Jose Mourinho defended his Fenerbahce players after they lost 2-0 to Athletic Club in the Europa League on Wednesday.

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• Fenerbahce lose two games in a row
• Fans call for president to step down
• Mourinho insists they are in transition

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Two goals from Inaki Williams in the first half of the clash in Istanbul were enough to inflict a second-straight defeat on Mourinho's side, who were beaten by rivals Besiktas at the weekend.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  A woeful pass from defender Samet Akaydin gifted the early opening goal to the Basque side and the Super Lig giants were unable to fight back as the home fans shouted for the club's president to resign. Mourinho refused to pin the blame on centre-back Akaydin, who was taken off at half-time, as he insisted Fenerbahce are going through a major change.

• WHAT MOURINHO SAID

  "I don't throw my players under the bus," he told reporters. "We have to stay calm. Our absentees will return. We have matches ahead of us. Today, if I can sleep, tomorrow, if I can't sleep today, I will start analysing Basaksehir from tonight. We are in a transition period for the goals we want to achieve in the future."

  Asked about the chants from the crowd, he said: "I can't comment on the fans' reaction. They are the foundation of this club. I am someone who serves this club. I can't criticise them but we made this mistake. We were the ones who made the mistake."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR FENERBAHCE?

  Pressure is building on Mourinho with Fenerbahce sitting six points behind Galatasaray in the Super Lig. Their next match is against Basaksehir on Sunday.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News