Simeone said that Olympiacos scored high in effectiveness.
“I think he is right to a certain extent. Our finishing the plays was good. But in order to beat Atletico, one must also do other things equally well. It is true that we were effective, that we determined to be effective and it’s true that were good at it”.
What were the things that Olympiacos did right, apart from finishing the plays?
“We believe that we made Atletico to lose its comfort when building up its game. What they actually do is to make their own opponents lose their comfort in the build-up. I believe that tonight we performed as a team, a compact side that looks like Simeone’s a lot when facing superior teams. We found some room to catch our breath by means of long balls and by enforcing Atletico to run a lot. All our players had a very good understanding of the match, of what we had to do and they did so very well”.
You brought Atletico to a certain position, have you prepared that? Should Atletico blame it on your side’s quick opener or maybe on its goalkeeper?
“We have planned driving Atletico out of its comfort zone. No matter which of their goalkeepers played, he would have played the same. What we aimed at was to “destroy” their game. I want to underline that it’s been a long time since anyone scored 3 goals against Atletico. This was due to the fact that we made a strong start, we were ready to run a lot, we kept the ball and we defended well when we had to do so”.
MD 1’s results have created a major mix-up in the group and Olympiacos has got the lead. What do you reckon of that?
“It is just a step, an advantage, but when one is called to face the other sides of the group, then things will be really tough. We are happy in Piraeus, but not entirely. We are happier than before the match”.
What pleases you more? The maturity showcased by e.g. Masuaku or the fact that Mitroglou started amortizing part of its loan costs?
“I am happy with the whole thing. Atletico is a side that surrenders and that was proven when they were down 3-1, yet they never stopped trying to turn the match around. It is the players who won the match, not the side’s or the coach’s our plans. The players are the ones who do the do, the ones who believed in that. It is easy to do your job when you have players convinced that they can make it. No coach may be so smart to beat the Champions League finalist so easily. As per Masuaku, apart from what it seems to happen, there are two more important elements. He is a young lad you wants to learn and he has understood that he is in the right place for that. And Mitroglou, he never actually left the club. We missed him a lot”.
What was your secret for presenting a ready squad, for the second year in a row, at the group stage opening match?
“It is owed to our players who believe ion our planning. We sold several players who have worked with us, and we miss them. Replacing those means finding young lads that will carry on the path they have started. I read today in the Spanish Press that our side had an extra EUR 17-million boost and that drives me to the conclusion that a euro counts differently in Spain than in Greece. However, we are lucky because we have guys who want to evolve and this is a significant asset. We are still at 70%”.
Following this win, you have partly secured your qualification to the Europa League; so can you now see to qualify in the Champions League?
“Last year we collected 10 points. So, we still lack 7. No matter how we do the math, we have not yet qualified to any competition. We have to go to Madrid, play against Juventus and Malmo, a side that people believes we can beat, but we know very little about them”.
does it trouble you that in the first 35 minutes your side allowed 4 easy headers, regardless of being saved, and that the 5th one was finally netted?
“Yes, although I believe that we had the biggest problem during the first half. We knew that Ansaldi would give us a hard time. But we had to be more careful with Koke and Touran. The thing was that we were outnumbered in one side, because we had to be careful on the other. It was a risk we didn’t want to take”
Who was the first to call you from Spain and congratulate you?
“It was my young son because he is a passionate Olympiacos fan, and then my older son because they know very well what makes their father happy. Today, apart from the 33 thousand supporters in the stands, we had all Olympiacos fans with us”.
Have someone called you from Real?
“I haven’t checked my call yet, but all my friends will call me. I will call some of them in order to split the phone bill cost”.
After last year’s match against Benfica, you have said that you will buy Roberto dinner. Will you be buying Milivojevic dinner as well?
“Milivojevic is on a strict diet (laughter). He is a player who –as we used to say in the past 2 days- will help us a lot”.
is this your biggest win as Olympiacos coach?
“As a former Real player, I want to beat them all. I don’t stay on a single win a lot. I want to beat them all. This is an important victory, it makes me really happy, as it was the case with last year’s wins, but we have to forget it as soon as possible”.
