Below follow words by the coach of Olympiacos Jose Louis Mendilibar to the Press following the red-and-whites’ victorious evening (2-1) over PAOK in G. Karaiskakis.
After the teams’s impressive qualification against Fenerbahce, another positive result by a line-up with many substitutions. What is your comment on that.
Following a quite demanding fixture in Turkey, this was the best line-up we could have. We played a tough match of 120 minutes and our players played to the maximum tonight. I selected those who were better fit and have shown they could deliver. We scored 2 goals and it was the second that brought us some calm, because, as we saw, we conceded a goal a few minutes later and we lost our composure. However, we got the result we wanted even with the subs we did.
Did you expect this kind of performance by the lineup?
It’s been 2 months I joined this club as their coach and the players have been working out before me; so, they know very well each other and they know what each player may contribute. Indeed, they played well and showed that we were right to select them. They gave all they got and each one played to the maximum. If something goes wrong, I will be on the line for my choices, but everything went fine and we won.
You joined Olympiacos at a time when things were not going ok. As we watch this team after your arrival, should we expect to watch a team that will be 100% of your making?
Let me give you an example. In Seville, we won a European cup just 3 months after I joined them. but hey fired me some time after (laughter).
You have said that you would like to live moments like those of Ernesto Valverde in Olympiacos. In Europe, you have already outperformed him. What is your ceiling?
I have renewed my contract for 1 more year and what I want is for this to be concluded. Currently, we are fighting for 2 titles and I want to work daily to win them both. Honestly, I believe we can do it and I am sure we will do it.
When you walked on the pitch before the match listening to the fans chanting your name, what were your feelings?
The truth is I feel a bit embarrassed, because this walk on the pitch is something I do with all my teams. But today I completed half my walk because I felt awkward; I have never been chanted that much and I am not the type of person who want that much praise, so I stopped my walk halfway
Compared to all other teams, Olympiacos is to play some 180 minutes more including the Aston Villa tie. Do you this lineup against PAOK came at the right moment?
This was too distant to think of; our mind was set on PAOK. We have a set of players and we can trust them all. We have another fixture in 3 days’ time. We had to come up with solutions because in Turkey we played a 120-minutes match and we needed players with more energy in stock. We did it now and we have a match after 3 days, so again we have to consider what players will be capped.
