Fenerbahçe Head Coach İsmail Kartal: “We knew that the match would be difficult”

Fenerbahçe‘s Head Coach İsmail Kartal commented on the match against Fatih Karagümrük, saying, “Players who filled in for the absentees did their best. Winning today’s match was crucial for us. In the second half, my players showed character.” Regarding transfer inquiries, Kartal stated, “Currently, we are not actively seeking. Injured players are slowly returning to the team. We might reinforce the areas with shortages during the mid-season break.”

In the 13th week of the Trendyol Super Lig, Fenerbahçe defeated Fatih Karagümrük 2-1 at their home.

Reflecting on the match, İsmail Kartal said, “We knew this match would be tough. I mentioned it before the game. Karagümrük has had a good run in recent weeks. Fenerbahçe is the team sending the most players to the national team. My players are playing a match every 3-4 days. I’m not a coach who hides behind injuries and absences, but today we had significant shortages. The players who filled in for the absentees did their best. Winning today’s match was crucial for us. In the second half, my players showed character. We discussed together that we would win by putting our weight in the game. As planned, our players did their best from the beginning to the end. I thank the fans who supported my players throughout the match.”

Transfer statement

Regarding a question about transfers, İsmail Kartal answered, “Currently, we are not actively seeking. Injured players are slowly returning to the team. We might reinforce the areas with shortages during the mid-season break. Our priority is to prepare our current players in the best way for the Nordsjaelland match and come away with 3 points from there.”

İsmail Kartal’s Press Conference

Speaking at the press conference held after the match played at Ülker Stadium, İsmail Kartal reminded that Karagümrük has been a team in good form in recent weeks.

Emphasizing that he prepared his team accordingly, Kartal said, “Fenerbahçe is the team that sends the most players to the national teams. This is not an easy thing. My team carries the heaviest load in terms of players. There is also the other side of the coin; we have injured players. Until today, I haven’t used it as an excuse, but the reality is that we were aware of how challenging the match would be with the players on the field today. My players did their best. We started with pressure, and if we had scored an early goal, we could have sealed the match, but we fell behind. At halftime, I told my players, ‘We’ve conceded goals before, but we know how to turn matches around.’ We talked about winning the game by increasing the pace of play, and that’s what happened. I’m very happy that we won. I thank the fans for their support. Winning today’s match was crucial,” he said.

Responding to a question about Fenerbahçe’s goal shortage in recent weeks, Kartal, pointing out that they are the team that has scored the most goals, stated:

“I didn’t have the option to rotate. I didn’t use the injuries as an excuse, but this is the reality we have. We played like lions and took the 3 points. Before the Demirspor match, we tried Fred, but his pain recurred, and his treatment is ongoing. Djiku, Serdar, Mert Hakan, and Miha continue their treatments. We are talking to the health team about these issues. It’s too early to discuss when they will return to a hundred percent. Our health team has done a good job, and they continue to do so. I haven’t talked about referees until today, and I won’t talk about them today either.”