Fenerbahçe's 5-0 rout at Çorum is a new-manager bounce, not a title fix

Fenerbahçe's 5-0 win at Çorum FK on Sunday was Emre Belözoğlu's first match as head coach, and it ended a two-game league losing run. Mason Greenwood scored twice, İrfan Can Kahveci scored twice, and Oğuz Aydın added the fifth. The result lifted Fenerbahçe to 19 points; Çorum stayed on 16. Before kick-off, the two sides were level on 16, with Fenerbahçe eighth and Çorum ninth on goal difference.

Çorum FK had 22 shots to Fenerbahçe's 10, eight on target to six, seven corners to one, and an expected-goals figure of 2.00 against Fenerbahçe's 1.30. Fenerbahçe scored five goals from 1.30 xG, a goals-minus-xG figure of 3.7. One match is not a trend, but it is a warning about reading the scoreline as control.

Fenerbahçe did have 61 per cent possession and 557 accurate passes, against an average of 324.8 in their earlier matches this season. They also had 259 passes in the opposition half, against an average of 162.2. So they moved the ball more than usual and scored five times. They also conceded the better chances. Both things happened.

Belözoğlu replaced İsmail Kartal, who resigned the previous week. Kartal's 2023/2024 league record was 31 wins, six draws and one defeat from 38 games, 2.61 points per game. This season's league record under Kartal before the change was five wins, one draw and three defeats from nine games, 1.78 points per game. Whether the gap is about coaching, squad turnover or both is a question the next matches will answer.

Fenerbahçe's summer business was significant: N'Golo Kanté, Mattéo Guendouzi, Kojo Peprah Oppong, Nathan Aké, Romelu Lukaku and Vedat Muriqi arrived. Sofyan Amrabat, Dominik Livaković, Talisca, Sidiki Cherif, Youssef En-Nesyri and Fred left.

Fenerbahçe had also just beaten Liverpool in the Champions League before this match. That result, and this one, suggest a side capable of big performances. The league position suggests a side that has not strung them together. Both are true.

Next up after the international break, Fenerbahçe travel to Kocaelispor. Çorum FK visit İstanbul Başakşehir. Belözoğlu has had one match. The table still says Fenerbahçe are three points ahead of the team they just beat 5-0.