An easy 4–1 victory for Olympiacos in “G. Karaiskakis” against Lamia, with team coach José Luis Mendilibar highlighting the importance of this match, as well as of the games that follow against Aston Villa.
In detail, the press conference of the Basque coach:
Everyone’s mind is on the match against Aston Villa, a historic match for Olympiacos. What will those of you, who are experienced in the team, say to the rest to maintain the spirit?
It’s an important moment, but it’s also one game. We will prepare as always; it’s a semi-final and an important match, but all the games are of great importance to us. Just as with this game against Lamia, if we hadn’t won, all our previous achievements wouldn’t have mattered; this is why it was important for us. We are aiming for the players who played against Lamia to rest, so that they are in the best condition going forth. We will train without straining ourselves, as we have done for every game so far.
How difficult was it to keep your players focused on the game against Lamia? A comment on Alexandropoulos for the way he celebrated and the goal he scored?
It’s exactly what I told my players the night before this match. That the game against Lamia is important and we will not win if we are not focused. It was important to get the victory, in order to start preparing for Aston Villa in the right way. Now is the right time to start thinking about the next match, the one with Aston Villa. Concerning Alexandropoulos, it’s good that he scored as it will help him psychologically. He was sidelined for some time and this goal will lift him and the team up.
Do you believe that Aston Villa will be the strongest opponent Olympiacos has faced during the season?
They are a team playing in the world’s best league and are in 4th position; that alone shows that they are a tough opponent. We have great respect for them, and we know that it will be a difficult game, but we have respect for all of our opponents, including Lamia. We have a chance to win. It’s an important match and we have the opportunity to participate in a European final to be held in Athens. We will work hard to achieve this goal. When you play against a team like Aston Villa, any mistake can cost you a lot, so we need to limit our mistakes. Aston Villa is a team that can take the score to 2–0 without much possession, as they did in the previous match, but they can also concede goals for the same reason.
Last year you eliminated an English team, Manchester United, on their way to the Europa League, and we also saw Rakitić’s praising statements about you. Your comment?
Concerning Rakitić, as you know it’s not nice to speak badly about someone publicly. I thank him for his kind words, we have a very good relationship. Seville was a different situation. We eliminated Manchester United, conceded three goals in one half in England, but we managed to leave with the draw. We earned the result for the qualification in the second match, and I hope that something similar happens this year with Olympiacos.
Are you nervous about Thursday’s game?
No, I’m not nervous at all, I’m not anxious, I’m unruffled. I don’t know if this is due to my age or my experience, but I have gone through a lot and I am not anxious – at least not until half an hour before each match. I know exactly what I’m going to do, and I honestly believe we can win.
We saw Podence score and offer assists – how important is it for such a player to be in this condition at this time?
We must get along with him (laughs). Even though he is already in good condition, we believe he has more to offer. There are moments when he halts and we want to avoid that. We are working on this because we know that he has more to give.
