19.10.2026 15:20
Fenerbahçe head coach İsmail Kartal evaluated the team's latest situation at the press conference he held ahead of the Slavia Prague match. Kartal, who stated that N'Golo Kanté's pain continues, made notable remarks about Marco Asensio's health status, Mason Greenwood's performance, and a possible rotation. Here are the details...
Fenerbahçe head coach İsmail Kartal answered questions from members of the press before the Slavia Prague match. Stating that the 6-0 defeat against Aston Villa was unacceptable, the experienced coach said he expects a strong reaction from his team. Kartal also provided information about the health conditions of N'Golo Kante and Marco Asensio.
KANTE'S PAIN CONTINUES
Stating that N'Golo Kante has not yet fully recovered, İsmail Kartal said the French footballer is making a great sacrifice to contribute to the team.
Kartal used the following statements:
"Asensio is a very different, very valuable player. Both had pain behind the knee and did not play against Villa. Kante still has pain; he is showing professional dedication for Fenerbahçe. He puts his character on display. As long as he is healthy, he plays. He is very honest, very hardworking. There are not many matches in which he plays badly. Like a machine, he does whatever task we give him; he is a positive kid who is always smiling."
HE MENTIONED GREENWOOD'S DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE
Drawing attention to Mason Greenwood's attacking abilities, Kartal stated that the English footballer has points he needs to improve in the defensive aspect.
"Mason Greenwood is a very creative, high-quality player in an attacking sense. Nobody can argue with that. He may have some shortcomings defensively, but he tries to do his best. We try to get him to show his skill in attack. I think he will play well from now on. Tomorrow he may also play in a different role."
REACTION TO THE ASTON VILLA DEFEAT
Evaluating the heavy defeat against Aston Villa, Kartal stated that he expects a more combative Fenerbahçe in the Slavia Prague match.
"Maybe tomorrow we can be tougher. The Aston Villa match was a bad match. It was not an acceptable result, and we learned our lesson and reacted. I think this reaction will be even greater in tomorrow's match."
HE GAVE A ROTATION SIGNAL
Stating that they closely monitor the players' physical conditions due to the intense match schedule, Kartal said they may make changes in the starting 11.
"There may be rotation; we look at it match by match. We will decide this evening. We will put the players through thermal recovery and check muscle fatigue. We will observe their condition in training. What the players feel is important. Our tired players already say, 'Coach, I am tired.' We will decide this evening."
THREE SEPARATE PLANS FOR SLAVIA PRAGUE
Drawing attention to the opponent's physical strength and high-tempo game, the experienced coach explained that they have prepared different tactical plans against Slavia Prague.
"We continue our preparations, but we do not have the chance to train much. We showed the opponent to our players; this evening, again with analyses, we will explain what they can do and what we can do. Slavia plays a physical game; we will fight against man-to-man marking and high tempo. They play with a back three and a back four. However they play, we will play with whichever of our healthiest players are available. We have three setups against them. We will put them into play. We trust our fans very much."