A comment on the side’s qualification to the UEFA Europa League group stage and the way he experienced the qualifying ties: “I am really happy; we played a difficult match. Burnley is a very strong side and gave us lots of difficult moments. In this context, we ca surely say they put us under pressure, but in terms of shots and attempts on target, things were quite balanced. We worked hard for qualifying. We still have many objectives to achieve; we played against a side that is at a great state. Since last year, Burney has arguably taken big steps ahead. We are very satisfied with the work we have done until now”.
What are the points to keep and the ones to discard following tonight’s performance of Olympiacos: “Our fighting mentality, our dedication and team spirit were the things I liked tonight; both from the players who player and those who were left out. This is something that has to be mentioned and I like that we display that. What I didn’t like was that, indeed we set out well in the opening 10 minutes, but I would have enjoyed watching that for more time. It is not normal for one to have absolute control when playing against such a team, but we could have kept control more. We had our chances, we could have scored more goals, and so could Burnley”.
What is the secret for this qualification and what did you tell your players after the end of the match: “The secret is dedication, hard work and that everyone in this club gives 100%. The club is well structured and organized; also, the players are great characters. We have all promised to give our best in order to succeed. All players, each one for his part, did the do tonight and they achieved this outcome thanks to their dedication and self-confidence. This is what I told them in the dressing room; what I told them here is something I tell them every day, not just tonight. Only words of joy are proper to describe tonight’s achievement”.
On Yaya Toure: “Ιt’s no time to talk about that”.
