Having already spent one week at the helm of Olympiacos in Lagerfeld, Austria, Victor Sanchez gives a first mini-review of his work in Olympiacos. The Spanish manager comments on his return to the port of Piraeus, this new challenge, club’s transfers, UEFA Champions League and all other current club-related issues!
Please give us your impression from the pre-season so far. You‘ve been in Olympiacos for almost a week, so what’s the picture you have got?
“We are satisfied. It is not easy to join a team after the work has started. We see some good things already and we have to keep in mind the July 26-27th UEFA Champions League qualifiers. We have to be focused on that since it is clearly our objective. In fact, in our first friendly, we have already seen some good things we have already worked on in training. Gradually, we want to add more elements in our game style.
We are very pleased with all the players we found in the roster once we arrived. We see they are really into it, they are eager to work and this is very important so we can also keep up with our work. The primary message we conveyed to the players was that “the team stands above all, one should first cater for the team and then for oneself, and that individual qualities will stand out by means of team work”. So, the team comes first. We are currently concentrated on building our endurance and improve our team play.”
After a 5-year period, Olympiacos is facing a tough summertime period due to the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. What do you think about that? To what extent will the squad be ready at the official kick-off?
“We are certain that we will be ready. We have to build our endurance so we are ready on these dates; yet, we have also to work on our tactics and put certain things into place. We will have to be ready by then as a result of the hard work done. We will have to be a side competitive enough to qualify”.
Since you talked about tactics, we see that, since your first days, you have put weight on high pressure and wing play. We have been told by Spaniards that you have also opted for two strikers and a sweeper. Do you intend to change some things in the Olympiacos style of play?
“Most of all, we want to make the players understand, by means of our work, that conditions during the match may change and thus they should play differently. During practice, we have to work with the players for them to learn applying various systems. It is far more important to be able to understand the match momentum and the conditions that may occur. We will train hard, so we are ready to either press them high, be more patient in the midfield or defend “behind the ball”. All these may happen in the course of single match and have to do with the way we defend.
As per the offense, we will have to be prepared for playing in counter-attack, for striking swiftly when intercepting the ball. Other times, in the course of this or any other match, we will have to go for a multi-pass, possession-based build-up from the back in order to reach high enough. When reaching high, we will have to play either from the wings or vertically, because every opponent is different and every match is unique. This is mainly to make the player understand the game, when we will have to recede and what each player is supposed to do in every given moment.
We will be called to play against very different opponents both in Greece and abroad, this is why we have to get ready to deal with all matches. Our main formation will be 4-4-2, but, having said that, we may proceed with changes because every match will be different”.
Given that more players will come and go, what is the maximum number of players you like to work with and whether this will be made clear in Belgium?
“Apparently, more new players will join us. We can currently say nothing about the accurate number of players our roster will hold, because this is not that fundamental for us. What matters for us is that the side will be ready in July and then we will take new decisions. It is very important for us, should new players come, that they join us as soon as possible, so that they adapt to the squad, understand our side’s concept and be ready to perform.
Transfer management is currently a difficult issue since prices are very high; prices will start dropping later. We are certain that our Sports Director and Scouter are doing a fine job and we fully trust them”
Can you tell us if you will focus mainly on the Spanish market? The likes of De la Beja and Guaita are in the news for Olympiacos. Can you tell us more about your objective with regard to enhancing the squad? And with respect to Greeks playing in Olympiacos, is this important for the club?
“Olympiacos is an international club and may not be interested in only one market. The club will search in all marketplaces to find the players necessary. The fact that the Spanish market features good players, is of interest to me, but Olympiacos has to keep an eye on all of them. I will not start mentioning names because every bit of information that will leave my mouth may make a transfer more difficult to conclude.
Moreover, you have to understand that I can say nothing about names right now. I know your job is to find out the names, to write something about them, but you have to understand that it is our job to identify good players at the best possible price.
As for the players, I told you before that we are very satisfied. We have joined the club in a great mood to work hard and build something new. We found a squad of similarly willing players, and a great atmosphere amongst them; this was great for us as a starting point for our work. Being satisfied does not mean that we should stick to that. Always, we have to improve ourselves, to work and never stay put; we have to carry on”.
I would like you to tell us if, during these years you were away from the team, you have been watching the club and its players? Did you have it, on the back of your mind, that you -one day- would become Olympiacos’ head coach?
“Firstly, my mind is currently set on staying here for many years; such a case would mean I have done a fine job and everybody would be happy. This is the first thing I have to say about my joining Olympiacos. Of course, when you work in another club, different priorities do not make it easy, however I used to follow on Olympiacos results and successes, or watch some matches. Certainly, One should always look after one’s team but being a member of a family like that of Olympiacos, is something that one can never forget it; once in Olympiacos, always a member of the Olympiacos family.”
Would you like to comment about the young players currently attending the pre-season, that is Retsos, Manthatis, Tsimikas and Androutsos? They are working and improving their skills, will they be given chances to prove themselves in the future?
“They will all get their chances. They have already taken theirs. What we want is for the players to speak loud enough “on the pitch”. As said before, there is an important mantra for us “the team is above all”. We also said that we are really pleased with all players. Younger players work hard, just like the old ones. But we cannot just stay on that. There is always room for improvement and this is to be seen during training.
Another mantra for the technical staff is that “one should always improve oneself and try to become better”. This also applies for the players, especially the young ones who have more things to learn. Do not stick to successes to date because there is always room for improvement. This applies not just for players, but also for the technical staff”.
Ending, Victor Sanchez expressed his will to add something more.
“I came across an old interview saying something about Olympiacos and Panathinaikos. I have respect for the past, the clubs I played for, my teammates, but I want to make one thing clear. Just like La Coruna, which is the club of my heart, since I played there for many years and it was my first ever club as a coach, in Greece my family is Olympiacos. I want this to be clear”, he stressed.
