At the press conference before the match against Aston Villa, the coach of Olympiakos, Jose Luis Mendiliber, spoke, while the team’s players were represented by Vicente Ibora.
In detail, the press conference of the “red and whites” for the second semi-final of the UEFA Europa Conference League with Aston Villa at the “G. Karaiskakis”, on Thursday (05/09, 22:00). Initially, the Basque coach of Olympiakos, Jose Luis Mendiliber, spoke.
Is this the biggest game of the year for Olympiakos?
I hope not and I hope there is an even bigger one.
How easy or difficult is the 2-4 to keep your players focused?
It is our duty to be focused. We have a typical example, in the previous phase we were defeated in our stadium by four and we went to the home of the opponent and scored six goals to qualify, this is an example of how 2-4 means nothing. It is a completely different game compared to the first match and we will have to be serious and focused.
Before the first leg Aston Villa were favorites to qualify, after the first leg have the roles now reversed?
The roles have not changed since the score of the first game. A qualification is decided in two matches and not in one, this is something we know well. Our opponent will play with seriousness and with the aim of qualifying Aston Villa, as we will do the same. Right now there are chances for both teams to qualify.
Until this miracle that Olympiacos does can reach, because otherwise it was the team a while ago and now it claims the Conference and the championship.
I can only speak for the time I have been here. We have a good team with good footballers who are capable of winning trophies and getting big wins. Our players are starting to believe in themselves and when you gain confidence and believe you can do it, things can go well.
Will your mindset be aggressive with people on the side of the team?
You will see this tomorrow…
Last year for about three months you went to Sevilla and won the Europa League, now again for a while at Olympiakos and you are 90 minutes away from another European final, achievements which are talked about in Europe, how do you manage this?
I have been a professional coach for 20 years and have learned to manage situations. At the beginning I didn’t expect that I would reach this point, but I thank Sevilla because without them and without them firing me, you wouldn’t have been able to get this far. If I hadn’t been fired from Sevilla I wouldn’t have taken over at Olympiacos, where I’m the third coach here because things weren’t going well before. It’s circumstances that have brought us here, but we have good footballers and they have brought us to this point.
Do you play these matches with your mind or with your heart?
Both are needed, one of the two will not be enough. It takes a clear mind and thinking, but it also takes courage. One of the two alone does not work well.
Could the rookie’s thirst be Olympiakos’ trump card?
As Vitente also said, the ambition of the club, the players, our world, can help us. Of course this is not enough, we should also be better than the opponent, but this will and desire will be something that will help us.
You’ve faced Unai Emery 15 times, what do you expect from the opposing manager to overturn the first leg score?
20 years ago was the first time we played as opponents and we have known each other ever since. It was the first time we were promoted to the first division, he with Almería and me with Valladolid. We have played against different teams several times, most of our matches were balanced and I don’t think anyone is superior to the other. The one who has changed his game the least is me, Emery has changed the most. It is also what Ibora said, that he is a coach who tries to check all the details and calculate everything, which he does more than us. What I know for sure about Emery is that he believes he can knock us out and qualify, he really wants to do it and his desire is a powerful weapon for him.
Have you realized from your daily life what this match means to the world? Also what is your message to the world?
The message is that we will give it our all and do everything to be good. To fulfill the world’s desire and give it this joy. We know what the team means to them and how important it is. We have it and we have felt it in all the matches that come and help the team from the first to the last minute. What we have to tell them is that we will give it our all and play as well as we can, because we know very well what it means to our world right now.
Ibora: “It is a historic moment for Olympiakos”
Since you have won many Europa Leagues, would you trade one of them for the Conference League?
Of course yes, it doesn’t matter what you’ve won so far. It is the first time that Olympiacos is at such a point and I want to celebrate with the world this historic moment.
You have given many such matches in your career, how do you think Aston Villa will react after the first match?
Neither do we know how the opponent will play, nor do they know how we will play. As the coach said, tomorrow we will all find out. Anyone can surprise their opponent. We know the opposing coach works with his team, he is a coach who calculates everything and every detail. They will be well prepared and will fight for every chance they have to qualify. I have learned a lot from Unai Emery, one thing I will never forget from what he has said is that to be in a European final you have to want it and desire it, the team that will want it more than their opponent will reach the final. With confidence, positive thinking and with all her effort. They have good players as we have, we will do everything to achieve it, but it will be important that we want it more and try harder and with the help of our people to celebrate this huge moment for our club with our fans.
Could the rookie’s thirst be Olympiakos’ trump card?
I think yes we really need to use this thirst, ambition, appetite. They are the weapons we must use and continue to give joy to our world and celebrate with them. I think this information will help us.
How easy or difficult is it for a player to manage his psychology so as not to get carried away by the score of the first game?
It’s one thing to get carried away and another to think about the outcome. We will definitely be thinking about the result of the first match because somehow we managed to get that result. It is important to play our game and get the same result, to go out on the pitch with the intention of scoring and being better than our opponent. The ambition we said before is a strength we have and we have to use it, it’s one more game we have to win to go to the final. It is one thing to be seduced and another to be deceived by this desire, the result of the first match is important, but we will still have to be better than our opponent to succeed.
You have played 171 matches under coach Emery and you know him well, what do you expect the opposing coach to do to reverse the situation of the first match?
It doesn’t take much effort and I think the way he will try to motivate his team is an element. A soccer player doesn’t need enough effort to get more motivated when playing in a semi-final. I believe he will focus on the details of the match and try to control the game and predict anything that can happen in the match. The tactics are where he will focus, not so much on the psychological part. He is a coach who checks all the details and analyzes everything. They are a good team, but we are also a good team. They will have to try a little more because of the first match and that’s why I think he will be more involved in tactics.