Uruguayan debuts for Gala in unlucky loss

Uruguay big man who covers goal for his beloved nation, Fernando Muslera, debuted for his new club Galatasaray SK but unfortunately ended up on the wrong side of a 1-0 score line.

The Turkish side visited neighbors Greece to take on a top club in Olympiakos. It only took the hosts roughly 30 seconds to score as Kevin Mirallas latched onto a through ball and slotted home from close range. There wasn’t much Muslera could do in that situation.

However the Uruguayan hero came up big when the Greek side had a chance from 7 yards out as he bravely blocked the shot by deflecting it out for a corner. Here he made his first save which showed how fearless he is in front of goal.

Galatasaray would score in the second half as Gokhan Zan headed in a Selcuk Inan free kick. However, the match official disallowed the goal as Zan was in a slightly offside position.

The match finished in a loss for Gala but keeper Muslera finally eased the worries of fans of the Turkish giants.

In recent years, Galatasaray has had four different starting keepers and each one made several errors that cost the side many games. They required a keeper who knew how to take a team on his shoulders and defend the two posts behind him. He did it for Uruguay, and he also did it for Gala by only allowing one goal off of many shots.

The team made many changes this year signing a new starting left back in Tomas Ujfalusi and a starting holding midfielder in Selcuk Inan. Johan Elmander also joined the Gala attack from the Premier League’s Bolton Wanderers. Adding Muslera in goal simply put the icing on the cake for the Lion Kings.

The only loss that has hurt them thus far is the sale of captain Arda Turan. As mentioned last week, he was the heart and soul of the team. Now, the number ten is vacant and the team is still debating on whether or not to sign a replacement straight away.

Regardless of that hole, Galatasaray will still be able to field a very strong squad and by not playing in Europe this season, they will have more energy and time to spend preparing for the regular Turkish Super League season and the Turkish Cup. After finishing in 9^th place last season, they have to prove to Turkey and the rest of the world that they are still capable of winning the Turkish championship.

Besides the new signings, Gala has appointed “the emperor” coach Fatih Terim who recently led the national team to the semi-finals of EURO 2008. He instills a “never quit” attitude into all of his players and this forces them to willingly play hard until the final whistle. This is exactly what this demoralized squad needed after a very disappointing campaign a year ago.

Will the squad be able to perform they way they are expected to? We will have to wait and find out when the season beings and progresses throughout the year. A good year is expected, let’s see if the Turkish giants can provide a memorable season for themselves as well as their millions of fans around the world.