Dirk Kuyt takes interim charge of Fenerbahce before Liverpool’s visit

Ismail Kartal offered his resignation in September, after the 1-1 Champions League draw with AS Roma. Fenerbahce refused it. On Wednesday, two days after a 2-1 defeat against Galatasaray, the club finally let him go: the club statement puts Dirk Kuyt, his assistant, in charge “until a new head coach is appointed”.

An assistant who already knows the dressing room

Kuyt, 46, joined the staff in June as Kartal’s assistant. As a player he spent three seasons at Fenerbahce and won the title in 2013-14, after six years at Liverpool (71 goals in 285 games, a League Cup in 2012) and 104 caps for the Netherlands. He retired at Feyenoord in 2017 and then managed ADO Den Haag, Beerschot and FC Dordrecht.

For the dressing room, this looks like a handover rather than a gamble: Kuyt has run the sessions since June and knows the group and the game plan. What changes is who makes the call in the team meeting and who signs the teamsheet.

Liverpool on 4 November, with a bench on borrowed time

His first match comes fast: Goztepe in the Süper Lig on Saturday, then the visit of Liverpool on Wednesday 4 November (17:45 GMT), matchday four of the Champions League. The inheritance is heavy: no win in the competition after three rounds, fifth in the Süper Lig, six points behind Galatasaray.

The interim has no end date: So Foot speaks of “the coming weeks”, the statement sets no date. If you are betting on Fenerbahce against Liverpool, wait for the teamsheet: the caretaker’s name tells you less than the eleven he picks. 18+. Only bet what you can afford to lose.