Fenerbahce’s Jose Mourinho: Man United and Spurs are top contenders for Europa League title

Fenerbahce is gearing up for their upcoming Europa League group-phase match against Manchester United. United is a club that Mourinho managed for two-and-a-half seasons, during which he led them to victory in the 2017 Europa League competition. Mourinho also guided Tottenham Hotspur to a League Cup final.

“If I have to say now which are the two biggest candidates to win the Europa League, it’s easy – Manchester United and Tottenham,” Mourinho told reporters on Oct 23.

“The Premier League is a different level of quality, intensity, pace, tactical culture – a different level of everything. Tomorrow, we are going to play against one of the two strongest teams.”

The Portuguese, a maestro at “mind games”, could be seen as trying to add pressure onto the Red Devils to gain an advantage at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on Oct 24, as the English giants have struggled this season.

United’s current manager Erik ten Hag secured a stay of execution with a 2-1 league victory over Brentford on Oct 19 to snap a five-game winless run. However, the 54-year-old remains under intense pressure as United languish in the bottom half of the English Premier League.

With just two points from their opening two Europa League games, an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Mourinho would be another damaging blow in ten Hag’s fight for survival.

However, the 61-year-old believes the Dutchman will eventually succeed, even if results have not gone their way.

“They will succeed sooner or later. Hopefully sooner and before, one day, I go back to the Premier League and they become my opponents. At this moment, they are just my opponents for one match,” he said.

“I left with a good feeling for the club and its fans and I want the best for them... What happened for sure is that they now keep faith in the coach, supporting the coach who is staying season after season. That means stability and trust, giving him conditions to keep his job.”

United had turned to Mourinho in 2016, hoping the self-styled “special one” could rival Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

During his time at Old Trafford, Mourinho did add to his trophy haul by winning the League Cup and Europa League in his first season in charge. In the following season, United finished second to Guardiola’s rampant City, who set a Premier League record with 100 points.

Things quickly unravelled as the former Chelsea boss was dismissed by United before Christmas in his third campaign.

Given the turmoil around Old Trafford throughout his reign, Mourinho later stated that second place with United in 2017-2018 was among “the best jobs of my career”.

That comment was shrugged off as typical bluster from Mourinho, who has made outlandish comments his trademark during three decades managing a number of Europe’s top clubs.

Yet, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and ten Hag have passed through the Theatre of Dreams since then without ever restoring United to their former glory.

Six seasons on, the tally of 81 points Mourinho achieved remains by a distance United’s best Premier League performance in the 11 years without a title since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

That barren run shows no sign of ending anytime soon, with City and Liverpool still streets ahead of United.

“It’s not just about this season, it’s since we won the last league in 2013, the club has been like in a chaos,” former United defender Patrice Evra told the BBC.

“I’m a positive man, but it’s tough. Our rivals are getting better than us, play a better style of football. The future is not bright. It’s a tough moment.”

Ten Hag has at least brought trophies back to Old Trafford after a six-year drought. But a League Cup triumph in 2023 and shock FA Cup final victory over City in May have barely papered over the cracks of his reign.

Into his third season in charge, there is still little evidence of ten Hag imposing a recognisable style of play despite spending nearly £600 million (S$1.02 billion) in the transfer market, much of which has reunited him with a number of his former Ajax Amsterdam players.

The years since the acrimonious split between United and Mourinho have also not been kind for the latter.

He returned to English football at Tottenham Hotspur, where he failed to win a trophy for the first time since a short stint at Uniao de Leiria at the beginning of his managerial career.

Mourinho did have silverware to show for his two-and-a-half years at AS Roma as he lifted the inaugural Europa Conference League in 2022. But after a run to the Europa League final a year later, he once again departed in rancour when he was sacked in January.

That paved a way for his first foray into the frenzied environment of Turkish football. More fireworks do not seem far away with Fenerbahce eight points behind Istanbul rivals Galatasaray at the top of the Turkish Super Lig.

But United’s visit gives the 61-year-old the big match stage he craves to answer his critics, not least those who turned against him during his time at United.

On facing the former United boss, ten hag said: “It’s a big game for both of us. He is a winner. He has won so many trophies and, I think, is an example for many managers. So I really enjoy to play against him.”

The Dutchman will be without suspended skipper Bruno Fernandes, with possible midfield replacements Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount also missing out on the trip to Istanbul. Joining them are defenders Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Leny Yoro.

Mourinho will be counting on former Red Devils Fred and Sofyan Amrabat on Oct 24, though goalkeeper Irfan Can Egribayat, winger Bright Osayi-Samuel, defender Caglar Soyuncu and midfielder Ismail Yuksek coulsidelined could be sidelined. , AFP