Here is what he said:
About his pre-season preparation with Olympiacos: “It has been the hardest preparation I have had to participate in, so far. The level is rising. We work really well with our new head coach. I believe that we will add more to our game day by day.”
About Spartak Moscow being at a later point in their pre-summer preparation, while playing against them: “Some things we did right, others we did not. It was just our first friendly match and for some of us, our first chance to play together. I believe that as far as tactics are concerned, we had some good moments. The pitch did not facilitate us very much, either.”
About the level of adaptation for the new players: “It is rather high, but it also depends on the personality of each individual. Surely it’s not that easy to quickly adapt to such a great team, but I believe that through hard work and training it can be done.”
About the fact that many people call him the “calm force”: “I’m aware of that. During matches I try to act calmly. This is the kind of football I like. I want to transmit tranquility to my teammates, because I believe that this way we can perform better.”
About the different positions he played in during his career: “While with the U19 national team, in 2007 I played as an attacking midfielder, behind Kostas Mitroglou. With the U21, I played as a defensive midfielder and then, I was moved to being a stopper. It took me a while to get used to playing as central defender, but I worked hard in Panionios and I think I can now manage. This position is the one that suits me best. Playing as a midfielder, or an attacker, requires different abilities.”
About the player he looked up to while growing up: “I’ve always admired Paraskevas Antzas. I wished one day I could play like him.”
About the tricky bicycle-kick goal he scored during a training session in Achenkirch: “Basically, the attacking style of play I used to have, helped me out a lot.”
About his childhood dream: “I dreamt of transferring to the greatest team in Greece. “I have done that. Now, I am looking forward to shining with the Greek national team. Other than that, I want to win championships with Olympiacos.”
About making it to the front-page of the newspapers, following this bicycle-kick of his, and becoming an icon overnight: “I haven’t really thought about it. I don’t usually pay attention to such things. People next to me help me focus on my job and improve.”
About the change in the team’s philosophy and the acquisition of many young natives: “I agree with it. I think all Greek teams should follow this example. We should definitely support the young Greek players. We witnessed the U19 national team make it to the final of the European Championship, as it has happened before. I really like the fact the Olympiacos is transferring young Greek players. The President also said that he wants to bring more Greeks on the team and I strongly believe that this will turn out to be a good thing.”
About the possibility of having spoken with Maniatis, before joining Olympiacos and whether he was told about the pressure of playing for such a team: “Of course we spoke, a great deal. He has been helping me out since we were teammates in Panionios. He told me the best about Olympiacos. Maniatis played a big part in my decision. Plus, I have never had a problem with pressure. I have always had pressure in my career. Yiannis told me that in order to be a part of this group, a winner’s spirit is necessary. I liked that, because I always want to win.”
About having an ease with scoring and whether that’s a promise about the upcoming season: “It surely is. I was just unlucky last year; I had many opportunities and I hope to do better this season.”
About the pressured of a possible acquisition of an experienced centre back: “I don’t see it that way. I will pick up where I left off. I want to improve myself. I am still learning in this position. I am not an expert yet but I am not thinking about what might happen in case a new defender joins the team and whether I will be playing or not. Given I am in good health, I believe I can claim a position in the starting lineup.”
About his new coach: “So far, he has been great in teaching tactics and that’s exactly what Greek football needs. He is also helping the younger boys out; he puts time in them and gives them advice. His trainings are as tough as they should be and with the appropriate pressure. I believe that what he is doing can only do us good.”
About the opinion of the Portuguese journalists who say the coach believes a lot in young players: “Yes, I do get that. Both during practice and after, he analyzes our mistakes and explains to us what we should be doing. That helps a lot.”
ClickHEREto watch Siovas’s interview on camera.
