17.08.2026 11:00
Former Fenerbahçe head coach Ersun Yanal evaluated the match where the yellow-navy team lost 2-1 away to Gençlerbirliği in the first week of the Süper Lig. Criticizing the squad choices, Yanal also made remarkable statements about the process in Samandıra.
Ersun Yanal evaluated Fenerbahçe's 2-1 defeat against Gençlerbirliği on his own YouTube channel.
Drawing attention to the squad rotation, Yanal said, "The game Fenerbahçe lost today is not a game or result that will affect the championship. But this game is played with 15-16-17 players. You will prepare these players for a few weeks later. If you enter the rotation of the 15th, 16th, 17th players without match experience, the team becomes a mess."
"HOW ARE THESE PLAYERS NOT READY?"
Yanal also reacted to the assessments that the players were not ready, saying, "These players will play, they will be the indispensable names of this team. So how are these players not ready? Did their leg get torn, their arm broken, or their shoulder dislocated? Players at this level have to be ready. Lukaku came and says 'I'm ready.' If he signed that signature, that player is ready. Managing the hierarchy of needs correctly should not be an insult to this country."
STRIKING RESPONSE TO AZİZ YILDIRIM QUESTION
Yanal was also asked, "Will Aziz Yıldırım have any influence on the squad selection?" The experienced coach said, "If there is such a belief or prediction out there, let me say as someone who has experienced it: If the whole public knows this, it exists. İsmail Kartal needs to stay away from all kinds of mobbing and reveal his own talents. Further inflating this issue will not benefit Fenerbahçe. These are not nice things; they create tension and stress."
"AZİZ YILDIRIM WALKS THROUGH SAMANDIRA"
Answering the question of whether the Gençlerbirliği defeat would affect the Lyon match, Yanal used striking statements about the atmosphere in Samandıra:
"Mobbing has started in Samandıra right now. Even Aziz Bey's wandering around, even a manager asking a question is mobbing. You did this to yourselves. We cannot be this reckless. I think they have eaten a lot of courage, bravo! Aziz Yıldırım walks through Samandıra!"
"A DIFFICULT PROCESS AWAITS FENERBAHÇE"
Also speaking about the possible impact of Aziz Yıldırım's descent into Samandıra, Yanal drew attention to technical director İsmail Kartal.
Yanal said, "I don't know how much İsmail Kartal will endure and cope with this mobbing. But I hope there are things he will defend and improve. Despite losing, Fenerbahçe is one step ahead of all teams. They can turn this into an opportunity. Fenerbahçe did on the field the struggle Galatasaray could not do against 10 men. But this defeat coming with rotation and the players taking on this responsibility will create serious mobbing. Therefore, a difficult process awaits Fenerbahçe."