Mourinho Discusses Tactics and Referee Decisions in Post-Match Press Conference After 2-2 Draw
In the 9th week of the Trendyol Süper Lig, Fenerbahçe drew 2-2 against Samsunspor away. After the match, Jose Mourinho expressed strong statements about the game and rebelled against the decisions made.
Fenerbahçe left the field with a 2-2 draw against Samsunspor. After the match, Portuguese manager Mourinho said they would discuss their mistakes among themselves and commented on Samsunspor’s second goal.
Fenerbahçe’s head coach Jose Mourinho made the following statements after the match:
“We analyze our opponent before the matches, just like we did before this game. We had a long time before the match, and we focused on the qualities of our opponent. It was a tough week for us. We only trained with the full team on Friday. The players who were with the national team only did regeneration. Players are making mistakes on the field. We need to talk about this among ourselves.
The first goal we conceded was one we talked about. We discussed this on Friday. The second goal is a foul for some teams and simple for others. There was a push from behind. It may be a foul for some teams, but it wasn’t for us. After going 2-1 up, we had two clear chances and could have finished the match. I thought Sebastian’s shot was a goal from my angle. En-Nesyri’s shot was almost a goal too. After Oosterwolde’s injury, I had to move Djiku to left-back. I couldn’t bring Mert Hakan into the game. A 2-2 draw is a disappointing result for us.
I could say a lot, but I won’t. We’ve already lost 7 points. I won’t discuss how and under what conditions we lost. Are you satisfied with the state of the league? We lost 7 points, directly to our championship rivals. We need to collect as many points as possible. We’ll see if a goal like that will be given as a foul or a goal when we score one at our stadium.
‘I understood the next question’
I don’t speak Turkish, but I’m getting used to the players who aren’t playing. The moment you said ‘Levent,’ I understood the next question. Before the match, I got asked why Tadic is playing instead of Kahveci. We were leading 2-1, and Samsunspor was putting pressure on us. There were set pieces and corners. If you take out a player who is 1.88 meters tall and replace him with a player who is 1.70 meters tall, you’re going to have trouble. We conceded the goal regardless of who was playing at left-back. If the referee had called a foul after the action, the match would have been over.
Looking at the current league table, the gap with our direct rivals has increased by 2 points. I don’t know how this will affect the end of the season. I don’t have a magic brain. In our next match against Bodrum, we will fight for 3 points. If I’m not mistaken, we have one match less, and we are 8 points behind; that’s the situation…
The moment when we collectively were at our best was when Seba shot. I was almost celebrating a goal from where I was. Because of the view from the bench… I was going to celebrate a goal from En-Nesyri’s shot, thinking it was a fantastic pass, fantastic control, and the ball was going in.
‘If that goal hadn’t been missed…’
Our best play was after the score was 1-1. Later, we found the 2-1 lead and fought for 3-1. We had control of the game. The moment we were left with one less player changed the dynamics of the match. At that moment, I was unhappy. None of my players had the experience, vision, or knowledge to stop the match. Jayden was playing with one player less for 4 minutes from the sidelines. The match changed there. Our opponent became more effective at that point. That was the critical point. En-Nesyri came in, and he was fresher than Dzeko. He made great runs behind. If that goal hadn’t been missed, we could have finished the match.
The second goal we conceded; only Fenerbahçe concedes such a goal. Because other teams wouldn’t be given a goal like that. I’m starting to understand why these questions are being asked. I was surprised; I expected you to ask why İrfan Can Eğribayat isn’t playing, and why Cenk Tosun isn’t playing.
Tadic has been the best player for the team in the last few matches for me. Not just for his goals, but for the balance he brings to the team, and for the intelligence he adds to the team’s organization, not making positional and decision-making mistakes. If you say we don’t want him to play, then fine. It’s hard for me to give more reasons than that.
‘It’s hard for me to respond’
I don’t want to analyze my players in front of the cameras. I have to defend them. It’s not right for me to say this is why they are playing. I understand this is part of your culture. I try to respond. Why didn’t Oğuz play, why was İrfan on the bench, you ask these types of questions every day. They asked why Kostić isn’t at left-back, Jayden played, and why Levent didn’t play. It’s hard for me to respond.
İrfan was on the bench. Tadic played. You are crying constantly for this. Now you say Oğuz. I would recommend analyzing and understanding the matches effectively. Even the best player can make a critical mistake.
A promise to the fans!
The message I need to give to the fans is simple: everyone at Samandıra is working hard. We will continue this. We know this league. Some teams find it easier to win matches. I promise that we will do everything we can to win every match we play until the end of the league. We have a match in a different tournament on Thursday. We will play against a special club that is at a different level than us. We will play two home matches in a row. Let’s fight together and keep believing.”