When asked about Kostoulas’ performance and his decisive goals, Olympiacos coach, José Luis Mendilibar, emphasized that the comeback win against the team from Thessaloniki boosts the confidence of the “red-and-whites” going forward.
Below, the full press conference with the experienced coach:
After a match like this, do you feel older? And are these the kinds of wins that decide championships?
Yes, perhaps I do feel older! This was truly an important game to win because it’s worth more than just three points. It was a match that felt out of reach, but we fought until the end, won it, and that gives us tremendous confidence.
Does Olympiacos need to learn to cope with predictable play? And does Kostoulas have the qualities to be a game-changer in the league?
Some games are really difficult to win because teams come to Karaiskakis with a defensive mindset. When they take the lead, it becomes even harder for us. It’s rare that we win comfortably against defensive teams. Thankfully, today the solution came from the bench with Mouzakitis and Kostoulas, who brought better football. Kostoulas didn’t just score – he created opportunities and drove the game forward. He was on target, something we generally lacked. In the first half, we had chances with El Kaabi and Jelsón, but we weren’t successful.
Does this win have your signature because of your substitutions or the player’s signature for his performance?
It was the coach’s mistake for not starting him. If he had been on from the beginning and played as he did in the second half, we wouldn’t have suffered so much. When a coach makes substitutions, they hope the substitutes can make a difference – and in this case, Kostoulas certainly did.
Near the end, you played without a traditional winger. Was that something you’ve worked on or an in-game adjustment?
We asked Kostoulas to drift slightly left to gain better shooting angles, and he delivered. A player’s starting position might be on the wing, but football is about movement. We’ve tried similar tactics with players like Chiquinho and Rodinei, who have been effective from that position. A player may begin in a fixed position, but during the game, they need to find the right space to shoot. That’s what we instructed Kostoulas to do – find the right spot, take his shot, and score.
