Pedro Martins testified at the Maccabi Haifa post-match press conference that Olympiacos will show a different face in “G. Karaiskakis” in relation to the one in Israel following the first leg’s 1-1 against Maccabi Haifa for the UEFA Champions League 2nd qualifying round.
A comment on the match and its result in view of the rematch.
“We might say that the result may be considered positive. It is an away draw and leaves everything open for the match at our home ground. We entered the game strongly for 15 minutes and following that we gave space to the opponent and suffered pressure, which is not usual for Olympiacos. We played against an opponent who pushed us and we fell back, while showing that we had difficulty adapting to the circumstances. We need to improve the pressure levels and I believe that we will do better in Greece.”
On whether Olympiacos not being able to hold the ball was due to the degree of readiness or to some issue in the creative part.
“We have noticed that we need to improve ball possession and become more creative. Olympiacos is a team that puts on pressure and doesn’t have to defend deep. Today this happened and because our opponent forced us.”
On substituting Zinkernagel in relation to the player’s readiness.
“It takes longer to adjust and play for over 45 minutes. Today we wanted to protect him because he felt discomfort. We basically wanted to strengthen our midfield and that’s why he was substituted.”
On whether his team is the favourite for qualifying.
“We are always preparing the game for a win and we are never satisfied with a draw. No coach is satisfied when drawing. We had to be satisfied with it. Today we didn’t put on the kind of pressure we are used to. Things will be different in Athens; we will have our fans on our side and the match will not be the same. We hope that the conditions will favour us. Nothing is certain and the opposing team has shown that they may create problems.”
On the effect of the atmosphere the fans created.
“Maccabi fans created a fantastic atmosphere and helped their team. In Karaiskakis, we will have our own fans that will create a amazing atmosphere.”
Following the match against Aris, you have said Olympiacos would be ready for the Maccabi tie. How close to that has the team got?
“There are things that may be improved to a great extent and we have to work hard. We will work harder ahead of the second leg since there is more time. I saw a good competitive spirit. Although we did not play well in many parts, we did have a good competitive spirit. We are on a very good path, but there will always be things we can improve.”
