Fenerbahce’s vice-president, Acun Ilicali, is certainly not heading to Glasgow feeling that the end result in the second-leg with Rangers is a foregone conclusion.
Quite the opposite.
While Rangers were very good value for their 3-1 triumph in Istanbul six days ago – it could have been five had Cyriel Dessers not had two goals ruled out for the tightest of VAR-calculated margins – Jose Mourinho in the Fenerbahce hotseat remains quietly confident.
Barry Ferguson got the better of Mourinho in Istanbul; a managerial novice bamboozling the two-time Champions League winner with his shift to a new-look 3-4-2-1 system.
But write Jose off at your peril.
- READ MORE: Rangers Europa League Record Since 2017
Fenerbahce vice-president speaks ahead of Rangers return leg
Acun Ilicali, the Fenerbahce vice-president who also owns Hull City in England’s second tier, accepts that the Turkish giants could not cope with Rangers’ fizzing counter-attacks in the first-leg.
This comes after Mourinho admitted Fenerbahce struggled up against Cyriel Dessers and Vaclav Cerny. The former opened the scoring inside 10 minutes after a high-pressing Rangers forced Fener into an error on the edge of their own penalty area.
Cerny then struck twice, taking his tally to 17 for the season while thriving in the freedom afforded to him by a more central attacking role.
Ilicali feels that Rangers’ speed and incisiveness when turning defence into attack marks Ferguson’s side out as a different, and altogether greater, threat compared to the sides Fenerbahce tend to come up against domestically.
Yet, despite a 3-1 home defeat over the first 90 minutes, the Turkish-born entrepreneur is confident that, in terms of raw talent, Fenerbahce are comfortably the stronger of the two quarter-final seeking sides.
“Were we unlucky? I think we were unlucky,” Ilicali reflects. “It was our own mistake to concede an early goal. The early goal changed the chemistry of the game, in my opinion. We couldn’t get the game back.
“Rangers are also a big team and a strong team. When they gained the advantage, they knew how to use it. Rangers’ counter-attack was more [effective] than in the regular Super Lig.
“Of course, there is quality other than the counter-attack. We left with a very bad scoreline for us.
“I trust the quality of our team. We are a good team. A strong team. We are stronger than Rangers too. But, even though we are stronger, this is the result.”
Acun Ilicali says Jose Mourinho has a ‘plan’ for Ibrox
Mourinho, formerly of Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United and Inter Milan, is looking to add a sixth European title to his remarkable collection of silverware.
Ilicali cannot envisage a world, meanwhile, in which Rangers slam down the shutters and park the proverbial bus. Even with a two-goal lead to defend, it is not really their style to sit back and allow the visitors control of the possession.
“The coach has a plan,” Ilicali adds. “Let me explain the game from my own footballing perspective. If we were two goals down against an Italian team, we would have little hope, frankly. [Rangers] is a team that wants to score goals.
“I don’t think they will close up. I think there will be a chance [for Fenerbahce to turn things around].”
