Below follow details of Jose Anigo’s presser after the end of our side’s match with PAOK at G. Karaiskakis and our 3-1 win:
Olympiacos displayed both enthusiasm and self-composure in their performance despite the fact that the match went askew for the team.
This is true; it was important for us to change our mood following what happened in the Aris fixture. So, we had to have both enthusiasm and composure in our display. In the match, we had a specific plan to implement and although we conceded first, we stayed true to it. I am proud of our team, we sticked to our plan of staying compact and keep adding pressure high and it was important that we brought it off.
This has been a peculiar match for Olympiacos. What did you say to your players?
I am new with the club but I have a 26-year-long experience in Marseille, a really demanding club. So, I was ready as well. For the past 2 days, I have been telling my players that we had to have faith and that we could do it. I am a man of self-confidence and I always try to achieve what I aim for. Teams develop traits that come from their coach. What he had to do was to stay calm and we had to do that even when losing those first-half opportunities to score. We prepared the team in a professional way and so we came up with the final scoreline.
Valbuena being capped in the starting XI was a surprise and he took the team on his shoulders. What had you seen in him that led you to make this move?
I have known Mathieu for many years since his term in Marseille and I was the one involved in his first professional contract in football. I brought him in Olympiacos; he didn’t want to at the beginning but I brought him around and he joined. He is more like a son to me. He is a footballer who will never grow old, he truly is like a teenager and he likes winning, and he is also committed to Olympiacos. One day prior to the match, I asked him whether he was ready to play and give 100% of himself in the match. He said yes and then I decided to cap him.
Next stop Panathinaikos. Perhaps the most important derby of the past 5 years.
The Panathinaikos fixture is really important and he have win and claim these 3 points. Following that, we have an equally important match against AEK. I understand what it means to play against Panathinaikos; it’s the same like a Marseille v Paris Saint Germain match. It is so important to beat both Panathinaikos and AEK as it was to beat PAOK. We have 3 points to claim and we have to continue on the same gaming plan of ours, just like with PAOK. I believe we can produce a good display and get the win.
You experience the supporters’ contribution in another capacity, that of the head coach. What do you have to say about the atmosphere they created?
I had this discussion with the referees at the end and they mentioned that Olympiacos fans created a quite particular atmosphere, filled with energy. This energy is so unique, we knew that before and we experienced it also in this match against PAOK.
