Mourinho blasted with ‘hopeless’ Fenerbahce ‘unhappy’ before Man Utd clash – ‘big question mark’
Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho has been blasted before his side’s Europa League clash against Manchester United as they are “hopeless and unhappy”.
Mourinho departed Italian giants AS Roma at the start of 2024. He helped them win the Europa Conference League at the end of the 2021/22 campaign and guided them to the 2023 Europa League final, but he left with them ninth in Serie A.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur manager was not out of work for long as he joined Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the summer.
Fenerbahce’s start to the 2024/25 campaign has been a mixed bag as they sit fourth in the Super Lig after eight matches. They are eight points adrift of league leaders Galatasaray with a game in hand.
Mourinho’s side have made a positive start in the Europa League, though. They have four points from their opening two games and he has a chance to get one over his former side on Thursday night as they host Man Utd.
The 61-year-old has the opportunity to pile pressure on head coach Erik ten Hag, who remains a frontrunner to be the first Premier League manager sacked this season.
READ: Big Midweek: Mourinho v Man Utd, Real Madrid v Dortmund, Arsenal, Klopp
Fenerbahce legend Volkan Demirel is demanding more from Mourinho, though. He reckons his team is currently “mixed with unhappiness and hopelessness”.
“Right now, this Fenerbahce team is mixed with unhappiness and hopelessness,” Demirel said.
“Why the unhappiness? Because of the environment they are in. Why the hopelessness? We were all expecting something. We were expecting it from Mourinho, we were expecting it from the transfers that were made.
“We were saying let’s see after the international break, but nothing has changed at the moment, but it will obviously continue like this.
“We waited to see if we could see a change, a variability, but it didn’t happen. We have not seen any changes in the game designs of the matches played at home and away. Or if you are leading 2-1, will Fenerbahce play a seven-man defence? A big question mark.”
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Earlier this week, Ten Hag admitted he is relishing the clash with Mourinho, as he “always has good teams and is a winner”.
“It’s a big game for both of us,” Ten Hag said.
“I really enjoy facing him and playing against him. He has always good teams, he is a winner – he (has) won so many trophies – I think he is an example for many, many managers.”
He added: “It is football, you have to live for now. (What happened) is in the past, you have to prove (yourself) every day, you have to prove yourself every season so we have to go for it.
“We are at the start of the season and we will see where we end but our target is to win a trophy again.”
