Fenerbahce Istanbul has had a few disappointing days. The bitter draw against Kasimpasa also left its mark on coach Domenico Tedesco.
On Monday evening, Fenerbahce learned the hard way just how close ecstasy and disappointment can be in soccer. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Marco Asensio, who has been in top form for weeks, waved from the edge of the penalty area. Nene actually decided to play a half-high ball into the back of the box instead of crossing into the crowded 16-yard box. Asensio’s volley was deflected and ended up in the goal. The Spaniard tore off his jersey, while on the sideline, Tedesco was knocked over by one of his players as he attempted to sprint onto the field and fell to the ground involuntarily.
Shortly thereafter, in the 101st minute to be precise, the equalizer came. This time, Tedesco looked sheepishly at the spot where he had been lying just moments before.
It was a rollercoaster of emotions that he would have gladly done without. It was another blow for Fenerbahce, who had lost 3-0 to Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their Europa League play-off a few days earlier and now need a minor miracle to reach the round of 16 ahead of the second leg in England on Thursday (9 p.m.).
This made Tedesco’s mistake against Kasimpasa all the more frustrating, as a win would have seen his team draw level on points with leaders Galatasaray and also secure their fourth league win in a row.
Cim Bom had lost 2-0 to Konyaspor at the weekend and immediately suspected a conspiracy because of a disallowed goal by Leroy Sané. “The regular goal scored by Galatasaray in the game against Konyaspor was disallowed despite the clear offside rule. This is a scandal that is unacceptable for Turkish football,” said an official statement from Galatasaray. The referee is “known to be a fanatical supporter of the team we are fighting against for the championship,” the statement continued. Of course, they were referring to Fenerbahçe. But on the eastern side of the Bosphorus, they have completely different problems, and Tedesco listed them one by one after the bitter 1-1 draw against Kasimpasa. “We concede too many goals from crosses,” he said of the equalizer. “We talk about it and analyze it, but we can’t do it on the pitch. That’s very disappointing.”
Four more players injured – including the goalkeeper
However, the personnel problems at Fenerbahce are much more serious. Milan Skriniar, Mert Müldür, and Edson Alvarez were not even in the squad, and against Kasimpasa, there was a veritable bloodbath. Former Freiburg player Caglar Söyüncü (partial muscle tear in his right hamstring) and Jayden Oosterwolde (groin strain) had to be substituted before half-time due to injuries. Later, goalkeeper Ederson (thigh strain, three weeks out) and striker Talisca (partial tear in his left hamstring) also got injured.
“When we went into the second half, we had no more center backs,” said Tedesco, who was forced to switch to a back three. “We had never trained this system before, but my players implemented it well,” praised the coach.
But only until that final scene, in which the experienced Matteo Guendouzi, among others, acted too hesitantly. Ismael Yüksek was particularly annoyed that opponents Kasimpasa managed to equalize despite being a man down, as they had done in the 1-1 draw in the first leg. “This is a situation that is not worthy of this team,” said the Fenerbahçe midfielder.
Tedesco criticizes the strain
Fenerbahce is currently dealing with a combination of self-inflicted problems and a lot of injury misfortune. Tedesco believes that the numerous absences are also a result of the strain. “I attribute this situation to the many games. Since my arrival, we have played 34 games. The stress is also related to the traveling.”
The 40-year-old is already looking forward to the international break at the end of March so that he can regain missing personnel and keep pace in the title race. The catch: Fenerbahce still has to play at least six games before then.
