LOSC Lille – Fenerbahçe S.K: Mourinho’s Latest European Reinvention Saw His Side Undone By Late Winner (2-1)

Jose Mourinho’s latest Champions League expedition with Turkish club Fenerbahçe started with a defeat despite a late equaliser from a free kick by Kahveci. Zhegrova’s deflected goal in injury time sunk Fenerbahçe’s hopes of returning to Turkey with a point in their Champions League qualifier.

Tactical analysis and match report by Gaurav Krishnan. 

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Jose Mourinho has been around the block. Starting his career at the pinnacle of European football winning the UEFA Champions League with underdogs Porto & guiding Inter to a treble now seems aeons ago. Mourinho’s latest reincarnation comes with his newest employers in Turkish club Fenerbahçe. The Portuguese boss has been in the doldrums for some time, perhaps now coming to what can be adjudged as the twilight of his career. Winning the Conference League, to guide AS Roma to their first title in 14 years remains a recent feather in his cap, but it’s not hard to see that his methods, style of play & results are a far cry from his glory days in an ever-changing & evolving modern game. 

This grey-haired Mourinho is growing weary & his methods are fading — it’s hard for the Portuguese boss not to shed the tag of a two-season merchant & one-trophy-trick-pony. In more ways than one, Mourinho has lost the air & acumen he had about him managing top European teams to now see himself on the fringes managing European minnows Fenerbahçe. On this particular night in France, despite clawing their way back with an equaliser from a free kick by substitute Irfan Kahveci, Mourinho’s troops were left questioning what exactly went wrong as Lille resurrected a comeback to get the one-goal advantage in the tie in a game that was in a stranglehold yet end to end for its best part. 

Lille boss Bruno Genesio started with a 4-4-1-1 with Thomas Chevalier in goal and a back four of Thomas Munier at right-back, Bafode Diakite and Alexsandro Riberio at center-back with Gabriel Gudmundsson at left-back. Captain Benjamin Andre and Angel Gomes were fielded in central midfield with Tiago Santos and Hakon Arnar Haraldsson at right-wing and left-wing respectively. Remy Cabella played as the central attacking midfielder in the number ten slot, with Jonathan David leading the line up front. 

Jose Mourinho fielded his typical 4-3-3 with Dominik Livakovic in goal with a back four of Jayden Oosterwolde and Caglar Soyuncu in central defense with Ferdi Kadioglu and Mert Muldur at left and right-back respectively. The midfield comprised Rade Krunic, Ismail Yuksek and Sebastian Szymanski with a front three off Allan Saint-Maximin and Dusan Tadic on either flank with captain Edin Dzeko named as the lone striker. 

End To End Opening Exchanges

Things began thick & fast in this particular Champions League qualifier. The game ebbed & flowed from one end to the next in the early opening exchanges. Fenerbahçe’s first chance came in the fifth minute as Dzeko shot wide after great play from Saint-Maximin in the box. Angel Gomes’ effort on goal in the seventh minute was pushed away by Livakovic. However, the breakthrough came for Lille eventually in the eleventh minute.

Mourinho deployed his side in a 5-4-1 shape without the ball particularly when Lille had the ball in Fenerbahçe’s half. However, the Turkish side were caught off guard after a quick throw-in to Tiago Santos who then dribbled past two players to get into the Fenerbahçe box. Santos hit a low drive from a narrow angle, that looked like a half-shot, half-cross which deflected off Livakovic’s palm into the net giving Lille the 1-0 lead.

Lille played through the Fenerbahçe 5-4-1 block using clever third man runs. The midfielders dropped deeper to create space for the runners who attacked the Turkish outfit’s back line. 

Minute 25’ Lille play through the Fenerbahçe 5-4-1 block. Cabella plays the ball to Benjamin Andre as Angel Gomes makes a run dropping into space. Gomes then plays the ball first time to Cabella who has made a run out wide as Tiago Santos & Jonathan David also make runs in behind the Fenerbahçe back line. The move breaks down but results in a two to three minute spell of Lille dominating the ball around the Fenerbahçe box trying to look for a way through culminating in a shot from distance by Angel Gomes that was saved by Livakovic.

Fenerbahçe had two chances in succession near the thirty minute mark both falling to Edin Dzeko. The journeyman forward was through 1 v 1 against Chevalier after a turnover but the Lille goalkeeper made a fine save rushing out of goal. Dzeko again had a shot from inside the box in the 31st minute but fired wide. At the other end Lille frontman Jonathan David had a glorious chance to make it 2-0 to the home side after finding himself free at the far post after a corner, in the 42nd minute. But the striker spurned a great chance to double Lille’s lead after he fired his attempt at goal over the bar, much to the relief of Livakovic between the Fenerbahçe sticks.

Lille’s domination was evident by the possession stats in the first half with the French outfit having 61% ball possession as compared to Fenerbahçe’s 39%. Lille also had 9 total shots in the first half compared to Fenerbahçe’s 5 attempts at goal. 

Chances Squandered By Fenerbahçe

The onus was on Mourinho and Fenerbahçe to get out of the blocks and search for a goal or two. In the forty-sixth minute, Fenerbahçe’s Allan Saint-Maximin had a great chance to equalise after a mistake by Lille. Chevalier played it to Andre Gomes after a backpass but the midfielder passed the ball straight to Saint-Maximin & the winger bore down on goal. However, the Fenerbahçe wideman was denied by a stop by the Lille goalkeeper. 

Saint-Maximin had another great double chance in the forty-ninth minute after a long ball from Soyuncu found him in space. Chevalier came out of goal, but the French winger again fluffed two back-to-back shots to get Fenerbahçe an equaliser. It’s these fine margins that often define success and failure, yet Mourinho for all his experience at the European stage couldn’t make his side deliver the crushing blow.

Mourinho marauded the touchline looking perplexed; rather unlike his brutish persona of old glancing at the clock and his players. But the Portuguese boss answered by setting up his team to build up with 3-2 shape in possession from the back, while four or five players attacked the Lille back line. One of the full backs or midfielders would drop into the backline to progress the ball forward as the front four or five looked to break Lille’s back four shape. Fenerbahçe aimed to find any of their front players by going slightly more direct after a bit of build up. 

Minute 62’’ Fenerbahçe begin to grow into the game starting with a 3-2 buildup from the back as the front four or five made runs to break the Lille backline. Yuksek, Soyuncu & Oosterwald exchange passes in slow back three build up. Oosterwald then makes a progressive pass to Szymanski who’s part of the midfield two as Krunic makes an off ball run to drag his midfield markers. Szymanski plays it through towards Dzeko as Tadic also makes a run trying to break the Lille backline but the ball goes loose and the move breaks down

The visitors began to play a more attacking style and pushed forward in search of a goal & Lille duly counterattacked. In the sixty-third minute Lille had another chance on a breakaway after great work on the wing by Tiago Santos. His cross into the box found Haraldsson who made a run from midfield but the Lille midfielder’s header was saved by Livakovic. 

Late Drama At Both Ends

Fenerbahçe pushed on in search of an equaliser and it looked like the balance of play was shifting towards the Turkish outfit as the game wore on but they looked rather open on the counter-attack. On one particular Fenerbahçe breakaway after a turnover, Irfan Kahveci was fouled just outside the box close to the seventy-seventh minute; it narrowly avoided being adjudged as a penalty for the Turkish club. The substitute then struck a sweetly hit free kick with his left boot that flew right into the top corner giving Lille keeper Chevalier no chance. Kahveci’s celebration mimicking the Turkish Olympics shooter who went viral was a bit of entertainment for fans drawing loud roars from the travelling support. 

By then it looked as though Fenerbahçe were on course for stealing a point. However, deep into injury time in the 90+2’ at the other end, Lille substitute Zhegrova cut inside from the right flank & unleashed a shot on goal which deflected off Soyuncu to loop over Livakovic in the Fenerbahçe goal & nestled into the net. It was the last bit of action in the game and a vital goal for the home side.

The late goal entailed that Fenerbahçe would have almost no time to find an answer & in the end, Genesio’s side got the valuable win to head to Turkey with the advantage of a solitary goal. 

Takeaways

This was a seemingly bread-and-butter fixture for Jose Mourinho. His jibe claiming he’s only lost a qualifier in his managerial history during his stint at Tottenham Hotspur was rather reminiscent of the Mourinho of old. But English football banter aside, Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe managed to lose a game which they should have seen off. Mourinho’s archetypal conservative & pragmatic approach saw Fenerbahçe sit deep perhaps playing for a point in the first half & they only got out of the blocks in the second forty-five when they were in search of a goal.

In hindsight, it wasn’t a result that could go down as a total failure because they got a crucial away goal & the deficit they take to Turkey for the next leg is just one goal. But looking back at the game, Fenerbahçe should have managed this game smarter. Mourinho’s side defended when they should have attacked and attacked when they should have defended. 

Should Fenerbahçe beat Lille in this third-round qualifier it would see the Turkish outfit face Slavia Prague or Royale Union Saint-Gilloise next. Of course it’s a given that the Fenerbahce board expect Champions League qualification but whether Mourinho can mastermind a victory to take Fenerbahçe through to the next round remains to be seen. The odds are slightly stacked against them but the decider is in Istanbul which will give them hope to turn the tie in their favour. The return leg is on the 13th of August which promises to be an exciting affair. 

Match plots will be added as soon as possible.