Turkish Super Lig Weekly: Besiktas and Fenerbahce capitalise on Galatasaray collapse
Let's start at the very end of this gameweek, as Besiktas aimed to bounce back from their 4-0 thumping at Ajax in the Europa League when they faced Kayserispor on Monday night.
After a cagey first half, Besiktas clicked into gear in the second - courtesy of some abysmal defending from their opponents - as they soared to a 3-0 victory. Gedson Fernandes opened the scoring while Ciro Immobile bagged a brace.
It has been a dream start to life in Turkey for Immobile, scoring 10 goals in 10 games. He is the current top scorer in the Super Lig with six goals, as he leads the way for a Besiktas team that are vastly improved compared to last season.
But the star of the show for Besiktas has been Fernandes, who has been one of the players of the season at this very early stage. Fernandes has always been an all-action midfielder, but he is now adding even more goals to his game, with six to his name in all competitions already.
Following the game, Kayserispor manager and Turkey legend Burak Yilmaz resigned from his position, with his side sitting in the relegation zone.
Tougher tests will come for Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men, especially with an away trip to Galatasaray in around three weeks' time, But so far, they have had a fine start to this campaign, establishing themselves as title contenders.
On Sunday, Fenerbahce were also trying to get back to winning ways after their damaging 3-1 defeat against Galatasaray, as they visited Antalyaspor.
Led by Alex de Souza - the greatest player in Fenerbahce history - Antalyaspor succumbed to a 2-0 defeat, leaving them just four points above the relegation spots.
For Jose Mourinho, it was a much-needed win, despite it being another rather dull Fenerbahce performance.
And of course, as I am sure you have seen already, Mourinho did take centre stage. During the match, in protest of an offside decision that he believed was incorrect, he placed his laptop in front of the TV cameras, showing an image attempting to prove his player was onside.
Consequently, he was booked, but it was another obvious attempt by Fenerbahce and Mourinho to try and prove to the world that everyone is out to get them.
Before we move on to Galatasaray, Trabzonspor finally claimed their first win of the season, surviving a late fightback from Konyaspor to win 3-2. Simon Banza scored his first two goals for the club after signing from Braga in the summer, and he certainly showed that he will be a handful for a lot of defenders in Turkey.
Galatasaray collapse despite Osimhen heroics
What looked set to be a statement day for two-time defending champions Galatasaray ended in a truly shocking 3-3 draw at home to Kasimpasa.
Galatasaray played on Saturday, and had the chance to make it seven wins from seven in the league and stretch their lead at the top and it couldn't have started in better fashion.
For the first time, Mauro Icardi and Victor Osimhen started up front together. The star duo put Kasimpasa to the sword, slamming three goals past their opponents in the first 35 minutes.
Osimhen was once again imperious, scoring his first goals for the club, including a brilliant left-footed strike. Icardi was also on the scoresheet, finishing in typically emphatic fashion.
However, on the cusp of half time, everything changed.
Kasimpasa pulled a goal back in the 44th minute, but perhaps what proved more costly, Osimhen picked up a small niggle. The Nigerian was taken off at half time as a precaution and nothing serious, but things went downhill from there.
A week after making himself a hero in the Intercontinental Derby and dispelling any pressure despite doubts about his tactical prowess, manager Okan Buruk put in a lot of effort to undo all that.
Despite the fact that 37-year-old Dries Mertens very evidently needed some rest after a recent busy schedule, he opted to bring the Belgian on for Osimhen instead of Michy Batshuayi. He even had the option to bring on another sitting midfielder to bolster the centre of the park and leave Icardi up front on his own, but he believed Mertens was the best option.
During a truly abysmal second half where Galatasaray couldn't keep possession or conjure up a single chance, Okan continued to make questionable changes, taking off Icardi, the influential Gabriel Sara, while leaving Lucas Torreira and Davinson Sanchez on the bench as he aimed to rest some key players.
In the end, Kasimpasa earned a barely believable - but very well deserved - 3-3 draw, scoring a stoppage-time equaliser to stun the home crowd.
Tactical naivety? Perhaps. Complacency? Sure. A bit of both? Definitely.
Okan and his team were guilty of taking their opponents too lightly when 3-0 up, but his substitutions still beggared belief.
They also look like a totally different team without Osimhen, who is essentially a cheat code in Turkish football.
It is a disastrous way to lose, but Galatasaray shouldn't dwell. Six wins and a draw to start the season, while sitting three points clear at the top of the table is nothing to complain about. But concern will remain about Okan's in-game management and whether they are now relying too heavily on Osimhen.
Highlight of the Week
Eyupspor's wonderful debut season in Turkey shows no sign of letting up, and they claimed another win to rise to sixth in the Super Lig. However, they didn't have things all their way in their 3-2 victory against Gaziantep.
Goalkeeper Sokratis Dioudis saved Eyupspor midfielder Emre Akbaba's penalty, not once, but twice! After the referee decided that it had to be retaken, Dioudis made his presence felt again, refusing to be beaten from the spot.
Team of the Week
Gedson Fernandes was the star of the week - further illustration of the scintillating season that he is enjoying.
Osimhen and Banza also make appearances after their braces, while Fenerbahce defenders Alexander Djiku and Mert Muldur also make the team.