The full quotes:
“This is definitely a difficult draw with a group comprising of really good clubs. Of course, Olympiacos is a fresh team with talented and passionate players. We saw this during the preparation as well, when we played against strong clubs. We believe that if the footballers play and show their talent and the passion required in this competition and make the least possible mistakes, then we will qualify in the next round. We are optimistic. We like a challenge. Together with our fans, our coach and by preparing correctly, we believe we can qualify. We will do our best”, initially pointed out Mr Marinakis.
Is this why the roster was strengthened with two players in each position? To deal with the two matches per week and against difficult opponents?
“There is definitely a planning in place. We are working closely with Mr Michel as well as the whole staff. And I repeat: We believe in this squad. We have young players and Mr Michel has proved that he can make them do their best and we feel optimistic.”
Can the ambition of players make a difference for Olympiacos in the Champions League?
“Not only ambition! Ambition is not enough! It also takes talent, passion and strength. We have all these qualities. I personally feel optimistic. As I said before, we like a challenge and we aim at achieving the best possible result!”
Did Olympiacos’s display in the ICC made you more optimistic?
“Certainly, since we saw how our side can play against other great clubs, showing the same enthusiasm, strength and passion! We are not afraid. We attack with great potential to score. We see that no matter how strong our opponents are, we can deal with them in the best possible way. We saw this in last season’s Champions League too. We saw what happened against Manchester United, in a match where Olympiacos had a really good display. You saw what happened and how we were eliminated. We lost the qualification in the details. I repeat once more, we are optimistic.”
Therefore, the team will use last season’s campaign as a guide. To qualify to the round of 16 and maybe…
“Let us first make the round of 16 and we will take one step at a time. Step by step.”
Last season, you talked about two transfers from the same position. Now, given the time remaining and the draw, what do you say to the fans of Olympiacos?
“Everyone says that history repeats itself. We shall see…”
The President of our club, Mr Vangelis Marinakis also talked to NERIT and pointed out:
“We are at a high level. We have a coach who every day tries to make our players give their best. He has managed this. The team is strengthened this year. I believe that if the players are serious, passionate and strong, then we are optimistic that we can go further. This is a really big challenge. It is a really difficult task.”
On how hard the opponents are: “Let us first of all be realistic. This is a really difficult draw. We have a really good team and we want it to go further. We all want to go further. We worked really well this summer as regards our preparation and planning and we are optimistic.”
On the sale of Olympiacos players: “The important thing is for other clubs to know that the future of Olympiacos or a club does not depend on one sale. We are equally strong whether we sell a player or not. The important thing is that any Greek player coming to Olympiacos, a young player, full of dreams and talent, that he proves on the pitch, can hope to have a really good future by playing for Olympiacos. This means that his value in Olympiacos keeps growing and given that he does his best and Olympiacos keeps winning the Greek championship title and doing well in Europe, then he can also have a better future. This is really important for any player coming to play for Olympiacos, be it a foreign or a Greek player.
We are talking about Greek players, but, as you have seen, we have also sold foreign players at a really good price. It is certain that we can now address very good, young and talented players that will have no qualms to join Olympiacos. This is really important, not only for Olympiacos, but for Greek football as well.”
On contacts with major football clubs: “Olympiacos has established really good relations with major clubs and major officials in European football. This is something that we shall continue to build on. It gives us pleasure. We are optimistic that the best is yet to come.”
On the possibility of new transfers: “We are trying to strengthen our roster even more. We are still two days short of the end of the transfer window. We shall see.”
