Jose Mourinho: “This was our worst performance since I’ve been here.”

Fenerbahçe’s head coach Jose Mourinho commented on the recent defeat against AZ Alkmaar, saying, “I can say that this is our worst performance since I came here. It was really a very bad match. I think the emotional state of the players has been affected by the ups and downs they experienced.”

Mourinho made statements to Fenerbahçe TV, first discussing the loss to AZ Alkmaar. The Portuguese coach stated, “I can say that this is our worst performance since I came here. It was really a very bad match, and I think. It might not be a very nice analogy, but we can compare it to the effect of the Trabzonspor match, like the lingering effect from that night. The team has not yet recovered from that impact. It was truly an incredible match both physically and emotionally. There were a lot of ups and downs. There was an amazing emotional outburst at the end of the match. I can say that the team could not recover much from that state and could not concentrate on the AZ Alkmaar match. When you are not emotionally ready, things become even more difficult for you. I don’t think my absence from the bench had a significant impact because we prepared the team in the best possible way. I believe we were ready, but as I mentioned, I think the emotional state of the players has been affected by the ups and downs. At the same time, there are 4 players we could not include on the list. Kostic is one of them. He is a very important player for us. Our two important wing players, İrfan Can Kahveci and Cengiz Ünder, are injured. Of course, these also make a difference. There are reasons to explain this result, but as I mentioned, I believe this was our worst match to date. Of course, technical directors are always responsible for such poor performances. I do not shy away from my responsibility, but for me, it is a matter of principle. I have always done this in my career before. When I was prevented from doing my job, I did not attend press conferences during the times I was suspended.”

“I celebrated a lot, but I did not insult”

Regarding the 1-match ban imposed on him by the Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK), Jose Mourinho said, “First of all, I want to understand the reason and cause. Because I have not read a document explaining ‘for this reason,’ but honestly, I want to say this; Yes, I celebrated a lot after the match. That’s true. I made a lot of complaints about the VAR referee. That is also true, but I did not insult or behave aggressively. If the celebration I made after the match is a problem that I missed culturally, and if that is a reason, I want to state this; One of the people I looked up to the most as a child, besides my father, was Eusebio. He had an iconic goal celebration. I don’t know how many goals he scored, but that joy was Eusebio’s joy. If that movement means something offensive in Turkey, of course, I need to learn this, but my intention was definitely not to make such an offensive gesture. I received a 1-match ban. The situation is currently this. I need to cope with this, accept it. I have to trust my team, my staff on the bench, and of course, the fans who come to our stadium, as they will help our team.”

“We need to play knowing that we have to win”

The experienced coach also evaluated the upcoming match against Sivasspor in the Super League, saying, “For us, it is a very important match, like all other league matches. Whenever we cannot win a match, even if we did not lose that match, we see it as a loss of points. We want to win, as the pragmatism of football is entirely about getting points. Sivasspor has a lot of points as well. They have been winning consecutively. They have gained momentum. They have their own playing style and philosophy, but we also need to reflect our playing style on the field, which is different from Sivas’s playing style. We need to play while feeling the pain of the match we experienced in the Netherlands and feeling the motivation of the match we played in Trabzon, knowing that we have to win. As I have mentioned before, I trust my players and my team. Lastly, I trust our fans who will be a driving force for us in the stadium.”

“There are things that need to change in Turkish football”

Regarding his controversial remarks about Turkish football and referees, Mourinho said, “When I came here, I said; ‘I want to work for the Turkish league, but above all, I want to work for Fenerbahçe.’ Of course, if I had the opportunity, I would be the happiest person in the world because it would also bring me prestige. I would be very happy to say; ‘Yes, the Turkish league is a great league. Being in the Turkish league is a dream. The best team in the Turkish league becomes the champion. The VAR referees and the field referees are really great.’ If I could say good things about everything, I would be very happy, but my experience tells me that there are things that need to change in the Turkish league. Because Turkey is much larger than the Turkish league. The history of the Turkish national team, and there are also players who play in the national team. There are many Turkish players going to the world’s big leagues and very big clubs. Arda went to Real Madrid, years ago Arda Turan went to Barcelona. Ferdi went to the Premier League. Therefore, there is talent here, and there is passion as well. I would love to be a champion here, but even if I cannot become a champion, I would at least like to congratulate the team that becomes the champion in a clean and honest way. As I have mentioned, what matters to me is that Turkish football is great.