THE cruel chants of “you’re not special any more” which were aimed in Jose Mourinho’s direction by supporters of rival English clubs towards the end of his spell with Spurs might not have received an airing in Turkey this season.
Accusations the Portuguese manager had lost his Midas touch, however, certainly abounded after he took over at Fenerbahce in a blaze of publicity in June last year.
Mourinho endured a torrid start to his tenure at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium – draws against Goztepe, Samsunspor, Eyupspor and defeats to Galatasaray and Besiktas in the Super Lig in the first half of the 2024/25 campaign fuelled unrest in the stands and led to criticism in the media.
The former Champions League, Europa League and Conference League winner didn’t fare much better in Europe either. His team failed to qualify for the new Champions League league phase and only sneaked into the Europa League knockout round play-off on goal difference.
Suggestions the former Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Spurs and Roma manager was a spent force were made regularly as his charges toiled at home and abroad.
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“A lot of people were critical of his appointment,” said Mert Aydin, a prominent Turkish football You Tuber. “They pointed our he hadn’t been successful in recent years and claimed he was out of touch with modern football.”
The snipers should have realised that you write off “The Special One” at your peril.
Fenerbahce will take to the field in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 double header against Rangers in Istanbul tomorrow night in buoyant spirits as a consequence of a 17 match unbeaten run which stretches back to December.
Their legions of fanatical followers are no longer questioning if Mourinho is the right man to lead them forward. No, now they are starting to ask if their resurgent heroes can lift the first European trophy in their 118 year history this term.
So how has he turned things around in such spectacular fashion?
“Yes, new signings did come in during the summer, but it was effectively the same side as before when the season started. The defence in particular was still not to his liking.
“A big, big problem that he had was that Ferdi Kadioglu, the full-back who was Fenerbahce’s best player last season, left for Brighton in a €30m transfer in the summer. But there were lots of problems.
“They lost a lot of valuable points at the start of the season. The worst result was when they lost 3-1 to Galatasaray at home in September. But they were also beaten 1-0 by Besiktas away in December. They dominated that match, but conceded an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain goal.
“But Mourinho got in Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina at the end of August and Filip Kostic from Juventus in September and then in January he brought in Diego Carlos from Aston Villa for €10m and Milan Skriniar from Paris Saint-Germain. Things have improved. They haven’t lost any games, not in Turkey and not in Europe, in nearly three months.
“The team has adapted to Mourinho’s methods. They are very, very difficult to score against now. He mostly uses three central defenders in a 3-4-1-2 formation, but he sometimes plays as many as four. It very much depends on the game.
“The midfield is much better than it was too. Fred didn’t play well in the first half of the season, but he has been given a little more freedom and is extremely effective in the holding midfielder role now. He is one of the secrets to Fenerbahce’s success.
“They don't like to have much possession. Sometimes they play a very long ball game. But in the last few weeks they have relied heavily on the left side and it has worked well for them.
“Kostic is one of the best crossers of the ball in Europe. Up front, Youssef En-Nesyri has scored a lot of goals from his deliveries. For me, Kostic is one of the key players in the Fenerbahce team.
“Sometimes Mourinho uses Dusan Tadic with Kostic on the left. Tadic is 36 now and in some games, like in the defeat to Galatasaray, he is a shadow of his former self. But he is still a great talent who can use his creativity to set up chances or score goals.
“Sebastian Szymanski, the Polish midfielder, is another important player. He is the only midfielder in the Fenerbahce team who can dribble with the ball. When he is bad, it affects the team. But when he is good he is very good.”
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He continued: “But the brain of this Fenerbahce team is unquestionably Edin Dzeko. He is nearly 39 now, but he is still a genius. His football IQ is incredible. Even if he is struggling physically in a game, his mind is working. If he doesn’t score himself he creates space for En-Nesyri. He is the leader of the team.
“The other players looks up to him. When something happens, more often that not he's the guy who makes it happen. He directs his team mates. In many ways, he is like a second coach.
“En-Nesyri came in from Sevilla for €19.5m, a club and Super Lig record, in the summer. He is a very good player, a very good header of the ball. He went through a bad time to begin with, but he is a regular scorer now.
“He was criticised a lot by Fenerbahce fans at the start because he cost lots of money and did nothing. But in the last couple of months he is scoring in nearly every game. That has been very important. Now nobody is talking about how much they paid for him. He has become one of the best players in the team.
“The problem was that when Fenerbahce were bringing him for that money, Galatasaray were welcoming Victor Osimhen on loan from Napoli. Everybody thought, ‘We’re paying €20m for this guy and they’re getting a world-class striker on loan. What are we doing?’ But he’s started scoring and now everyone loves him.”
Mourinho, though, has given youth a chance as well. The progress which Yusuf Akcicek has made under his guidance in the past seven months has made the centre-half one of the hottest properties in European football. His former club Spurs are one of the clubs monitoring the youngster’s progress.
“One of his greatest accomplishments is making Akcicek, a 19-year-old Turkish defender, a hero to the Fenerbahce support,” said Aydin. “He has given Akcicek more game time, including in Europe, and he has become a sold defender and has scored goals. Akcicek will play at the back against Rangers if he is fit.”
But the 62-year-old’s outspoken nature has endeared him to Fenerbahce supporters greatly. “Not only is he a good coach who improves his players and the team, he’s a good talker,” said Aydin. “After every game, he talks about the referees and the fans like that.”
However, it is the stark improvement that San Kanaryalar have made on the park which has impressed onlookers the most and turned frustration into optimism.
“Now Mourinho is starting to win games as well,” said Aydin. “The fans are dreaming of big things and asking if they can go all the way in the Europa League.
“He certainly won’t regard the Rangers game as something unwanted. Nobody is thinking Fenerbahce can focus on the Turkish league if they get eliminated. He definitely wants to go further and the fans are of the same mind.”
