Jose Mourinho Analyzes Slavia Prague Victory and Team Effort in Post-Match Press Conference
Fenerbahçe's head coach, Jose Mourinho, said, "Today, we knew that at least we had to take a point. My players went out with this understanding. They focused well on this game. In the first half, we gave the opponent 2-3 chances. In the second half, the team was different. They were more balanced and confident. We found more space to play. I was expecting the goal to come because we were the better side in the second half. It was a difficult match," he stated.
Fenerbahçe‘s head coach, Jose Mourinho, said, “Today, we knew that at least we had to take a point. My players went out with this understanding. They focused well on this game. In the first half, we gave the opponent 2-3 chances. In the second half, the team was different. They were more balanced and confident. We found more space to play. I was expecting the goal to come because we were the better side in the second half. It was a difficult match,” he stated.
Fenerbahçe won 2-1 against Slavia Prague in the 5th week of the UEFA Europa League. After the match, José Mourinho held a press conference. When asked about Sebastian Szymański’s performance, Mourinho said, “I would have expected a question about the team. My team performed wonderfully today. You want to talk about Sebastian because you’re Polish. He, like the rest of the team, played well and worked hard. He was one of the players with a questionable fitness condition. He did some training yesterday. We had several players in similar situations. I didn’t have many options on the bench, especially for defense and midfield. He, like the team, gave everything today. He played with great discipline. My team managed to keep their balance in difficult moments. When I say difficult moments, I’m referring to the first half. Slavia was the better side in the first half. In the second half, I made some adjustments, and my players found spaces to play and create chances. Based on our performance in the second half, I believe we deserved this important victory. Now we have 8 points, and we will play two home matches. We will have the chance to decide our fate at home.”
‘MY PLAYERS WERE VERY BRAVE TODAY’
Mourinho compared the matches against AZ Alkmaar and Slavia Prague, stating, “These were two different games. We went into the Alkmaar match comfortably, but today my players felt the pressure. Since the first match, we have been in a position to climb the standings. Today, we knew that at least we had to take a point. My players went out with that awareness. They focused well. In the first half, we gave the opponent 2-3 chances. We struggled to get into good positions. In the second half, the team was different. They were more balanced and confident. We found more space to play. The opponent was playing man-to-man, and teams that play like that start losing energy as the game goes on. Then the goal came. I was expecting the goal because we were the better side in the second half. It was a tough game. If I’m not mistaken, 5 of our players got yellow cards. Seba and Maximin couldn’t train. Samet had only one training session. There were no options on the bench for midfield and defense. My players were very brave today, and they deserved the win.”
‘OUR PLAN WORKED’
Mourinho explained that their plan against Slavia Prague involved long balls targeting Allan Saint-Maximin: “Our plan worked. Teams that play man-to-man marking struggle as time passes. Our target with long balls was Maximin. He’s a player who plays well in one-on-one situations and wins duels. Two of their midfielders got yellow cards, but they were lucky because there was a situation where the referee could have given a second yellow card. In one-on-one situations, they lost their strength. After that, En-Nesyri came on. He also likes to drop back and get the ball. Of course, he’s not as good as Edin in this, but he caused different problems for the opponent.”
‘I HAVE 3 GREAT FORWARDS’
Mourinho expressed his satisfaction with his forwards, saying, “I have 3 great forwards. They are all really good. Cenk gets less playing time compared to them. But just because he plays less doesn’t mean it’s not good. I try to use Dzeko and En-Nesyri according to the match plan and the situation we are in. I’m very happy with all of them. Both En-Nesyri and Dzeko score goals. Their work beyond the goals is also excellent. Samet is a professional, as he should be. A professional works hard to earn money, and when the coach gives him a chance, he plays to earn that money. A professional doesn’t earn money to complain, cry, or create problems through the media. Samet has worked hard from day one and waited for his opportunity. He has been playing regularly for 3 matches now, and he was really at a high level. I’m very happy for him. I knew that Becao would be suspended and Çağlar would be injured and couldn’t play in this match. I’ve known for a few weeks that I had to play with Djiku and Samet. I wanted to help by playing them together. I’m happy for them,” he concluded.
