Volkan Demirel slams Mourinho and Talisca

Fenerbahçe drew 0-0 away against Göztepe in the second week of the Süper Lig. In his assessment on NOW Spor after the match, Volkan Demirel stated that Talisca is not yet physically ready. Demirel said, "Talisca has not been in full physical form since he arrived. Even penalty kicks are challenging for him. Last season, he was at least effective with penalties and set pieces. I always think it is wrong to have a substitute player take a penalty. Cenk Tosun acted intelligently in the position and won the penalty, but whether Talisca should have been the one to take it is debatable."

CRITICISM OF MOURINHO'S TACTICS

Volkan Demirel also criticized Mourinho's interventions during the match. "When Göztepe was reduced to 10 men, Mourinho could have taken out a defender and bolstered the attack. It is disappointing that he did not take advantage of this opportunity. The Göztepe away game is not an easy place; you are playing against a good team and crowd. A 0-0 result is acceptable, but more initiative should have been taken after the opponent was reduced to 10 men. Not making a substitution until the 70th-72nd minute and allowing the opponent to have more possession despite being a man down is disturbing," he stated.

Demirel noted that he had predicted Talisca would miss the penalty, saying, "You win a penalty in the 90+ minutes; you should have a player who is ready and has a high body temperature take it. It was obvious from Talisca's approach to the ball. Before he took the penalty, I said, 'He might miss.' He is a player who just entered the game and is just coming back from injury. Perhaps he was thinking about the problem in his muscle while striking the ball."