Post-Match Reactions: Football Writers on Fenerbahçe’s Win Over Adana Demirspor

Sports Writers Evaluate Fenerbahçe’s 1-0 Victory Over Adana Demirspor in the First Week of the Trendyol Süper Lig

Victory Didn’t Come Easy – Güntekin Onay (Hürriyet)

It is unexpected for a team with such offensive talent to produce only one clear goal-scoring opportunity in a 90-minute match, especially in their first home game of the league against a team with a 15-year-old goalkeeper. It seems that Mourinho prefers a more controlled and secure game in this early season phase. The slow pace might also be due to the intense match schedule, as Fenerbahçe has already played their fourth official match while some teams haven’t even started their season yet.

Maximin’s Role! – Serkan Akcan (Fanatik)

Since Mourinho’s arrival, he has built his left flank strategy around Maximin, trying to return Tadic to his role in the Serbian national team. Following the Lille match, Fenerbahçe’s attacking plays against Adana Demirspor last night also progressed through Maximin. He is a talented player, skilled in ball handling, and can create wonders when he gets his passing timing right. He had an excellent first half last night. Aside from delivering a brilliant assist to Dzeko, his hold-up play opened new horizons for Fenerbahçe’s attack. However, there seems to be a problem with his coordination with Ferdi. When pressing the opponent’s center-backs, Fenerbahçe’s defense often turns to the left-back, with Ferdi and Tadic being the best at advancing the ball into the final third. But there appears to be both distance and opponents between Ferdi and Maximin, which currently seems to be the main issue.

Fenerbahçe’s Key Player: Saint-Maximin! – Ömer Üründül (Sabah)

Fenerbahçe won their first home game of the league by a narrow margin, but their performance over 90 minutes was far from satisfactory. They struggled with serious productivity issues. In the attacking attempts, only one player stood out by doing excellent work: Saint-Maximin. He acted like a locksmith, unlocking the opponent’s crowded defense. He was also the one who set up Dzeko’s goal. However, as he is not yet fully fit, his performance declined after the 60th minute, prompting Mourinho to substitute him.

Mourinho Meets Turkish Referees – Gürcan Bilgiç (Sabah)

And the inevitable happened; Mourinho met the “Turkish Referees.” Allowing a team that constantly stalled, stayed on the ground, and wasted time, while penalizing Fenerbahçe for trying to take quick throw-ins, shows the referee’s ignorance of the game. Mourinho managed to escape from Bitigen, but he should brace himself for the real surprise with Halil Umut Meler (HUM).