Olympiacos won 4–0 against OFI in “G. Karaiskakis,” for the Stoiximan Super League championship, with Sotiris Silaidopoulos speaking at the press conference following the end of the match.
In detail what the Greek coach of the “red-and-whites said at the press conference:
A win a few days ago with the Youth team in Karaiskakis against Inter and now with the first team against OFI, what’s everyone feeling?
It was definitely an amazing week for the teams we coached and for all the guys of both the U19 and the first team, as well as for me and the entire staff. There was tremendous help from the guys who came from the academy; we were 7 Greeks on the bench as staff. It is a unique feeling, a unique experience and amazing to be the first coach on the bench of Olympiacos and it can’t be compared to anything else.
Alexandropoulos and Paschalakis said that you offered simple directions. What was the direction you gave for the comfortable victory to come, something that was missing this year?
Three elements were essential and this is what we had planned with the staff. The first was the mental readiness to play with the club’s mentality and especially within Karaiskakis stadium. The second has to do with rationally placing footballers in positions that we believe they can perform better. And thirdly, what we had analysed watching all the games of the first team, that we wanted to have a better balance in the possession phase. I mean, how fast we could go into a transition and steal the ball, which we did well. Regarding possession, due to the team’s speed and quality in chasing the ball, it would be difficult for any opponent to follow. I think that most of these elements were there to an absolute extent. What is important for me, something that I stressed to the guys, is that football has four phases and you have to be good in all four. Having possession, being aggressive just by holding on to the ball, without maintaining the same level in the other two or three phases can only give rise to problem. Balance is the key word.
You coached the team for one day. Do you believe that Olympiacos can turn things around and go far in Europe?
Damned if the players of Olympiacos can’t turn things around. This was the last speech I made in the locker room. I thanked them for the reception and for the way they followed the plan because it is important to me. And I told them that I really believe that tomorrow is a new day and that we will be able to claim what we deserve until the end, as long as there is this mentality and this willingness to play and thirst for victory.
