Olympiacos is in France for Thursday’s (26/9, 22:00) UEFA Europa League match against Lyon in the league phase. Before the game, coach José Luis Mendilibar and player Santiago Hezze of Olympiacos spoke at the press conference.
Detailed press conference of the experienced coach:
The Lyon coach emphasized their Conference League victory in his own press conference.
Do you feel that this success takes away the element of surprise from Olympiacos, making opponents more cautious?
It’s great to be respected and recognized for your value, considering what we’ve achieved recently. However, that doesn’t matter now. This is a new competition and a new year, so we must prove ourselves again and show our best side. Whatever we’ve accomplished in the past doesn’t hold value anymore. This is a new competion, with a new format, and you never know what will be enough to advance in this competition. We don’t know how many points we need to qualify for the next phase, so we will approach every match aiming to win.
Have you decided on the starting lineup, given the additional issues, like Martins’ absence?
Of course, I’ve thought about it, but I’m not going to reveal the lineup. It doesn’t matter who’s in or out; we have a game plan, and that’s what we aim to stick to. You’ve seen in the past that we don’t change our approach when a player is absent, whether due to injury or suspension. This will happen throughout the season, and someone else will replace them. That’s why we have a large roster. The key is not to change our game idea, and that’s our goal.
Regarding your game idea, we’ve noticed that you prefer a direct style of play. Does Lyon’s style favor this approach?
It’s something we’ve done before, something we’ve shown before. We won a tournament this way, playing against big opponents, so why not try it again?
How challenging is it for you that Olympiacos comes off two tough league games? Does this give you the opportunity to be more demanding of your players ahead of the first European match?
I’m always demanding of my players, regardless of the competition we’re playing in. It doesn’t matter that we’re starting a new tournament or that we didn’t perform well in the previous game. It’s not about how demanding I am, but how well we can execute the game idea we’ve worked on. We always have a plan, and the closer we get to implementing it against opponents who can block us, the closer we are to victory. Playing in a different competition doesn’t mean I demand more; we just need to stay focused on applying our game plan.
Have you studied Lyon’s game?
Of course, I’ve studied it…
Hezze: “We’ve shown that we can change our image”
Olympiacos comes from two negative results. Do these two games add extra pressure, or is this an opportunity for your team to react?
I believe we are at the beginning of a new competition, and we are a team that’s now finding its rhythm, with many new players who have come to contribute in their own way. We are a good team, and slowly we’ll start getting to know each other better, so it’s too early to talk about poor results or bad performances. We’ve shown, as we did last year, that we can quickly change our mindset and mentality, and therefore, our image. There’s no need to rush. We’re here to show our best. We may not have impressed in the previous games, but we can fix that quickly. We have the players to help, and we can change our image fast. It’s good that we have games coming up soon to find our rhythm and return to form.
As European champions, what have you discussed with your teammates about the match against Lyon?
We’re always talking with each other, both players and coaches. We analyze what’s happening and self-reflect. Of course, we want to keep earning the respect we gained by winning the European title last year. We shouldn’t dwell on one bad result and let it affect us. Instead, we focus on correcting our mistakes and doing better than last year. It’s important to us that people continue to respect Olympiacos for what we accomplished, and we’re working to achieve that.
How difficult is it for you to keep playing without rest, especially after participating in the Olympic Games?
I feel great and ready. I think no matter how many games I play, when the time comes that I don’t feel well, I’ll let the coach know. I had a good break over the summer, rested physically and mentally, and I’m here to give my best for Olympiacos, as I always do. I’m feeling good after a solid break and am ready to give my all.
What’s your opinion on how Argentina’s Olympic quarterfinal against France ended?
That’s in the past now. It was a great experience to participate in the Olympics with my national team. But here, I’m representing Olympiacos, and we need to respect the moment and focus on the game. It was a fantastic experience, and I’m sorry we didn’t advance, but that’s behind me now, and we’re here to talk about tomorrow.
