Kuyt's Fenerbahçe Start Ends in Göztepe Defeat Before Liverpool Test

It was the first league match of Dirk Kuyt's interim reign, coming days after İsmail Kartal resigned in the wake of a 2-1 loss to Galatasaray, and it leaves the club heading into a Champions League tie against Kuyt's former side Liverpool with more questions than answers.

The match itself followed a familiar pattern. Fenerbahçe led 1-0 at half-time through Mattéo Guendouzi's 45th-minute goal, with an expected-goals edge of 0.54 to 0.14. They finished with 66 per cent possession, 18 shots to Göztepe's 12, and an xG of 1.66 against 1.20. Yet the second half went 0-2, with Sinclair Armstrong equalising on 76 minutes and André scoring the winner two minutes later. Göztepe had six shots on target from 12 attempts; Fenerbahçe also had six from 18. Both sides created three big chances. The visitors took theirs.

On the raw numbers, Fenerbahçe were the more dominant side. They had more of the ball, more shots, and a higher xG. But the second-half xG was 0.97 to 1.06 in Göztepe's favour, and the goals arrived in a two-minute burst that turned the match. Fenerbahçe's goals minus expected goals in this match was -0.66, against an average of 0.0 across their earlier 2026/2027 matches in all competitions. Their possession here was 66.0 per cent, against an average of 50.2 across those earlier matches. That is one match, not a trend, but it points to a side that had the ball more than usual and still came away with less than its chances suggested.

The wider context is a squad in transition. Since the summer, Fenerbahçe have added N'Golo Kanté, Mattéo Guendouzi, Kojo Peprah Oppong, Nathan Aké, Romelu Lukaku and Vedat Muriqi. They have lost Sofyan Amrabat, Dominik Livaković, Talisca, Sidiki Cherif, Youssef En-Nesyri and Fred. That is significant turnover in both directions, and it helps explain why the balance of the 2023/2024 side under Kartal — 31 wins, six draws and one defeat in 38 league games, 2.61 points per game — has not returned. This season under Kartal, before his resignation, Fenerbahçe had 5 wins, 1 draw and 3 defeats in 9 league games, 1.78 points per game. The current return is weaker than that earlier successful window, and the available squad turnover is part of the reason.

Kuyt arrived in preseason as Kartal's assistant, having played for Fenerbahçe from 2012 to 2015 after moving from Liverpool. He was appointed interim coach until a new head coach is appointed. His first game was always going to be difficult, but the manner of the defeat — leading at half-time, then conceding twice in quick succession — will not have eased the sense of instability. The managerial change was already chaotic before a ball was kicked against Göztepe.

Now comes Liverpool at home on Wednesday, 4 November, a Champions League group stage tie against the club where Kuyt made his name. Fenerbahçe's recent results before this match included a 3-0 win at Rizespor, a 6-0 defeat at Aston Villa, a 3-0 home win over Alanyaspor, a 2-2 home draw with Slavia Prague, and the 2-1 loss at Galatasaray. The variance is extreme. Whether that is a squad still finding its shape after heavy turnover, or something deeper, is the question the next matches will answer. For now, the only certainty is that his first league game ended in defeat, and the next one is against his old club.