One day before the crucial Europa League’s round of 32 first leg against Levante, our side’s head coach, MÍchel, and Paulo Machado attended the standard pre-match Press Conference. Initially, questions were addressed to Paulo Machado and then to the Spanish manager. In details, here follow their quotes:
Paulo Machado:
On the fact that there is a Spanish manager, who knows Levante better, sitting on Olympiacos bench:
“It’s surely an advantage for us. He knows a lot about the Spanish championship, he knows Levante and he will help us prepare better”.
On the fact that Olympiacos has not yet registered a win in Spain and on whether the side is apt to do it now or a draw will be enough.
“Olympiacos plays always for the win, no matter the settings. That’s what we want and that’s what we will play for tomorrow. We want the victory to go forward in the tournament. I prefer to think it game by game; let’s see first what will happen tomorrow and then consider about the future”.
On whether the players can apply in a short span all the things the manager demands and display them fairly on the pitch.
“I believe we are ready. It’s been more than a week we’ve been training with our new coach. What we want is to do properly these things and deliver”
On whether Olympiacos is the favorite side of the tie.
“The match will be a 50-50 one. We came here to do our job right and to try and win”.
MÍchel:
On whether Fejsa will be in the starting line-up and if Maniatis will be used as a right wing defensive back.
“Who sent you? Was it Levante’s manager (Note. as a joke)? All players will get their chances. If the perform well, they will be both among the starting 11 of Olympiacos. Apparently, Fejsa will play at his position”.
On whether he considers Olympiacos to be the favorite side and is it is better compared to Levante
“I admire both clubs. I look up to Levante and Olympiacos. Levante made it here because it’s a very good team that performed really great both in Europe and the national championship. No matter how much I want to encourage my players, one must acknowledge that both sides are very good”.
On how he would currently describe Levante to his players.
“I’d say it’s a competitive team; it possesses some great assets and it’s promising for the future”.
On the fact that Olympiacos has not yet registered a victory in Spain and on how he would feel if the side’s first win in Spain would come with a Spanish manager in the bench.
“That would be nice, it would be great. Besides, Levante has never played a match in Europe before and now it does, which shows that all things change. Also, in the Greek League, the title holder was supposed to play qualifiers to get into the Champions League groups, while now it goes straight in. everything changes”.
On the fact that his first European match as Olympiacos head coach will be played in his home country.
“I believe that Olympiacos advantage lies on its players and prestige. It’s not about my presence, but about Olympiacos wanting to become stronger in Europe. Unfortunately, I cannot play”.
On whether Levante has an advantage since Mr. Martinez knows him already.
“In the world of football, there is extensive information and everybody knows everything about everyone and everything. When I left Sevilla, he messaged me that he wished to see me again soon, but he didn’t expect to see me again that soon”.
On whether Ballesteros absence will be a good thing for Olympiacos.
“Of course, it’s important that this player will miss the match, mostly for psychological reasons since he’s the leader in the team”.
On the fact that he appears, in his country, more mature and different as Olympiacos head coach this time.
“No, I have just changed my sideburns style. I always enjoy doing what I do. Right now, I feel very well in the tournament and I am trying to enjoy that”.
On the match between Real Madrid and Manchester United.
“You know very well what side I’d like to come out victorious. You wouldn’t believe if I said Manchester”.
On his expectations of the encounter against Levante, and on Derek Boateng.
“I believe that tactics will play a great role. We play against a team that knows how to identify its opponent’s weaknesses. If we are not concentrated, they will exploit that and things will turn ugly. As it is with Levante, when its opponent controls the match, they lose it completely because it’s a squad that knows how to recognize the other side’s playing. On Boateng, I want to say nothing because we have an important match ahead”
On the importance of David Fuster’s absence, who helped a lot in last year’s tournament.
“We want David to return as quickly as possible, and the same applies for Pino. They are very important player for us. David is an experienced player and knows his position very well. If we had him, he could help us a lot to build our game”.
On whether he wants to take the “revenge” for the 0-0 match against Levante, in his last match as Sevilla’s head coach.
“Contrary to you, I see the glass half-full and not half-empty. So, I consider a good thing that 75% of the results were in favor of me. My perspective in every match is to go for the win”
On whether Martins is the biggest threat.
“I believe it makes no difference. Certainly, he’s a very important player. Having said that, I believe that all players can help their team to the best to their abilities”.
