Jose Mourinho saw Fenerbahce found out their 2024 with a draw against Eyupspor but has called out at his players after they failed to see off their opponents as they lost more ground to Galatasaray
Jose Mourinho saw Fenerbahce found out their 2024 with a draw against Eyupspor but has called out at his players after they failed to see off their opponents as they lost more ground to Galatasaray Jose Mourinho saw Fenerbahce found out their 2024 with a draw against Eyupspor but has called out at his players after they failed to see off their opponents as they lost more ground to Galatasaray
Jose Mourinho hammered his Fenerbahce players and claimed they put in a “weak performance” as they were held by Eyupspor on Friday night.
Despite taking the lead inside the opening half an hour they were pegged back just before half-time and eventually drew 1-1, which did little for their title aspirations. They are now five points adrift of leaders Galatasaray despite playing a game more.
Mourinho has never been shy in digging out his team if he felt unimpressed and did exactly that after they failed to beat the team who sit fourth in the Turkish Super Lig. The Special One arrived with huge expectations, but the mood around him is beginning to change.
Some of his methods have been criticised and Mourinho will have to stew on the abject display for several weeks with Turkish football now breaking until the New Year.
He said: “It was a disaster. How much of the match was played, how many stoppages were there during the match, how long were the players on the ground? This happened many times. Therefore, the quality of the match was low.
“There were also many technical errors. There were many technical errors. For me, it was a weak, low-quality match. I am not responsible for the match being of such low quality, I am responsible for my own team, and my team also showed a weak performance today. We made a lot of technical errors individually.
“It was difficult for us to hold and turn the ball. We made a lot of mistakes in playmaking. We were much better in the second half, we created positions, we used the edges better. Although I would not say clear positions, we got into positions. Some of the ball losses we made also gave the opponent an opportunity.
“It gave them the opportunity to make a counter-attack. It was a weak match, a weak performance on our behalf.”
Mourinho has been outspoken about several aspects of Turkish football, hammering referees and hinting he wished he’d not taken the Fenerbahce job if he knew about the state of affairs in Turkey. He has been loosely linked with Everton following the Merseyside club’s takeover.
Galatasaray captain Fernando Muslera has hit back previously and urged the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss to leave the country. He said: “If Mourinho, who came here four months ago, criticises Turkish football and doesn’t like it, he can leave. Although nobody says anything, I think now someone can say something to him. We need to pay a little more attention to those who move Turkish football forward.”
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