Olympiacos coach, José Luis Mendilibar, spoke after the game against Malmö and the team’s victory in Sweden, highlighting his players’ determination to secure all three points.
Here is a detailed account of José Luis Mendilibar’s press conference:
Is this one of those nights when you want to give a big compliment to your players for their dedication to the tactical plan?
Yes, we were pleased with the players’ behavior, and we can say that the way each player performs is not the same in every match. It depends on the opponent and the moment, but in this match, everyone had good performance and dared on the field, which allowed us to achieve the victory.
How close was the team’s performance to what you wanted, and do you believe Olympiacos can improve even further?
There is always room for improvement, and there are always things to work on and make better moving forward. However, in this match, we did what we wanted on the field. We had said that Malmö’s style of play would help us showcase what we’ve been working on. To demonstrate your strengths, the opponent’s style needs to suit you, and Malmö’s approach benefited us, allowing us to show what we wanted and secure a positive result.
Does this year’s Olympiacos seem to fit European matches better than Greek league games?
I’ve said that European games suit us better because the opponents play more openly, which helps us press higher and be more aggressive, something that suits us. In Greece, the opponents fall back more, which doesn’t help us. It’s not easy to show the same level of play in Greece as in Europe. However, we aim to overcome this difficulty in Greece and play the same way domestically. Despite not having achieved this fully yet, we are only two points behind.
Is there any news on the injuries of Pirola and Ortega? Also, what kind of Olympiacos can we expect to see on Sunday in Tripoli?
Yesterday, I could tell how we would play today because I knew which players were available. For Sunday, we can’t know yet; we have to wait and see the players’ condition. We know two players won’t be ready—Ortega, who needs to undergo tests, and Pirola, who isn’t as serious but we can’t say for sure who will be available. I have a plan in mind, but we’ll have to see who is fit to play.
How difficult was it to manage the game, especially with the constant changes in the full-back positions due to injuries during the match?
The good thing is that we have enough defenders, and we found a solution. If we didn’t have such players, we would have had to change players’ positions. Kostinha did well on the left, and Rodinei, who is naturally a defender, moved back to help us. Thankfully, we’re not a team with a small squad, so we were able to cover the gaps that arose.
