By his own admission, Jose Mourinho has not yet decided how he will go about turning over Fenerbahce’s two-goal deficit in the second-leg of their Europa League last-16 tie against Rangers at Ibrox.
“I don’t know if we should be patient,” Mourinho said during his pre-match press conference.
“Should we attack? We have worked on defensive blocks. Hopefully, we will take it to the end. We will come and do our best.
Whether this is classic Jose mind-games, or whether he really is undecided about which gameplan is best for such an occasion, only the man himself can answer.
One thing Mourinho is certain upon, however, is that Rangers will look to punish Fenerbahce’s ‘mistakes’ once again. The sort of mistakes which gifted Cyriel Dessers a sixth minute opening goal in Istanbul, while twice allowing Vaclav Cerny the time and space to pick his spot and secure a 3-1 first leg.
If only away goals still counted for double, hey Rangers fans?
Jose Mourinho wary of Rangers duo Cyriel Dessers and Vaclav Cerny
The former Real Madrid, Manchester United and Inter Milan boss has only ever coached at the ‘iconic’ Ibrox stadium once before. Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea were beaten 2-0 by Rangers in a friendly all the way back in 2007.
Fifteen years on, he expects the current Gers frontline to cause his Fenerbahce side a few problems again, just as they did seven days prior.
Mourinho admitted the speed and the ruthlessness of Cyriel Dessers and Vaclav Cerny made the difference in Turkey. Presuming Barry Ferguson again sets his team up in a 3-4-2-1 formation – with Cerny given a freer, more central role in the attack, opportunities are likely to prevent themselves in transition against a Fener side under pressure to score at least twice at the other end.
“Ibrox is an iconic stadium, known in England and Scotland,” Mourinho says, via the Antalya Expres. “And, of course, the fans will not accept a defensive performance here. It may be successful for them, but will they be able to accept defensive behaviour?
“We are ready for football. We expect Rangers to play the same way. They will wait for us to make mistakes. Players like Cerny and Dessers will go on counter-attacks.
“Or will Ferguson decide to play differently? Will they score the first goal? Will they play very strong? I don’t know.
“I hope we can put this performance on the field and take it to the end. The only thing I want from my players and I tell my players is; ‘Come here tomorrow, we will get through this round tomorrow.’
“I would say; ‘Of course we will come and give it a go.'”
Mourinho summed up Dessers perfectly in Turkey
Despite the criticism which tends to come his way, Dessers is now on 22 goals for the season. Across his two seasons in Scotland, the striker has scored 44 times in 97 games.
Ferguson admits that Dessers can ‘frustrate’ – awe-inspiring one minute, awful the next – but his recent Europa League performances against Manchester United, Union Saint-Gilloise and Fenerbahce suggest that, like Rangers as a whole, this is a player who tends to save his best for big nights on the continent.
“Dessers is a good player. Today, he looked like the best player in the world,” Mourinho summed up in Istanbul after the striker ran his defence ragged.
“But he is not.”
