Fenerbahce is still struggling under Domenico Tedesco. After the 1-3 defeat in Zagreb and one month before the match against VfB Stuttgart, the coach is particularly bothered by the way the goals were conceded.
Domenico Tedesco responded to the recent slip-ups in the league with some surprising changes in the Europa League opener. But even though the result on Wednesday evening was once again disappointing, the new Fenerbahce coach felt vindicated after the 3-1 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb.
“That was the first time I saw a step forward in some details,” explained José Mourinho’s successor, who in Zagreb had fielded former Freiburg player Caglar Söyüncü as a right-back instead of a center-back and Nelson Semedo as a defensive midfielder alongside Marco Asensio instead of a right-back.
“We have to look at where we’re coming from. The last few games really weren’t good. Even though we lost today and that hurts, as coaches we can’t always just look at the result. It was a step forward in many areas,” said Tedesco. “We had more control of the game than in recent matches. We didn’t allow as many counterattacks after losing possession, we didn’t lose the ball as much. Our pressing, our intensity was really good.“ The new double six in particular gave the team ”a good structure.“
”The problem is something else,” added the recently turned 40-year-old, his expression visibly darkening. “The way we concede goals is very difficult to accept. We have to defend better.” Everyone had “given their best,” “thrown everything in,” that much was true, “but it’s just not enough. We lost a lot of tackles, second balls, and headers, and that’s a problem.”
“We have to close the legs”
Annoyed, Tedesco, who won his debut game but has since gone three games without a win, listed several beginner’s mistakes: “We lose our players in the penalty area, we don’t block shots, we don’t block crosses, we talk about things that should be there. We don’t have time to talk about such details, let alone train them. You just have to be able to do it, you just have to do it!”
As an example, he cited the third goal conceded in injury time, when Monsef Makrar scored from an awkward position through the legs of left-back Archie Brown into the far corner. “We have to close our legs when we block shots. That’s fundamental for me.”
In the league, where Fenerbahce is still unbeaten in third place, the team will continue on Sunday (7 p.m.) at sixth-placed Antalyaspor; In the Europa League, which is only a consolation prize after the Champions League playoff defeat against Benfica, the pressure has already increased noticeably ahead of the home games against Nice (October 2) and VfB Stuttgart (October 23). Tedesco is now focusing primarily on video sessions. “We don’t have time for training sessions.”