Jose Mourinho promises a minimum of 3 points

In the 6th week of the UEFA Europa League, Fenerbahçe was defeated 2-0 at home by Spanish side Athletic Bilbao. Fenerbahçe manager Jose Mourinho made evaluations at the press conference held after the match. Starting his remarks with a question about whether the reaction toward Samet affected the team, Mourinho said, “I don't think so. Samet made that mistake in the first half. The team played well in the first half. Samet also played well in the first half. When you look at the overall picture, the best part we played was the first half. After conceding the goal, we continued to play well and created chances. 1-0 was not a fair result. When it became 2-0, it was like a stab in the chest. The reaction to Samet is sad. He is one of us. I never criticize the fans. The fans are the foundation of this club. Samet didn't make the mistake. We, we, we made the mistake.”

HE SPOKE ABOUT THE FANS

Touching upon the losses against Beşiktaş and Athletic, the experienced manager stated that the fans' reaction is a cultural situation in this country and spoke as follows:

“The most important thing in football is results. It has always been thought that results are not important in a period where you win. We have had bad results in a row. This is something cultural in this country. In some clubs, you may not encounter such difficult situations; we are trying to adapt.

I will not try to change the culture. We are currently in a transition period. The players are used to this. Now the next match will be at home again. We must ensure our fans support us. They supported the team until the last moment. Until the moment we were left with 1 player less.

When we were left with 1 player less, I thought it would be difficult. We played against a good opponent. The fans are sad, but they are not sadder than us. We are professional people. We may be sad, but we must be balanced. We have a new match on Sunday.”

"I WISH I HAD JAYDEN AT MY DISPOSAL"

Regarding the question asked about the team's current squad and their development, Mourinho said, "For us to develop İrfan, he must not be injured. He could never maintain consistency for 2-3 weeks of matches. We were not sure if he could play or not. He had a spasm in his muscle; it was a risk. Why didn't Becao play; every center-back has different characteristics. Technically, I like center-backs who like to build up play well. I am happy with my players. I will not ask for better players. I wish I had Jayden at my disposal.

I wanted the players we couldn't register on the list, but they are not here. You see how difficult a situation we are in. Mert Hakan Yandaş was among the players who could not maintain continuity. You look at events without seeing the reality. I don't know Turkish, I only know a few words.

I wish all the players could be at my disposal. Mert (Müldür) will be suspended for the Lyon match. Who will play at left-back? Maybe you can help me with that match. But we will qualify. We will get a minimum of 3 points from the next 2 matches. Once we qualify, we will be able to add names to the list. We will be able to take Jayden out and register Kostic. We will qualify. Maybe we can match up with Bilbao again after we qualify, but the match was in our hands today,” he evaluated.

"WE CREATED ENOUGH CHANCES"

Stating that he is not thinking about the next match yet, the Portuguese manager said, "Sometimes shots on target do not reflect the match very well. The pass Tadic gave to En-Nesyri was like an assist, I think it was a clear chance. We created enough chances to score. The Bilbao player was scoring an own goal while under pressure. I said on the bench, ‘If this had happened to Djiku or Çağlar, it would definitely have been a goal.’ They took the lead in a way even they couldn't understand. They found the second goal when there was nothing in it. I think we had more possession of the ball. Fred and Oğuz will return for the next match,” he said.

"I MUST PROTECT THE TEAM AND THE ATMOSPHERE"

Regarding the Başakşehir match they will face in the next round of the Süper Lig, Mourinho concluded his remarks by saying, “I cannot play Samet. I must protect the team and the atmosphere. I know Başakşehir well. I watch their matches sometimes. If I can sleep today, I will start the analysis tomorrow; if I can't, I will start it today.”

News Source: İHA