Ole Gunnar Solskjaer off to winning start at Besiktas but hard work lies ahead

Norwegian has been out of a job since leaving Manchester United in 2022. The size of the task ahead of him in Turkey is a big one

Besiktas' head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrates after seeing his side beat Athletic Club 4-1 in the Europa League. EPA

“It’s good to be back at it,” was the verdict of new Besiktas boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the morning of his first match in his new job. It’s over three years since he left Manchester United and having turned down multiple offers since, he decided to accept the position to coach the Turkish side last week.

Several approaches have come from Turkey in recent years and Solskjaer loved the idea of living in Europe’s biggest city, Istanbul, and working in a league with some of the most passionate fans in world football. That passion can boil over and turbulence is the norm in Turkish football – Besiktas have had 30 coaches this century – but the Norwegian got off to the best possible start in his first game, a thumping 4-1 win against Europa League group leaders Athletic Club.

The Basques had won five and drawn one of their six games, conceding only twice before they travelled to the banks of the Bosporus where Besiktas play. Their hosts had won only two from six and sit sixth in the Turkish Super Lig. That’s why few were expecting a Besiktas win, let alone such an emphatic one against Ernesto Valverde’s side. Kosovan winger Milot Rashica bagged two as the Turkish side scored three times in the final 30 minutes, playing hugely entertaining attacking football. They face Twente in the final group game next week and are well-positioned to reach the play-off round of the competition.

Solskjaer has brought in coaches and will appoint more staff to work with his team as they seek to improve fortunes, but the glow of a first win could quickly fade; it’s a difficult job he’s taken on.

Besiktas’ problems lie in their home city where they have to play third fiddle too often for their fans liking. Galatasaray are serial champions and remain just that. Fenerbahce, now coached by Jose Mourinho, the man Solskjaer replaced at Manchester United, finished second despite earning 99 points in the league last season. Both are far better resourced than the big-spending Besiktas, who have won 16 titles, including five so far this century, the last in 2021. They won the Turkish Cup in 2024, but a disappointing sixth-place finish last term saw another change of coach. Giovanni van Bronckhorst lasted only 20 games before his November dismissal with the team sitting fourth. They have continued to regress.

Political instability at the club in recent years has not helped. The previous club president departed a year ago, replaced by Serdal Adali after a snap election in December 2023. There will be a further election in June, with Adali likely the only candidate.

Fans have been frustrated that the overspending has resulted in underwhelming performances, by the lack of home-grown talents, but Solskjaer’s appointment has been greeted with enthusiasm in Turkey.

He inherits a squad whose best two players are Portuguese: playmaker Rafa Silva and his compatriot Gedson Fernandes. Italian striker Ciro Immobile arrived at the start of the season after eight years at Lazio and is the 14-goal top scorer. Englishman Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, 31, has featured less since being frozen out by Van Bronkhorst, while Libyan midfielder Al-Musrati ensures Mena representation.

Besiktas are well supported and average 30,000 for home league games this season in their 42,000-capacity Besiktas Stadium which was developed in 2016. Few stadiums enjoy such a privileged position, standing in Europe and overlooking Asia. Galatasaray averages 43,000 at home, Fenerbahce 35,000 in a league where the average crowd is just 12,500.

It’s not all about numbers, though. There are former Manchester United colleagues of Solskjaer who maintain that the atmosphere for their game at Besiktas in 2010 was the best they ever experienced in their career.

There’s a lot of good will towards Solskjaer and interest in his appointment is high, but he knows he needs to strengthen his squad, steady their league position and ideally improve on it so that Besiktas play European football next season. They had one of their great European nights in his first game this season.

“I see a team full of quality players that have been going through a difficult period,” Solskjaer told Dijital after the game. “My job in these two or three days was to hold my hand around them, make them feel confident because football is the best thing. It should be fun. It should be about going out, working hard and celebrating with the fans after. I said that we should stay together as a team, fight for your team, fight for your shirt, fight for your supporters, fight for your family.”

It's great to see Solskjaer enjoying being back but he has some hard work ahead.