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Adding José Mourinho to the chaos of Turkish football is box office stuff

Adding José Mourinho to the chaos of Turkish football is box office stuff

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The Turkish Süper Lig has always been an exemplar in footballing chaos, the 2023/24 season was no different. Galatasaray ended up as winners with an incredible 102 points, three above arch-rivals Fenerbahçe. As title races go, it has to be regarded as one of the greatest in history.

By Alex Roberts

As is usually the case, our two protagonists had a busy summer transfer window. Fenerbahçe lost Turkish football’s next big thing, Arda Güler to Real Madrid for a reported €20 million but brought in Dušan Tadić, Edin Džeko, Ryan Kent, Fred, and Cengiz Ünder to help fill the void left by the 19-year old. 

Highly rated Hungarian defender Attila Szalai also departed, joining Hoffenheim. The free transfer of legendary Italian defender Leonardo Bonuucci helped soften that blow a little.

On the European side of beautiful Istanbul, Galatasaray were equally as active. After a very public split from his ex-agent/wife, Mauro Icardi made his loan from Paris Saint Germain permanent, while Wilfred Zaha left his boyhood club, Crystal Palace to join Cimbom for free. Colombian centre-back, Davinson Sánchez also signed from Spurs for around €9.5 million.

With the transfers out of the way, the stage was set, and the hard work was about to begin. After the first game, it was advantage Fener. Džeko scored twice, in the third and 18th minutes to earn his side a 2-1 victory against Gaziantep. 

As for Galatasaray, they faltered in the shadow of Mount Erciyes, drawing 0-0 with Kayserispor in what must have been one of the most uneventful games of the season. It may not have been glamorous, but a point is a point.

From the first game onwards, no other club could keep up with the big two. Fenerbahçe won each of their next nine games, scoring 27 goals along the way. 38-year-old Džeko was rolling back the years, bagging eight times in those nine wins. He has always been one of the most clinical strikers on the continent.

Anything Džeko could do, Icardi could do just as well. The Argentine’s tempestuous time in Paris was now behind him, he looked like he was finally enjoying his football once again. Of course, scoring goals helps. 

After the frustrating draw in their first game of the season, Gala bounced back to win their next 10 games. Icardi was on fire scoring ten times in the process. Still, despite the forward’s best efforts his side remained just behind Fenerbahçe. 

It wasn’t until early November that Gala finally tasted top spot. Trabzonspor did them a favour with a surprise 3-2 victory over Fener. The visiting side opened the scoring on the 10th minute after Paul Onuachu headed home from Edin Visca’s pitch perfect cross. 

Half-time came and went. When the two sides came back out, Trabzonspor were 3-0 up two minutes after the restart thanks to goals from Berat Özdemir and ex-Arsenal man Nicolas Pépé. 

Fener were in shock, but they took a breath and rallied. Tadić got them back in the game with a 61st minute penalty. The comeback was on but then all of Fener’s momentum was undone Ismail Yüksek’s second yellow card. 

Tadić did score another penalty in added time, but it was too little too late. The damage had been done, and for the first time in the season, Galatasary were top after game week 11.

Unfortunately, Gala’s time at the top didn’t last very long. Hatayspor spoiled their party by beating Cimbom 2-1 in their next league game. Fener were back at the summit after their 0-0 draw with Adana Demirspor. 

The Intercontinental derby is the biggest game in the Turkish football calendar and the two sides would finally meet for the first time on Christmas eve. The tension was palpable, the streets of Istanbul bustled with anticipation as fans on both sides of the city dreamt of beating their mortal rivals. It inevitably ended 0-0. At least there were plenty of yellow cards.

This was when things in the Süper Lig started to do a 180-degree turn. Up until this point, Fener had looked like they would be eventual champions, Galatasaray had other ideas.

After their 0-0 draw, Gala went on to win their next 18 games. The most remarkable thing is that Fenerbahçe were also playing incredibly well, a few draws along the way just set them back. The margins were so fine, any slight hiccup proved to make a huge difference.

The two would meet for the second time in the penultimate game of the season. Fener knew that if they had any chance of winning the league title, their first since 2013/14 they needed to win, whereas it wouldn’t have been quite so fatal should Gala lose this one. No one ever wants to lose the Intercontinental derby though.

It started off about as you’d expect. Galatasaray’s RAMS Park was electric, emotions were high, and tackles were flying in. After the first 11 minutes there was a scuffle on the pitch following an off the ball incident between Fener’s Alexander Dijku and Gala’s Lucas Torreira. Two minutes later, the ref had shown four yellow cards. 

Bad blood between Dijku and Torreira spilled over once again. Dijku went back for more, catching the Uruguayan midfielder’s heel. He gave the ref no choice and Dijku was sent off for another cynical challenge.

With a mad down, Fener were on the back leg. Galatasaray dominated possession but couldn’t break their opponents down. Fener had the odd chance on the counter, but sloppy finishing from both sides kept the score line at 0-0 going into the break. 

It was pretty much the same story up until the 70th minute. Fener were awarded a corner, Sebastian Szymanski whipped it in and Gala’s Fernando Muslera flapped at it. After some pinball in the 6-yard box, the ball ended up in the back of the net thanks to ex-Leicester centre back, Çağlar Söyüncü. 

Fener were now just three points behind Gala going into the last game of the season. It was still all to play for. Unfortunately, it was too little too late. Both sides would go on to win their final games, Fenerbahçe beat Istanbulspor 6-0, and Galatasaray won 3-1 away to Konyaspor.

Gala fans celebrated while Fener fans commiserated. The eventual champions ended up with 102 points, beating the runners up by a measly three points. Getting 99 points and not winning the league was hard for Fener fans to take.

They took to the streets to show their fury. One video showed a disgruntled Fener fan furiously stabbing an image of club president Ali Koc until it was nothing but scraps.

While stabbing stuff may be a step too far, Fener fan’s frustrations are undersrtandable. Over the past ten seasons, they’ve amassed a whopping 717 points, the second highest amount, just one point behind Galatasaray, but haven’t won a single league title. And Liverpool fans thought they had it rough.

Ismail Kartal was fired as Fenerbahçe manager after the dust settled. Kartal can leave with his head held high, he may not have gotten his hands on the league title, but 99 points is pretty damn impressive.

At a time when big clubs are looking for young coaches to build with, see Enzo Maresca at Chelsea, Koc had the complete opposite idea. There was only one name on the lips of Fener fans, and that name was José Mourinho.

The Portuguese manager may have fallen off a little as football has changed, but his pedigree is undeniable. Winning an incredible twenty-six major trophies over the course of his time in management is the type of career 99.9% of managers can only dream of. The medals speak for themselves. 

José was eventually confirmed as the new Fenerbache manager on June 6th. He was swarmed by fans at the airport, in the streets, and eventually at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium. 

He addressed the fans as coolly as ever. Waving a scarf in the air as those around him scream his name. He oozes charisma, almost dictator-esque. “This shirt is my skin” he said in his press conference. He always knows what to say.

After ultimately disappointing stints at Spurs and Roma, Mourinho will want to prove to the world that he can still do it at the top level. At this point, it’s unclear if he still has it in him, but one thing can be said for certain, José in Turkish football will be anything but boring.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Süper Lig live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Adding José Mourinho to the chaos of Turkish football is box office stuff

The Turkish Süper Lig has always been an exemplar in footballing chaos, the 2023/24 season was no different. Galatasaray ended up as winners with an incredible 102 points, three above arch-rivals Fenerbahçe. As title races go, it has to be regarded as one of the greatest in history.

By Alex Roberts

As is usually the case, our two protagonists had a busy summer transfer window. Fenerbahçe lost Turkish football’s next big thing, Arda Güler to Real Madrid for a reported €20 million but brought in Dušan Tadić, Edin Džeko, Ryan Kent, Fred, and Cengiz Ünder to help fill the void left by the 19-year old. 

Highly rated Hungarian defender Attila Szalai also departed, joining Hoffenheim. The free transfer of legendary Italian defender Leonardo Bonuucci helped soften that blow a little.

On the European side of beautiful Istanbul, Galatasaray were equally as active. After a very public split from his ex-agent/wife, Mauro Icardi made his loan from Paris Saint Germain permanent, while Wilfred Zaha left his boyhood club, Crystal Palace to join Cimbom for free. Colombian centre-back, Davinson Sánchez also signed from Spurs for around €9.5 million.

With the transfers out of the way, the stage was set, and the hard work was about to begin. After the first game, it was advantage Fener. Džeko scored twice, in the third and 18th minutes to earn his side a 2-1 victory against Gaziantep. 

As for Galatasaray, they faltered in the shadow of Mount Erciyes, drawing 0-0 with Kayserispor in what must have been one of the most uneventful games of the season. It may not have been glamorous, but a point is a point.

From the first game onwards, no other club could keep up with the big two. Fenerbahçe won each of their next nine games, scoring 27 goals along the way. 38-year-old Džeko was rolling back the years, bagging eight times in those nine wins. He has always been one of the most clinical strikers on the continent.

Anything Džeko could do, Icardi could do just as well. The Argentine’s tempestuous time in Paris was now behind him, he looked like he was finally enjoying his football once again. Of course, scoring goals helps. 

After the frustrating draw in their first game of the season, Gala bounced back to win their next 10 games. Icardi was on fire scoring ten times in the process. Still, despite the forward’s best efforts his side remained just behind Fenerbahçe. 

It wasn’t until early November that Gala finally tasted top spot. Trabzonspor did them a favour with a surprise 3-2 victory over Fener. The visiting side opened the scoring on the 10th minute after Paul Onuachu headed home from Edin Visca’s pitch perfect cross. 

Half-time came and went. When the two sides came back out, Trabzonspor were 3-0 up two minutes after the restart thanks to goals from Berat Özdemir and ex-Arsenal man Nicolas Pépé. 

Fener were in shock, but they took a breath and rallied. Tadić got them back in the game with a 61st minute penalty. The comeback was on but then all of Fener’s momentum was undone Ismail Yüksek’s second yellow card. 

Tadić did score another penalty in added time, but it was too little too late. The damage had been done, and for the first time in the season, Galatasary were top after game week 11.

Unfortunately, Gala’s time at the top didn’t last very long. Hatayspor spoiled their party by beating Cimbom 2-1 in their next league game. Fener were back at the summit after their 0-0 draw with Adana Demirspor. 

The Intercontinental derby is the biggest game in the Turkish football calendar and the two sides would finally meet for the first time on Christmas eve. The tension was palpable, the streets of Istanbul bustled with anticipation as fans on both sides of the city dreamt of beating their mortal rivals. It inevitably ended 0-0. At least there were plenty of yellow cards.

This was when things in the Süper Lig started to do a 180-degree turn. Up until this point, Fener had looked like they would be eventual champions, Galatasaray had other ideas.

After their 0-0 draw, Gala went on to win their next 18 games. The most remarkable thing is that Fenerbahçe were also playing incredibly well, a few draws along the way just set them back. The margins were so fine, any slight hiccup proved to make a huge difference.

The two would meet for the second time in the penultimate game of the season. Fener knew that if they had any chance of winning the league title, their first since 2013/14 they needed to win, whereas it wouldn’t have been quite so fatal should Gala lose this one. No one ever wants to lose the Intercontinental derby though.

It started off about as you’d expect. Galatasaray’s RAMS Park was electric, emotions were high, and tackles were flying in. After the first 11 minutes there was a scuffle on the pitch following an off the ball incident between Fener’s Alexander Dijku and Gala’s Lucas Torreira. Two minutes later, the ref had shown four yellow cards. 

Bad blood between Dijku and Torreira spilled over once again. Dijku went back for more, catching the Uruguayan midfielder’s heel. He gave the ref no choice and Dijku was sent off for another cynical challenge.

With a mad down, Fener were on the back leg. Galatasaray dominated possession but couldn’t break their opponents down. Fener had the odd chance on the counter, but sloppy finishing from both sides kept the score line at 0-0 going into the break. 

It was pretty much the same story up until the 70th minute. Fener were awarded a corner, Sebastian Szymanski whipped it in and Gala’s Fernando Muslera flapped at it. After some pinball in the 6-yard box, the ball ended up in the back of the net thanks to ex-Leicester centre back, Çağlar Söyüncü. 

Fener were now just three points behind Gala going into the last game of the season. It was still all to play for. Unfortunately, it was too little too late. Both sides would go on to win their final games, Fenerbahçe beat Istanbulspor 6-0, and Galatasaray won 3-1 away to Konyaspor.

Gala fans celebrated while Fener fans commiserated. The eventual champions ended up with 102 points, beating the runners up by a measly three points. Getting 99 points and not winning the league was hard for Fener fans to take.

They took to the streets to show their fury. One video showed a disgruntled Fener fan furiously stabbing an image of club president Ali Koc until it was nothing but scraps.

While stabbing stuff may be a step too far, Fener fan’s frustrations are undersrtandable. Over the past ten seasons, they’ve amassed a whopping 717 points, the second highest amount, just one point behind Galatasaray, but haven’t won a single league title. And Liverpool fans thought they had it rough.

Ismail Kartal was fired as Fenerbahçe manager after the dust settled. Kartal can leave with his head held high, he may not have gotten his hands on the league title, but 99 points is pretty damn impressive.

At a time when big clubs are looking for young coaches to build with, see Enzo Maresca at Chelsea, Koc had the complete opposite idea. There was only one name on the lips of Fener fans, and that name was José Mourinho.

The Portuguese manager may have fallen off a little as football has changed, but his pedigree is undeniable. Winning an incredible twenty-six major trophies over the course of his time in management is the type of career 99.9% of managers can only dream of. The medals speak for themselves. 

José was eventually confirmed as the new Fenerbache manager on June 6th. He was swarmed by fans at the airport, in the streets, and eventually at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium. 

He addressed the fans as coolly as ever. Waving a scarf in the air as those around him scream his name. He oozes charisma, almost dictator-esque. “This shirt is my skin” he said in his press conference. He always knows what to say.

After ultimately disappointing stints at Spurs and Roma, Mourinho will want to prove to the world that he can still do it at the top level. At this point, it’s unclear if he still has it in him, but one thing can be said for certain, José in Turkish football will be anything but boring.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Süper Lig live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.