Olympiacos’ coach, José Luis Mendilibar, emphasized after the 2-1 victory over PAOK at “G. Karaiskakis” Stadium that although the “Red-and-whites” scored in the first half, they performed better in the second half.
Below follows the press conference of Olympiacos’ experienced coach:
Olympiacos scored the winning goals in what seemed like their weaker half, the first. How do you explain that?
It’s true that in the first half, despite a good start, PAOK had better control of the game. PAOK was the better team in the first half, but we managed to score twice and secure the result. In the second half, we improved, took control, and became more aggressive, creating more chances. However, our shots were off target, so those chances didn’t translate into goals. In that sense, it was fortunate that we scored in the first half.
Was Carmo substituted due to an injury, or was it a tactical decision? Also, will we see lineup changes against AEK, considering you just played a tough match?
Carmo wasn’t performing well, which is why he was substituted. Our plans won’t change, but we will rotate players because we have only a few days to recover. Everyone is training well, and we have players who can step in, perform well, and contribute. With back-to-back matches and little recovery time, squad rotation is necessary.
Does Olympiacos’ lack of sharpness in converting chances concern you?
Some days, shots are more successful; other days, they aren’t. It depends on how the players and the team are performing. Against Panserraikos, we scored four goals; this time, we scored two despite having many chances. It’s not that the players don’t want to score—we work on finishing in training all the time. What we want is to have attempts on target; it’s not we don’t want to score goals, but some days are better than others.
With so many consecutive matches, is the team at the level needed to handle them?
We’ve had a similar schedule before, with back-to-back games, and we managed well. Even after Christmas, we followed the same approach and achieved our goals. We hope to pull it through now in the same way. We will take care of our players, make necessary changes, and use our squad depth to handle the challenges ahead, just as we have done so far.
You mentioned changes against AEK, but since these are two consecutive matches against the same opponent, do you expect them to be different? Also, after this matchday’s results, is the title race now between Olympiacos and AEK?
Even if the same players were used in both matches, no two games are ever the same. Something will always change during the match, making them different. The only thing that remains the same is the name of the teams—these will be two completely different games. There are two matches left in the regular season, followed by six more in the playoffs. Our gap from PAOK and Panathinaikos is now significant. If only one of those teams was still in contention, things could change, but since both are trailing, it’s difficult for the situation to shift dramatically. However, we can’t make any conclusions until the games are played.
