Olympiacos coach José Luis Mendilibar emphasized in the post-match press conference after the 4-1 win over AEK at “Georgios Karaiskakis” Stadium that this performance was the team’s best of the season so far.
In detail, quotes by the experienced coach after Stoiximan Super League’s MD12:
Following the PAOK encounter, you said it was Olympiacos’ best performance. Was this one even better?
Yes, we surpassed our previous performance. We played well because we didn’t allow the opponent to harm us. The downside was the injuries, but those who came off the bench performed well, and the whole team delivered a great performance.
At halftime, the score was tied, and you had two injuries while also missing Hezze. What did you tell your players that made them come out so furiously in the second half? Also, what’s the status of the injured players?
Truth is that when you lose two players, you have to make substitutions, so the focus is on ensuring that those coming in are focused and perform correctly. The only concern was that we used two stoppages for substitutions in the first half, leaving us with just one stoppage for the second half. That was the only worry. As for the injuries, we can say nothing at the moment; we’ll know more tomorrow.
How close is Olympiacos to the team you envision? Also, a comment on Rodinei, who played as a left winger tonight.
Every match is a different story. The next game will be entirely different because the opponent will be different. We might have more possession, but that doesn’t guarantee more goals, as we’ve seen we perform better without dominating possession. This doesn’t mean that since we were great today, so will we all the time; our goal is always to outplay our opponent. As for Rodinei, he’s “money in the bank” since he adapts whatever position he is playing at and delivers whenever needed. We’re very pleased with his performance.
Olympiacos has players like Velde, Willian, and Oliveira who aren’t playing much, yet you beat PAOK and AEK with two 17-year-olds, Kostoulas and Mouzakitis. How proud are you of this?
This isn’t something the coach has achieved—it’s the 17-year-olds themselves. They show their worth in training and have earned their place from the moment they joined the first team. Initially, we thought they’d be among our last options, but they’ve deservedly earned their spots. It’s not easy, but as long as they prove themselves, they’ll continue to have opportunities.
After the Aston Villa match at Karaiskakis, half of Greece was celebrating, yet you were pointing out your players’ mistakes. Tonight, you substituted Martins and kept him close to talk to about the match. What did you discuss?
I always think about the worst-case scenario, not the best. We talked about the timing of his substitution, as he should have come off earlier, but we delayed it because we only had one stoppage left. That’s all we discussed—it wasn’t anything major.
We know you don’t like singling out players, but Kostoulas came into a derby, changed the game, scored in Toumba, and was excellent tonight in the first half of another derby.
The whole team won, not just Kostoulas. He didn’t win on his own; everyone contributed. He’s a good kid and a good player who’s doing well in training and matches. We hope he stays humble and doesn’t become arrogant, as often happens in such cases. If it does, we’ll be here to stop it. It’s all about daily work, and we see great effort in training. For a player to perform well, the whole team around him must also do well, and that’s how we move forward day by day.
