Opinion: Jose Mourinho Stubbornness Holding Fenerbahçe Back

Fenerbahçe’s recent 2-0 victory over Antalyaspor in the Trendyol Super League saw them close the gap to three points behind Galatasaray, but José Mourinho’s tactical approach remains under scrutiny despite the win.

Fenerbahçe may have emerged victorious from their encounter with Antalyaspor, but questions continue to hang over José Mourinho’s reign at the club. Despite fielding a team brimming with talent, including Dusan Tadic, Edin Dzeko, and Allan Saint-Maximin, the yellow-navy squad has struggled to play consistently dominant football. In their 12 official matches this season, Fenerbahçe have only played with cohesion and purpose for brief stretches of time, rarely delivering a complete 90-minute performance. The latest match against Antalyaspor, while adding three points to their tally, did little to dispel concerns that Mourinho’s pragmatic approach may be limiting the team’s potential.

A 2-0 scoreline, with a goal from Tadic and an own goal by Thalisson, masked the deeper issues that Fenerbahçe face under Mourinho. The win lifted the club to 16 points, narrowing the gap with leaders Galatasaray to just three points. However, pundits and fans alike are beginning to wonder if Mourinho’s short bursts of good football—sometimes as little as 10-15 minutes per match—are enough to sustain Fenerbahçe’s title ambitions in the long run.

Take Fenerbahçe’s September performances, for instance. Over four matches, they managed to play only a few minutes of effective football. Against Kasımpaşa, Galatasaray, Union Berlin, and now Antalyaspor, Mourinho’s side has shown only sporadic flashes of brilliance, and for a team with their resources and talent, that is far from good enough.

In the match against Antalyaspor, Fenerbahçe’s first half was characterised by mediocrity. The distance between their defenders, Çağlar Söyüncü and Rodrigo Becao, and their forward Dzeko often exceeded 50 metres. Such gaps are problematic because they hinder pressing and expose the team to counter-attacks. Mourinho’s side seemed content to apply pressure for show, rather than with any real conviction. It came as no surprise that Antalyaspor, a side lacking the quality of Fenerbahçe’s lineup, managed to escape their press with relative ease on more than one occasion.

Indeed, had it not been for Mourinho’s halftime changes—bringing on Kostic and Fred—the outcome of the match might have been very different. Fred, in particular, played a crucial role in revitalising Fenerbahçe’s attack, providing the assist for Tadic’s opening goal and injecting much-needed pace and intensity into the game. It is clear that when Fred is on the pitch, Fenerbahçe play with more energy and cohesion. But it is troubling that Mourinho’s side requires a specific substitution to ignite their play.

This leads to two major questions that are hanging over Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe project. Firstly, can the team deliver sustained performances? So far, they have failed to do so in all but two matches this season—against Rizespor and Alanyaspor. The rest of their matches have seen brief spells of quality, interspersed with long periods of aimlessness. Mourinho’s pragmatism is well known; he is a manager who is often content to grind out results rather than aim for free-flowing, attacking football. But is 10-15 minutes of good football enough for Fenerbahçe to seriously challenge for silverware?

The second question is perhaps even more pressing: why hasn’t Mourinho started with his best defensive pairing, Djiku and Becao, this season? The duo formed the backbone of Fenerbahçe’s defence last season, and their partnership would likely push the team further up the pitch and improve their ability to win the ball back quickly in advanced areas. Yet, despite experimenting with various combinations—Çağlar-Becao, Çağlar-Djiku, Çağlar-Oosterwolde—Mourinho has never opted to field Djiku and Becao together from the start. The decision seems counterintuitive, especially given Mourinho’s penchant for building solid, disciplined defences. One has to wonder whether Mourinho’s reluctance to deploy this pairing stems from tactical considerations or a broader issue of squad management.

In conclusion, Fenerbahçe’s win over Antalyaspor did little to ease the concerns surrounding Mourinho’s tenure at the club. While the three points were welcome, the disjointed performance and over-reliance on individual moments of brilliance highlight deeper issues that must be addressed. Mourinho, a manager known for his tactical acumen and ability to win trophies, must now find a way to bring balance and consistency to his Fenerbahçe side. If he continues to rely on short bursts of quality rather than aiming for sustained dominance, he risks falling short of the high expectations that come with managing one of Turkey’s biggest clubs.