Olympiacos coach José Luis Mendilibar expressed his satisfaction during the post-match press conference following the 0-1 victory over Porto in Portugal, praising the way his players approached the game.
Detailed comments from the Basque coach:
This was a victory, as your players mentioned, that was carefully planned by you. Does this also reflect recognition from your players?
I thank them very much, but they are the ones who put on this beautiful display. We don’t change our approach; our plan is to never alter the style. We always follow, regardless of who is playing, everyone adheres to this style.
Olympiacos earned the win featuring players from its academy. How close is the dream mentioned by Retsos, of seeing eleven academy players on the field?
It’s difficult for any team to field eleven players of the same nationality—no team can do that, not just in Greece but anywhere. However, we are grateful that so many players from our academy are not only participating but also helping us win. And with Greek players who step up and become leaders in the team.
Did you play with Porto’s mind? It seemed like you planned to “strike” after the 60th minute of the match.
Our team attacks whenever it can. We don’t overanalyze or overthink it. Whenever the opponent allows us, we go on the attack. Regardless of what the players have said, our plan remains: to not change our playing style and to attack whenever the opportunity arises.
A comment on El Kaabi, who became Olympiacos’ top scorer in European competitions.
He contributes because his teammates support him. He is an incredible striker who capitalizes on every chance his teammates create for him.
El Kaabi has scored almost 40 goals during your tenure.
He scored them not thanks to the coach, but to his teammates. He’s happy to have such great teammates, and his daily routine keeps him content. He works calmly and well every day.
Following your previous press conference, since we are “obsessed” with Europe, do you plan to rotate the squad against Panathinaikos ahead of Qarabağ? How far do you dream of taking this year’s Olympiacos in Europe?
You truly are obsessed—I don’t know how else to explain it. Today, we’re talking about Porto. We’ll discuss our next opponent and Qarabağ when the time comes. I can’t comment on how far we’ll go in Europe; right now, we’re dreaming of beating Panathinaikos.
