“Our official games basically begin on Tuesday against Olympique de Marseille, on the Champions League’s MD1. It is going to be a very difficult game but also a very important one as we really want a good result so as to start off well. Of course, the support of our fans and the atmosphere they always create at the G. Karaiskakis stadium will once again play a very important part in this effort of ours.
Furthermore and apart from our European matches, the Championship practically begins for us this weekend and winning it is our first priority. I am very troubled by the fact that people consider us the favorites to win the title again this year and that some of them even seem to take it for granted.
However, in football there are no guarantees and nothing is handed to you easily. Only with hard work can we gain. For example, I would like to mention that Panathinaikos, our toughest adversaries last year, do not have any European matched this season, just as it happened to us a year ago.
In order to achieve our goals we must never rest and be 100% ready in every single game. Naturally there will be moments when some players might be more pleasant to the fans than others and other moments when the coach’s decisions may be questioned. In any case, the team should be above all and our fans’ support is more than important to us all at all times. It will take a lot of effort from everyone’s part in order to achieve our goals.
Moreover, and just to close the subject of Riera’s transfer, I would like to stress that I do not think it is fair for a country to have the transfers’ deadline ending on August 31 and another ending on September 5.
This deprived us of both the opportunity to make a transfer, as well as to register another player in Riera’s place at the official UEFA list, thus being left with one player short.
Riera transferred to another team because he wished so himself and we are definitely not going to cry over the fact that he left. I prefer to work with players who want to be on this team.”
