Jose Mourinho: I have 150-160 matches in Europe, but I look at tomorrow like it's my first

Fenerbahçe will face Swiss side Lugano in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round. Fenerbahçe manager Jose Mourinho made statements at the press conference held before the match.

Starting his remarks by saying that every match is a new one, the experienced manager stated, "Every year is a new year and every tournament is a new tournament. I have always looked at it this way in my career. I don't look at what I've done in the past. I have 150-160, maybe 170 matches in Europe, but I look at tomorrow like it's my first match because motivation is something that can be renewed every day."

"THEY WERE ONLY ABLE TO TRAIN TOGETHER 2-3 TIMES"

Regarding the three goals conceded in the first leg in Switzerland, Mourinho said, "My solution is to work; there is nothing else to do. We need to analyze; first, we do it via video, then we prepare clips to show the players, and we carry out this work on the pitch. We have held 35 training sessions, but the whole team has only been able to train together 2-3 times. We are analyzing, but we must consider the situations we are in. My players are doing their best."

"HE IS NOT IN A CONDITION TO PLAY 90 MINUTES"

Speaking about Allan Saint-Maximin, who did not play in the first leg due to injury, the 61-year-old coach said, "His ankle was not in good condition. He is still not in his best condition right now. He wasn't training in Saudi Arabia; he joined us from vacation. He is continuing his pre-season work. Youssef En-Nesyri was also not with us today. He also came from vacation and hadn't done pre-season training. This was the difficulty we experienced; there were those who joined our team late. My players are doing a good job. Maximin is not in a condition to play 90 minutes, but of course, he is in a condition to play."

"PLAYERS SHOULD KNOW THEY WILL GET PLAYING TIME"

Evaluating the transfer process, Mourinho said, "I could complain that some transfers were delayed, but I can't because that is the nature of the transfer window. I cannot ask for more from them given the current situation. I am happy with the players I have. The players I have to let go are the ones I feel sorry for. Everyone did more than they could, but that is the nature of the business. It is impossible for us to work with 29 players plus goalkeepers in the team. I don't want anyone to be a third or fourth option. Two options are enough. Players should know they will get playing time. Umut Nayir left on his own; he is a good player and a great character. I wish him the best. The work we need to do is to find solutions to move out the players we have."

"I WANT THEM TO PLAY CLOSER TO THE FORWARD"

The Portuguese manager, who mentioned that he wants to play players like Dusan Tadic and İrfan Can Kahveci in areas closer to the goal, expressed his thoughts: "We transferred Maxi. He is a pure left-winger. Oğuz is also a fast and young player. When we signed these players, we wanted to pull quality players like Tadic and İrfan inside and ensure they play closer to the forward. I want players like Mert and Osayi-Samuel to be able to use their attributes in the front area when they come inside."

A CALL TO FENERBAHÇE FANS

Stating that the transfers have not trained with the team enough due to starting the season early, Mourinho concluded his words: "En-Nesyri is continuing his physical work separately from the team. The fact that he cannot play tomorrow has already bought us time. Oğuz and Maxi joined in the last week, but they are doing their best to understand how we play. I am happy; even though we are not in the most ideal situation, our goal in tomorrow's match is to survive, overcome the challenge, and advance to the next round. I had heard that our fans create a very special atmosphere in Fenerbahçe's European matches, and we want to see the truth of this tomorrow."

News Source: İHA