Under-fire Jose Mourinho prepares for Man United faceoff

Jose Mourinho welcomes his former club Manchester United to Fenerbahçe on Thursday in the Europa League. While the Red Devils have been unconvincing under Erik ten Hag, one of the best coaches of modern times is also playing second fiddle to Galatasaray’s hegemony in Turkish soccer. 

“You need to win every game to be the champions”

When unveiled at Fenerbahçe, Mourinho talked about his title ambitions. The Portuguese said it’d have been his comfort zone to coach at clubs aiming for Europa League qualification. He also doesn’t see the need to stay close to home with a return to Liga Portugal. 

According to Special One, there is pressure to win every game if you plan to be a Turkish Super Lig champion. Fenerbahçe collected 99 points last season, but they missed out on the title as their fierce rivals won 33 of their 38 games.

That made the first meeting of the two giants a high-profile game. Galatasaray won each of the first five games before the trip to Fenerbahçe, who were in the close vicinity with 13 points.

The visitors raced to a three-goal lead by the hour mark, but Mourinho once again showed his stubborn side after the game. Davinson Sánchez escaping an early sending-off was the main factor for his frustration as he walked out of an interview.

Fenerbahçe also dropped two more points on the weekend after conceding a late equalizer at third-placed Samsunspor. This opened an insurmountable eight-point gap between last season’s champions and runners-up, who do have a game in hand.

Victor Osimhen’s sensational transfer further strengthened Turkish’s most successful club. Mourinho accepted the challenge when the Nigerian joined Super Lig, but his team already lost major ground in the title race.

Mourinho readies for showdown with Manchester United

Before they get back into domestic business, Fenerbahçe will host Manchester United in the Europa League. Ten Hag’s side returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over Brentford on Saturday.

After a brief spell out of the wider public, Mourinho will be expected to fire controversial statements in his press conferences before and after the game. Mourinho’s unrivaled fame started when his Porto side knocked out Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United on their way to lifting the Champions League in 2004.

He also won Europe’s premier competition with Inter Milan in 2009. However, he hasn’t returned to the Champions League proper since Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat to Julian Nagelsmann’s RB Leipzig in the Round of 16 tie back in 2020. 

On Thursday, Mourinho will face the club he helped to win the Europa League in 2017. Last April, he hinted at a lack of support from Manchester United’s board when he was at reign. 

The game in İstanbul will also be a reunion for United’s two former midfielders. Fred spent five years at Old Trafford before his move to Fenerbahçe last season. Sofyan Amrabat was initially seen as his replacement, but the club decided against signing him permanently from Fiorentina.

Fred and Amrabat are designated starters in Mourinho’s double-pivot midfield. Up front, former Manchester City striker Edin Džeko will hope to score for the tenth time against United.

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