The acquisition of André dos Santos and Cristian Oliveira could mean major changes this season in the Canaries' lineup.  Left winger André dos Santos and defensive midfielder Cristian Oliveira could send several Fener veterans to the bench due to their impressive play.  Due to the foreign player rule in Turkish football, Christoph Daum has some important decisions to make in fielding a first eleven this season.

Few are questioning the transfers of André dos Santos and Cristian Oliveira, both of whom have played impressive football in Brazil, drawing the interest of several European giants.  The only one who may be concerned about the new players is coach Christoph Daum.  Fortunately for Daum, the wealth of talent is a good problem to have.

Daum will be faced with some major decisions this week due to the Turkish foreign player rule.  The "6+2 Rule" states that only six foreign players can be on the pitch at one time, while two foreign players can be used as reserves.  According to a report in Turkish newspaper Milliyet this week, this means that either Deivid de Souza or Roberto Carlos could possibly come off the bench this season.  The decision is up to Daum; if he plays dos Santos at left back, veteran superstar Roberto Carlos will likely be used as a reserve.  However, if Daum opts to play dos Santos in front of Carlos in more of a 'Mehmet Aurelio' role, Deivid de Souza will lose his spot in the first eleven. 

The impressive play of dos Santos in the Confederations Cup means the Brazilian will likely see major minutes in the starting eleven this fall.  Turkish newspaper Sabah says Oliveira will likely come off the bench.  Additionally, Fener management are considering suspending the contract of defender Edu Dracena while the Brazilian footballer heals. 

To complicate things even more for Daum, Fenerbahçe are still being linked to a number of foreign transfers.  At least one more international player could join the squad this summer, meaning Daum will have to do even more lineup shifting.  The problem, however, is certainly a good one to have.  Roberto Carlos is undoubtedly one of the greatest defenders of all time, while Deivid de Souza was arguably the team's best player during their 2007-2008 UEFA Champions League run.  Having either player coming off the bench is a luxury many teams would love to have. 

Daum is expected to play around with the team's lineups over the next few weeks.  If Fenerbahçe can build a commanding lead over Budapest Honvéd in European play, Daum will likely use the opportunity to get actual minutes for new players.  The best case scenario is for Fener to develop an early lead next week, allowing Daum to experiment with his new lineup without fear.  Nevertheless, the German boss has a lot of big decisions to make in the coming weeks. 

(photo courtesy of fenerbahçe.org)