Olympiacos has a 5-home game winning streak in all possible ways. How does your side make it?
Tonight, I am very happy not just with the outcome, but also with my players’ attitude. We are back on winning matches, as a result of our great display for more than an hour. All these matches have two common features: our team playing and the goalkeeper.
If, on the drawing day, someone was to tell you that you would have had a tally of 6 points, despite taking nothing out of the match in Sweden, would you have believed him?
yes, i would have. I believe whatever I want, I am a bit crazy, you know The truth is that the thought of collecting 6 points would have been a bold one. Despite our ambitions, we are very well aware of the difficulties that we will endure in Madrid and Turin.
Have you asked Roberto about the Sunday’s match result? Tonight, his prediction was right.
No, he was wrong. He has said “1-0 with the head”. I think by that he meant the size of Kasami’s head, not his powerful headers. I believe that Roberto is magnificent. Whatever adjctive one may use to describe his performance would be an understatement. From the moment he set foot here, he has never ceased to evolve. He keeps on getting better. I told the spanish TV that the national team head coach has to call him up for next fixtures. I hope Del Bosque listens to me.
Were you disillusioned by Juventus display? Do they have a 30% chance of going through?
It is highly probable that fans and journalists following Juventus were a bit disappointed. however, tonight we played really well. I know that when a top side suffers a defeat, the whole world talks about it more than the victory of the medium-level side. We were very good at doing what we had to do. I know that statistics say that Juve has a 30% chance of qualifying. However, it is really hard to make such an early prediction.
Roberto taken aside, Olympiacos delivered a great first half that drove the side to victory. What was the key to making Juventus seem as failing to stand up to expectations, as Allegri put it? Do you believe in coincidence, since on the same days a few years you have beaten Juventus playing for Real?
tonight, we were very good at many things. Our major achievement was properly reading Juve’s game style and our players’ display on the pitch that prevented Juve from doing their thing. You know very well what I keep on saying that when we play as a team, we become more reliable as a team. I don’t believe in coincidence especially after all these years, because the spirit of coincidence has already faded away. But I do remember that win and I will remember tonight’s one as a coach. it is not easy to beat Juventus.
A comment on Botia, since there has been hard criticism on him in one of our questions yesterday.
I understand that you convey what’s in the mouth of the people. For a defender it is much easier playing for a side as united as tonight, instead of a side that doesn’t perform as a single entity.
Last year, you had said that you will buy Roberto dinner. Is he costing you too much?
It’s my wife buying him dinner, not me. I wish I have to buy him dinner many times for a long time. There are two things I cannot hide. The first being that we do a fine team work and the second that we have a top-level goalkeeper.
In Greece we say that we learn by mistakes. it was Panathinaikos after Man. United last year. Back then, you have opted for the same line-up in the derby as a gift for their effort against Manchester. So, you have learnt by your mistake, since then the players seemed very tired in the derby match.
Thank you for opening my eyes. I will not be using the same line-up. yesterday, I asked for your opinion on the line-up. I think you are wrong, because many things happened in that match against Panathinaikos. We were playing really well until a problem, beyond the realms of football, occurred; the thing with Olaitan. Against Panathinaikos, we played well, we lost a penalty and they outperformed us in a couple of fast-breaks. We weren’t that bad. I acknowledge that there was a mistake in the line-up. rest assured that the players who had played against Manchester, will not play in this derby.
