Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho has called on the “experts” in the Turkish media to help resolve his team’s left-back dilemma.
The Turkish side is facing a challenging situation with key left-back Jayden Oosterwolde sidelined due to injury and Mert Muldur unavailable after being sent off in their 2-0 home loss to Athletic Club on Wednesday.
Fenerbahce, currently competing for both domestic and European success, have had a mixed Europa League campaign with two wins and two losses from six matches.
They are also pushing to claim their first Super Lig title since 2014, though a recent 1-0 defeat to Besiktas snapped their five-match winning streak and left them six points behind league leaders Galatasaray.
Mourinho did not hold back on expressing his frustrations about the challenges posed by injuries and suspensions.
He said: “If you look at our next [Europa League] match against Olympique Lyon, Muldur is suspended, who is going to play left-back?
FT | Fenerbahçe 0-2 Athletic Club pic.twitter.com/DTew0WBq4i
— Fenerbahçe English (@Fenerbahce_EN) December 11, 2024
“If anyone of you can help me, if any one of the experts of TV can help me. Who is going to play left-back?
“Sometimes you [media] look at things without knowing the reality of the things well.
“I don’t know because unfortunately I can only say a few words of Turkish, if we as a club give you the right information to understand situations.
“I would love to have all of my players available. You see how difficult it is for us. We didn’t have a single midfielder on the bench [against Athletic].”
When asked whether the upcoming transfer window could bring reinforcements, Mourinho dismissed any notion of dissatisfaction with his current squad.
“I’m happy with my players. I don’t throw my players under the bus. Don’t expect me to come here and to tell you that I would like to have better players,” he said.
However, Mourinho did acknowledge the impact of missing Oosterwolde, stating, “I would like to have Jayden Oosterwolde available because for us it’s really hard [without him].
“But don’t worry, we are going to qualify [in the Europa League]. We have two games left to get three points, and we’ll get that. We are going to be stronger in the second half of the season.”
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