Jose Mourinho: It will be a great challenge for us

Fenerbahçe head coach Jose Mourinho and team captain Mert Hakan Yandaş made statements at the press conference held ahead of tomorrow's UEFA Champions League 3rd qualifying round first leg match against the Dutch side Feyenoord.

Starting his remarks with the passing of Porto legend Jorge Costa, Jose Mourinho said, "It is a situation related to my history and my past. He becomes your captain, he becomes your leader. What matters is not the armband, but what you represent. Jorge was someone like that. He would pick up the trash, he would make sure the coach could do his job.

I am very sad, he was a part of my past. Let's forget about football and focus on Jorge Costa. When I knew his children, they were very small, now they are adults. If he were here now, he would say to me, 'Go do your press conference, focus on the match, forget about me and win your match.' I will focus on my job tomorrow and today and do my best, and after that, I will cry," he assessed.

"IT WILL BE A GREAT CHALLENGE"

Speaking about the Feyenoord matchup, Mourinho said, "I am always happy to come here. Maybe people don't remember, but I played in the 1997 Barcelona-PSG European Cup final. After that, I played many matches against Feyenoord; I even forgot how many times I played. We had a summer friendly match with Chelsea, we faced them twice in Rome. Now we will face them here again. It's a great stadium, the pitch is usually good here. The fans will also be here to support their team. Still, being in such an environment is exciting for the opposing team's players. I am very happy to be here. I am not a superstitious person; I don't get up and think that I won all my matches against them. I never care about that. The match we will play against them will be difficult. They are a young and good team. They have a good coach and principles. They are good at selling the players they have and getting new talents as a team. They may have lost good players like Paixao, but I am sure they have filled the gaps of those who left. It will be a great challenge for us," he said.

When asked if there are any players in the Feyenoord team who impress him, Mourinho replied, "I will not answer your question; if I answer your question, the players I mention will be both happy and motivated. The players whose names I don't mention will be angry at me and will be twice as motivated. Therefore, I will not do Van Persie's job. Because he needs to motivate his own players."

"WE WILL PLAY AGAINST A GOOD TEAM"

Touching on Feyenoord's game plan, Jose said, "We started by analyzing the matches they played last year because they show many similarities this year as well. Their principles, mentalities, and dynamics are like a replica of last year. Of course, we also followed the friendly matches they played in the pre-season period and the new players who joined the team. Robin is also integrating them into the team step by step. So we can say we followed everything. They are a good and positive team. Actually, I can say they are a complete Feyenoord team. I didn't just watch them this year, I watched them in the past too. Previously their striker was Dessers, then Gimenez came. Now they have a Japanese striker. These are all different players, they played about two years apart. But the game they displayed on the field and what they added to the team did not change. It will be a difficult match because we will play against a good team," he said.

"I SEE THE CHANCES AS EQUAL"

Regarding Robin van Persie and the chances of advancing, Mourinho said, "I see the chances as 50-50; the situation is currently 0-0. There are two matches, one will be played away and the other at our home. The time between the two matches will be less than 1 week, so I see the chances as equal. I don't see us as favorites, but I also never see them as 51 percent to 49 percent above us. Robin was a great striker. We spent many years in the Premier League. I know him better than many people. He is a young and new generation coach. Now former players want to be coaches, they are preparing for this. Robin started his coaching career at Heerenveen, and now he is at a big team and is here to show his potential. I hope he is successful here. While wishing him success, I wish it not for tomorrow and next week, but for afterwards," he said.

"EVERYONE IS IN A POSITION TO PLAY"

The Portuguese coach said the following about the physical condition of Semedo and Skriniar:

"Except for Mert, who is not on the preliminary list we submitted to Europe. Everyone who is here is in a position to play. Of course, being here on the first day of the pre-season camp is one thing, and being here in the last week is another. These two players who came here are very experienced. They also have Champions League experience. Emotionally, this situation will not be difficult for them. Even if they feel a lack in terms of physical condition, I think they have enough experience for this. Milan is not a new transfer for us; we have had a period of about 6 months with him. Nelson is also very experienced, everyone is in a position to play."

"I KNOW WHAT AWAITS ME"

When asked about the difference between last season and this season, Mourinho said, "I always try to give my best. I try to push my players and club employees to always do their best every day. But the difference from last year will be that many things were new, even things that were hard to believe. At least this year I know what awaits me, that will be the only difference. This is no longer a new country, a new league, and a new system-structure for me. Everything is déjà vu. Therefore, there will be no surprises this season. I also know what awaits me in the Süper Lig. I can say that I have this advantage compared to last year," he said.

Regarding being appointed as the first captain of the team, Mert Hakan Yandaş said, "It is a decision our coach made, I thank him. The importance of the armband has never mattered to me. This is my 6th season here, I am behaving the same way now as I did on the first day. I had an unfortunate injury, a situation rarely seen in the world. I have been training for about 3-4 hours a day for 4 months and I am fighting to return. I have now seen the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope to return strongly and help the team on and off the field. I am currently off the field, but this does not mean that I am away from this team. I always try to be with them. I am trying to help our new players get used to the greatness and weight of the community as soon as possible and explain this to them. Of course, I am not the only one doing this, all my teammates are doing it. This is a very important issue, and I will continue to maintain it. I hope this will continue on the field as well," he said.