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İsmail Kartal · Fenerbahçe · Nathan Aké · Galatasaray

Kartal hears "resign" chants and promises Fenerbahçe fans: win the derby, make peace

By the Data Desk · ·

First reported by Fanatik · 20 OCT 20:44

Fenerbahçe were 2-0 up on Slavia Prague after 11 minutes, conceded the equaliser in the 90th, and the Şükrü Saracoğlu answered with "istifa", resign, aimed at İsmail Kartal. He walked straight to the dressing room without waiting for his players, A Spor reports, and later told reporters: "Derbilere alışığız" (we are used to derbies), with Galatasaray away on Monday and Nathan Aké waiting for an MRI.

  • Oğuz Aydın (4') and Mason Greenwood (11') scored, Lukáš Provod pulled one back at 15' and substitute Pavel Kačor made it 2-2 at 90' (ESPN, A Spor). Both sides had 15 shots and 4 on target.
  • Aké went off after 19 minutes. Kartal called it a very small muscle strain and said an MRI would show whether there is a tear; by Wednesday morning the club had announced no result.
  • Fenerbahçe have 2 points from three Champions League games (28th of 36) and are third in the Süper Lig with 16, three behind Galatasaray. The derby is on Monday 26 October at 21:30 Turkish time.
Why it mattersA win at Galatasaray would put Fenerbahçe level on 19 points at the top; a defeat leaves them six behind, and the chants on Tuesday show how little patience Kadıköy has left for a coach in his fourth spell.

Kartal did not dodge the chants. "Keşke böyle bir şey olmasaydı ama oldu" (I wish it had not happened, but it did), he said, as quoted by Mynet, adding "Futbolun içinde bunlar var" (these things are part of football). Then came the promise: "İyi sonuçlarla taraftarlarımızla tekrar barışırız" (with good results we will make peace with our fans again), and "Galatasaray maçını kazanmak için oraya gideceğiz" (we will go there to win the Galatasaray game).

On Aké he was careful: it was "çok ufak çekme", a very small strain, and "MR'ı çekilecek, bakalım yırtık var mı, yok mu" (he will have an MRI, we will see whether there is a tear or not), with the medical staff to make a statement. Reports differ on where: A Spor says the right upper calf. Kojo Oppong came on after 21 minutes next to Milan Škriniar, with Marco Asensio (knee surgery) and Mert Müldür not in the squad.

This is not the first time Kartal has been close to the exit this season. On 10 September, after the 1-1 with Roma, Kartal announced his resignation at the press conference, and president Aziz Yıldırım refused it the same night: "İsmail Kartal görevinin başındadır" (İsmail Kartal remains in his post), as Karar quoted him, and Evrensel reported that he did not accept it, and the club confirmed the next day that he would carry on. The away end at Villa Park chanted for him to go during the 6-0 on 14 October.

At home the numbers still back him: 22 goals scored and 6 conceded in eight league games, the best attack in the Süper Lig (ESPN). In Europe it is 3 scored and 9 conceded in three. What happens next: Aké's MRI result, then Galatasaray at RAMS Park on Monday 26 October (18:30 UTC), and Liverpool at the Şükrü Saracoğlu on 4 November.

Our take

The derby is Kartal's real vote of confidence

We think the chants change less than they sound: Yıldırım has already refused Kartal's resignation once, and in the league his side concede 0.75 goals a game. The derby is where the board's patience meets the stands. A win at RAMS Park draws Fenerbahçe level with Galatasaray on 19 points and buys him the Liverpool game; a defeat, six points back with two points from nine in Europe, puts his job in question for the second time this autumn. If the MRI shows a tear and Aké misses Monday, Kartal goes into the biggest game of his spell without Aké and Asensio, and we would read a draw as a decent night for him.

Asensio's surgery and Kartal's 'no problem' →Galatasaray's attackers: 4 goals in 10 games →Süper Lig predictions →Football news →
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Updates

  1. Update, Wednesday 21 October: the MRI answered Kartal's question. Fenerbahçe's medical statement says Nathan Aké has "orta düzeyli zorlanma ve ödem" (a moderate strain and oedema) in the back of his right thigh, with treatment and rehabilitation expected to take about three weeks, a timeline that runs past Monday's derby at Galatasaray and the Liverpool game on 4 November. The same statement says Marco Asensio had arthroscopic surgery in Spain for a cartilage lesion in his left knee and should need about three months. So the scenario we described is now the likely one: Kartal goes to RAMS Park without both of them.
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