Olympiacos head coach José Luis Mendilibar was fully satisfied with his team’s performance and victory against Iraklis, whom the “red-and-whites” defeated 6–0 to secure first place in the League Phase of the Greek Cup.
Below is the full press conference of José Luis Mendilibar:
Are you satisfied with the Cup matches, during which you also used several new faces?
In four Cup matches we scored many goals. In some games we performed better than in others. Regardless, we finished top of the table in this phase and gained the advantages that come with that achievement. We are happy with first place. In this match, we chose a balanced lineup, with a mix of experienced players who have played many minutes and players who have not featured much so far. Overall, I believe we dominated and did a good job.
Did the early goal play a role in the large final score?
The truth is, yes. Oftentimes we don’t score the first goal early on enough, especially against teams that defend deep, and then things become more difficult for us. When you score early, those teams drop back even further, and it becomes easier for the rest of the goals to come. Very often, the result depends on scoring that early goal.
Attackers live off goals, so how important was it that Yaremchuk scored, especially considering that El Kaabi will now be unavailable?
It’s true that attackers live off goals, although I always emphasize that it’s not so important who scores, but the work that is done during the match. Attackers, however, think about goals, so it’s good that he scored because we will need him going forward.
