Dick Advocaat says Jose Mourinho is an unbelievable manager but “not a magician”.
The Fenerbahce manager is keen to capitalise on his counterpart’s teething problems at Manchester United after the Portuguese’s arrival brought an injection of excitement at Old Trafford after three frustrating years under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.
United started superbly but have only managed to impress in patches since their winning run ended, meaning they arrive in Turkey off the back of a frustrating goalless draw at home to Burnley.
Fenerbahce boss Advocaat could not believe United failed to convert any of their 37 attempts on Saturday and has no doubt it is merely a matter of time until Mourinho’s side clicks.
“This man proved himself in all countries,” the former Sunderland and Rangers boss said ahead of today’s Europa League meeting.
“If you see how many prizes he has won, that is almost unbelievable. He is not a magician.
“There are so many good players at United, which is good on one hand and on the other hand it makes it difficult to find the real right line-up.
“At the moment not everything is going the right way, but see how many chances they have got last Saturday. There is no reason to be worried about the team and about the manager.”
Advocaat witnessed first-hand just how clinical United can be when things click into place a fortnight ago.
Paul Pogba’s brace along with efforts from Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard secured a 4-1 win at Old Trafford, with Robin van Persie netting a consolation at his old stomping ground.
The Dutchman netted twice in Sunday’s 5-0 league win against Karabukspor and is expected to feature again this evening, when Advocaat is expecting around 45,000 fans at the imposing Sukru Saracoglu Stadium for the Group A clash.
Meanwhile, Mourinho has been banned from the touchline for one match and fined a total of £58,000 for two separate incidents of misconduct last month, the English Football Association said yesterday evening.
The Portuguese admitted to using abusive and/or insulting language towards referee Mark Clattenburg during last weekend’s Premier League match against Burnley and was fined £8,000 for the incident and banned from the touchline for one game.
Mourinho was also charged for comments he made about referee Anthony Taylor ahead of the Premier League game against Liverpool, and was fined a further £50,000.
Today’s fixtures...
Group A
19.00: Fenerbahce vs Man. United; Zorya vs Feyenoord.
Standings: Man. United, Feyenoord 6; Fenerbahce 4; Zoyra 1.
Group B
17.00: FC Astana vs Olympiakos.
19.00: Apoel Nicosia vs Young Boys.
Standings: Olympiakos, Apoel Nico-sia 6; Young Boys 4; Astana 1.
Group C
19.00: Anderlecht vs Mainz; FK Qabala vs Saint-Etienne.
Standings: Anderlecht, Mainz, Saint-Etienne 5; Qabala 0.
Group D
19.00: Maccabi Tel Aviv vs AZ Alkmaar; Zenit SP vs Dundalk.
Standings: Zenit SP 9; Dundalk 4; Maccabi Tel Aviv 3; Alkmaar 1.
Group E
19.00: Astra Giurgiu vs Viktoria Plzen; Austria Vienna vs Roma.
Standings: Roma, Austria Vienna 5; Astra Giurgiu 3; Viktoria Plzen 2.
Group F
19.00: Athletic Bilbao vs Genk; Sassuolo vs Rapid Vienna.
Standings: Genk 6; Sassuolo, Rapid Vienna 4; Athletic Bilbao 3.
Group G
21.05: Ajax vs Celta Vigo; Panathinaikos vs Standard Liege.
Standings: Ajax 7; Celta Vigo 5; S. Liege 2; Panathinaikos 1.
Group H
21.05: Braga vs Konyaspor; Gent vs Shakhtar Donetsk.
Standings: S. Donetsk 9; Gent 4; Braga 2; Konyaspor 1.
Group I
21.05: Nice vs Salzburg; Schalke vs FC Krasnodar.
Standings: Schalke 9; Krasnodar 6; Nice 3; Salzburg 0.
Group J
21.05: Fiorentina vs Slovan Liberec; PAOK vs Qarabag.
Standings: Fiorentina 7; Qarabag, PAOK 4; S. Liberec 1.
Group K
21.05: Southampton vs Inter; Sparta Prague vs Hapoel Beer Sheva.
Standings: S. Prague 6; Southampton, Hapoel BS 4; Inter 3.
Group L
21.05: FC Zurich vs Steaua Buc-harest; Villarreal vs Osmanlispor.
Standings: Villarreal 5; FC Zurich, Osmanlispor 4; S. Bucharest 2.