JUST IN: Mourinho mocked by fans to be “the crying on” after bitter loss to Galatasary.
Fenerbahce coach José Mourinho was labeled “the crying one” by Galatasaray after his team’s 3-1 home defeat in the Istanbul derby on Saturday. This marked Fenerbahce’s first Super Lig loss of the season, leaving Mourinho’s side five points behind league leaders Galatasaray.
Mourinho, known for calling himself “The Special One” during his first stint at Chelsea, left the stadium without attending the post-game press conference. Following the match, Galatasaray’s official X account posted a photoshopped image of a book titled “The Crying One,” featuring a sad-looking Mourinho on the cover, with the caption: “On sale in stores around Kadıköy.”
As Fenerbahce trailed 3-1 after 63 minutes, Galatasaray further mocked Mourinho by tweeting, “Seems like we’re cooking a special one tonight.” Additionally, they shared a photo of Mourinho standing behind Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk during the match, captioned “the winner one.”
Mourinho, who took over at Fenerbahce this summer after being dismissed by Roma six months earlier, recently referred to himself as “The Foreign One” while discussing his need to adapt to Turkish football. He is aiming to guide Fenerbahce to their first Super Lig title in a decade.
Fenerbahce will return to action on Thursday when they host Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in their Europa League opener.
In contrast, Manchester United have long struggled to meet the standard set by former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who famously said, “Attack wins you games, but defense wins you titles.” While defensive strength is critical, United’s biggest issue has been a lack of consistent goal-scoring, undermining any title challenge.
As of now, only three teams in the Premier League—Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town, and Southampton—have scored fewer goals than United’s five. Despite creating numerous chances, they continue to fall short, as seen in their recent 0-0 draw with Palace and a 3-0 loss to Liverpool.
United have created 68 chances in five matches but have converted just five. This wastefulness has left them languishing in 11th place, far from Champions League contention. The issue lies with their forwards, who have failed to live up to the club’s historic high standards.
United’s inability to recruit top-quality strikers has been a recurring problem since Ferguson’s departure. During his reign, United consistently signed world-class forwards, such as Eric Cantona, Andy Cole, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney, and Robin van Persie. This ensured they always had prolific goal-scorers leading the line.
In recent years, however, the club has signed veterans past their prime—Radamel Falcao, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, and Cristiano Ronaldo—or gambled on young, unproven talent, like Anthony Martial and Rasmus Højlund. Though it’s too soon to judge Højlund, United’s struggles to find a reliable striker have been evident for years.
Even homegrown talent like Marcus Rashford has been inconsistent, with only four seasons of double-digit Premier League goals in his eight full campaigns. Meanwhile, panic signings like Odion Ighalo and Wout Weghorst have further highlighted United’s desperation to find the right forward.
Romelu Lukaku, signed in 2017, was one of the few peak-age strikers recruited by United post-Ferguson, but even he didn’t reach the 20-goal benchmark in the league. The club’s failure to secure players like Harry Kane and Erling Haaland has exacerbated their striking woes.
Despite targeting other forwards, such as Victor Osimhen and Sadio Mané, United’s recruitment has often fallen short, leading to questionable decisions like signing the unproven Joshua Zirkzee.
United’s attack now consists of young, unproven forwards from Serie A, supported by Rashford and promising wingers like Amad and Alejandro Garnacho. However, without a reliable striker, United remain vulnerable in attack. Opponents can afford to be more adventurous against them, knowing their attack lacks firepower.
Though United may be improving defensively under Erik ten Hag, and their midfield could stabilize with the arrival of Manuel Ugarte, their inability to convert chances into goals will prevent them from winning enough games to truly contend for titles.