His comment on the match: “We knew we were playing against a dangerous opponent, a great team that follows word by word its strategy and that puts it into practice successfully. Betis was very good in ball possession, in circulating the ball and in having control. Against a strong team that can create difficulties to any team in the Primera Division, we had the clear chances to score, and they didn’t threaten us much despite the circulation they had. I think the result was balanced. We did not show the quality we usually show. We should have done more. I believe Betis took control of the game, they have the quality to do so and we leave with a strange feeling because we could have stayed in the game”.
On today’s draw and Milan’s tight win in Dudelange: “I never said that any match will be easy, even the one in Luxembourg. Football is a much loved sport, because the best team wins, but also the weaker. Our quality must be superior to what we showed today if we want to qualify. We have young players with little experience in Europe, such as Tsimikas and Camara. There are no easy matches. We saw that Dudelange made it difficult for Milan. We also saw Lion in Manchester City’s home. Surprises might happen and that’s why you have to be careful. That’s the beauty of football. Everyone can achieve anything”.
On the reasons why Olympiacos didn’t show the image he would like: “Every match has its own reality and conditions change from match to match. We didn’t analyse well some things. This may be due to some details. The things some players expected to see were different from what they actually saw. When you play against a team that tries to close you… we were not well prepared for that. We had to change Bouchalakis in order to protect him from the risk of him being expelled. We tried to create opportunities, but when you play against this type of opponent, which has analysed you well and makes it difficult for you to analyse it, regardless of the quality you have, there may be problems”.
Whether the 4-3-3 with which Olympiacos played today will be used on the following matches: “Possibly we’ll see it again, depending on our needs. We want a more offensive Olympiacos. However, it’s a fact that this tactic might help the team, but this doesn’t mean there will be big changes on our ideas”.
