A Shift in the Cold
Winter has a way of making things seem still. Snow settles over cities, over streets and stadiums, and for a moment, everything feels frozen in place. But stillness is deceptive. Beneath the surface, something stirs; a quiet shift, a slow ignition.
Beşiktaş had spent the first half of the season drifting, caught between expectation and reality. Then came a change. Not dramatic, not loud, but steady. A new hand at the helm, a new rhythm taking hold. A club that had looked lost now moving in unison, building momentum not with sudden bursts, but through a collective will to fight.
Momentum is fragile. It doesn’t announce itself, and it doesn’t ask for permission to stay. It must be held onto, fought for, earned. And right now, Beşiktaş is refusing to let go.
On the Pitch
Away win to Sivasspor, 2-0 was the kind of controlled performance that felt overdue. The Anatolian side, toughened by harsh winters, made us earn every yard. Emirhan Topçu struck first, João Mário sealed it. The performance wasn’t perfect, but it was professional. And that was enough.
Home win to Trabzonspor, 2-1 had the kind of tension only the anchovy evangelists can bring. Trabzon, a city where soccer is closer to religion than sport, came ready for a fight. The visitors annoyed the crowd early, but Beşiktaş responded before halftime. Then, a defensive error flipped the game. Fortune favours those who stay in the fight.
Away win to Eyüpspor, 3-1 started with the worst possible omen; a goal conceded within 40 seconds. The Golden Horn’s rising side, built with ambition and an eye on bigger things, thought they had us rattled. Instead, Rafa Silva equalized, Milot Rashica gave us the lead, and Semih Kılıçsoy finished it. Another win, another show of resilience.
Away win to Antalyaspor, 2-1 was a step forward into the Turkish Cup quarter-finals. The Mediterranean city, a place of sun and leisure, was in no mood to offer an easy passage. Keny Arroyo, the new Ecuadorian signing, started and scored in the 10th minute. Antalyaspor equalized, but Rafa Silva stepped up once again in the 76th minute. A quarter-final ticket secured, momentum still intact.
Home win to Kayserispor, 2-0 took patience. The visitors, known for their bargaining culture as sharp as their defense, were resilient and disciplined. A first half of control but no breakthrough. Then, Ciro Immobile found João Mário just before the break. The game stayed in the balance until stoppage time, when Semih Kılıçsoy converted a penalty. Five in five. No let-up.
A Team Moving as One
This was not a run built on individual brilliance alone. It was something else, something more difficult to create. A team that had once played like strangers was now moving as a unit. The lines between attack and defense blurred, the gaps that once invited disaster now sealed.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær had seen this before. At Manchester United, at Molde, at every club where he built from within. The key was never just tactics. It was belief.
The players talk about positional discipline, about knowing where they need to be. But they also talk about trust; trust in the system, trust in each other. And in a league that thrives on volatility, trust is an advantage.
The Student Becomes the Teacher
Sir Alex Ferguson once wrote about Ole Gunnar Solskjær:
“He had mental pictures everywhere. In games, sitting on the bench, and in training sessions, he would make notes, always. So by the time he came on he had analysed who the opponents were, what positions they were assuming. He had those images all worked out. The game was laid out for him like a diagram and he knew where to go and when.”
At Beşiktaş, that same meticulous approach is shaping his managerial tenure. His ability to read the game, to prepare with precision, and to instill quiet confidence in his squad mirrors the traits Ferguson saw in him as a player. Solskjær was never the most physical forward, nor the loudest presence in the dressing room, but he understood where to be and when.
Now, his team is learning to do the same. Beşiktaş is playing like a side that knows where it’s going. That, more than anything, might be Solskjær’s greatest impact.
New Eyes, New Blood
Momentum isn’t just about results. It’s about what comes next. Beşiktaş wasn’t just fixing its present, it was laying groundwork for the future.
Enter Eduard Graf. Twelve years at Borussia Dortmund, now at Beşiktaş. A Chief Scout brought in not just to sign players, but to reshape how the club sees the game.
Perhaps, his first marks are already visible with Keny Arroyo, the Ecuadorian talent, and Élan Ricardo, the Colombian midfielder. Young, promising, long-term investments in a club that has often prioritized the immediate.
Beşiktaş is still Beşiktaş. Chaos is never far away. But this? This feels like an attempt at something different.
The Game Beyond the Game
Clubs fight battles that extend beyond the ninety minutes. Some victories are earned on the pitch; others, in the details.
When Beşiktaş subtly updated its badge, The Sun being The Sun, ran a piece framing it as “Crest Fooling”, “You’ve got the eyes of a hawk if you can spot the differences on Besiktas’ new club badge”.
The club’s response was sharp, simple, precise. They pointed out that The Sun itself had subtly changed its own logo back in 1992, but, of course, not with nearly as much scrutiny. “Same reason as you did in 1992. We have eagle eyes.“
Momentum is built in moments. Some with goals. Some with words.
The Fight Ahead
A club moving together. A manager instilling belief.
Momentum is a fragile thing, but this team has shown it knows how to hold on. And so, the thaw continues.
The question is no longer whether Beşiktaş has found its rhythm.
It’s how long we can keep it.
See you in April.