not even close to being a foul. This match could easily have ended with us scoring four or five goals in the second half, and we could have finished it feeling comfortable. But it was also a game in which the opposition could have equalised in the final minute, so I am not completely happy,” Tekke added.

Tekke also criticised what he described as a lack of attention towards a refereeing decision in Trabzonspor’s Europa League match, while accusing some people in the city of trying to create controversy around the club.

“In the Europa League match, the referee butchered us and nobody spoke about it, because there is a group that only sees the empty side of the glass. There is a group in Trabzon that always tries to create crises. I accept criticism about results, but I will never accept unethical behaviour,” he said.

Tekke praises Salah’s professionalism

The manager said Salah’s contribution over the past two and a half weeks had offered a clear example of what it meant to be a leading player, both on and off the pitch.

“Salah’s performance over two and a half weeks tells us: yes, this is how a star player should be. He is performing well, but I am not talking only about what he does on the pitch,” said Tekke.

“All of us, including the players and sometimes me, think: can I really be this level of a global star? In terms of talent, you may have it on the pitch, but we are talking about a player who makes the right decisions at every moment. He is extremely professional away from the pitch, outside training, and before and after training.”

Tekke added that Salah had reached his level after only three training sessions.

“Salah showed his level after three training sessions, only three, and nobody knows that,” he said.

The coach also believes the presence of experienced players can help Trabzonspor develop its younger members, particularly when he is not nearby to guide them.

“The positive side of having stars is, for example, that I speak to Salah about problems and explain them to him so that he can explain them to the younger players when I am not beside them,” Tekke said.

“I was a young star for a period, but he is a bigger star. Now we have one experienced player in goalkeeping, another in defence, one in midfield and another with greater experience in attack.”