- Fenerbahce played to a 1-1 draw against Eyupspor in the Turkish Super Lig on Friday
- The results leave the team five points behind Galatasaray ahead of the winter break
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Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho slammed his side’s ‘weak performance’ and the general quality of football in the 1-1 draw against Eyupspor on Friday evening.
The home side took the lead in the 26th minute before Youssef En-Nesyri equalized in first-half stoppage time.
Mourinho’s side were unable to find a winner in the second half and lost even more ground to Galatasaray, who now have a five-point lead with a game in hand.
The former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss did not mince his words after the match as he focused on the quality of football on display and his side’s performance.
He said: ‘It was a disaster. How much of the match was played, how many stoppages were there during the match, how long were the players on the ground?’
‘This has happened many times. The quality of the match was therefore low. There were also many technical errors. There were many technical errors. For me it was a weak, low quality match.
Jose Mourinho slammed his team for their performance on Friday evening and criticized the quality of the show
Fenerbahce fell five points behind rivals and leaders Galatasaray, who still have a game in hand
‘I am not responsible for the match being of such low quality, I am responsible for my own team and my team also showed a poor performance today. We made a lot of technical mistakes individually.
‘It was difficult for us to hold the ball and turn it. We made a lot of mistakes in playmaking. We were much better in the second half, we created positions, we used the edges better. Although I wouldn’t state clear positions, we ended up in positions. Some of the ball losses we made also gave the opponent a chance.
‘It gave them the opportunity to counter-attack. It was a weak match, a weak performance from us.’
Mourinho is under pressure this season because of his working methods at the Istanbul club, while the results are starting to sour opinions about him.
Turkish Super Lig clubs are now enjoying a winter break and will play their next domestic matches from January 5.
The Portuguese emphasized that the time off will be unhappy for him.
He added: “We will have a few days off but it won’t be a happy time off for me. What it will be like for the players depends on their own mentality. But it won’t be a happy period for me. Actually, I would rather not have this free period, but we promised the players that a long time ago.
‘Many players could not take more than ten days off. Therefore, this was an important situation for them to rest. We will also continue hard in the second period of this 2-week break. I want my players to believe in the pragmatism of football. What is that? It’s math. ‘
‘Mathematics determines where you will be. We must fight mathematically regardless of the results of your other opponents. Everyone deserves more; the fans, the management… That’s why the players have to give more.’