Tactical Blunders by Mourinho
Success is named after Jose Mourinho. However, even the brightest of football minds make some mistakes. In the case of Fenerbahçe, it wasn’t just one or two ill fated decisions that actually led them to their downfall; instead, six crucial wrong decisions from the Portuguese manager did not come easily off the Turkish side’s pockets. This article navigates through each of those errors, detailing how Mourinho’s decisions backfired and led to a frustrating defeat for Fenerbahçe.
It is most often during football matches that the winning or losing edge comes off of key decisions made by the coach. For Fenerbahçe, this was quite the opposite; Mourinho’s strategic choices did not well reward when counting on the other players making their weaknesses vulnerable. Let’s take a closer look at the six wrong decisions that spelled defeat to Fenerbahçe during the game.
1. Defensive Setup: A Vulnerable Backline
As for Mourinho, he is recognized for his strong defenses, but against Fenerbahçe’s recent opponents, his defense looked vulnerable somehow. As if that were a conscious decision, instead of adopting a more flexible, adaptive defensive strategy, Mourinho persisted on the shape that caused dangerous wide spaces available for the opposition to make something out of it. In addition to making pressure on Fenerbahçe’s back line, that would also make it difficult to regain possession once lost.
The game lacked tempo and coordination among defenders, who were constantly chasing the pace of the game, being kept on their toes by the fast-paced attacks. Mourinho was not helping matters by playing a high defensive line, as the enemy took good advantage of the gaps in Fenerbahçe’s defense by breaking through easily.
2. Misplaced Faith in Key Players
Every coach has his favorites, and at times loyalty turns out to be a two-edged sword. With key underperforming players whom the coach depended too much on, Fenerbahçe’s chances of getting a win were greatly disturbed. Even if they have enjoyed past success with these players, their present form was far from ideal, and Mourinho’s decision to stick with them boomeranged.
The failure to realize the need for fresh legs and not putting more in-form players on the bench cost Mourinho the general performance of the team. The team lacked energy and sharpness mostly in the midfield, where they totally lost control over the game.
3. Inflexible Tactics: Sticking to the Old Plan
Even Mourinho has a rich experience, but sometimes experience is the biggest foe. Tactically, his approach towards the game was very rigid and betted on outdated tactics that no longer work against modern opponents. His strict adherence to his plan denied Fenerbahçe opportunities to view the flow of the game going forward.
Actually, football is a sport of flexibility; sticking to a predefined plan when it’s clear that the opposition has found a way to counter it can be detrimental. Unluckily, it was not the stubbornness of Mourinho that failed to seize the moment to expose the weaknesses of the opposition.
4. Missed Substitutions End
Substitution is probably the most important weapon a coach has at his disposal to change a course of play. In this match, though, Mourinho’s changes were considerably more reactive than proactive. There seemed to be no better time than it just got too late for fresh impetus on the field, and his changes did nothing to resolve Fenerbahçe’s basic ills.
Rather than switching to a formation better suited to attacking or bringing on players who could be helped by the game’s tempo, Mourinho’s substitutions either strengthened a failing system or were too late to help.
5. Failure to Adjust the System according to the Opponent’s Strategy
The great coaches know how to read the game and make appropriate adjustments according to how it unfolds. In this game, Mourinho appeared either incapable or unwilling to change his tactical pattern as the opponent’s strategy unfolded before him. The opponents found all of Fenerbahçe’s weak points and attacked them repeatedly, but still Mourinho did nothing to counter that attack.
This reluctance to change gears gave the opponents an initiative of setting the gait and tempo of the match where Fenerbahçe played on the backheels.
6. Lack of Offensive Creativity
The final third of the pitch is where Fenerbahçe failed to bring creativity most. Mourinho’s attacking form seemed rather predictable, and the opposition defense found it very easy to predict and sidestep any potential attacks. Talented forwards aside, it was primarily because of Mourinho’s one-dimensional approach that Fenerbahçe couldn’t find a way to break down the well-organized defense.
The offense of the team was heavily suppressed instead of encouraging a fluid movement with dynamic play because the structure seemed pretty stiff; it could not allow room for improvisation and surprise. This made Fenerbahçe relatively easy to defend against with very few chances created during the match.
