In detail, what Olympiacos head coach José Luis Mendilibar said at the press conference following the game against Panathinaikos at the “G. Karaiskakis” Stadium:
From the first minute there seemed to be nervousness. How do you explain that, and how do you plan to manage a defeat to the ‘eternal’ rival?
This is not the first time we’ve lost to Panathinaikos. We’ve survived before and we’ve gone on to achieve many things after previous defeats. It’s an important match, but it’s still just another league game – you don’t win or lose the championship by winning or losing a single match. We conceded an early goal, Panathinaikos felt more comfortable, and we weren’t able to threaten the opponent. They didn’t create any other danger against us either. We weren’t good in this match, but that doesn’t mean this game signals the end. We move on.
We’ve seen that your tactics against smaller teams as well as in derbies haven’t always worked. Do you plan to change anything ahead of the playoffs?
I don’t think it’s something specific. These are derbies – the opponent plays too – and they are difficult matches. During the time I’ve been here, we’ve won more derbies than we’ve lost; it’s not possible to win them all. Sometimes you draw, sometimes you lose at home. These are balanced matches decided by small details.
Panathinaikos has gone through their own difficult years, yet still manage to win at the “G. Karaiskakis” Stadium. Do these matches require special management, perhaps even a sense of self-preservation?
I said before the match that league position means nothing in derbies. They are derbies. These games are balanced and that’s why they carry such importance; the standings don’t matter. You can be the better team and lose, or the worse team and win.
How much does it concern you ahead of the playoffs that Olympiacos has won only one derby?
That doesn’t mean we won’t win more derbies. I think about the championship differently. The title isn’t won by the team that doesn’t lose derbies, but by the team that wins the smaller matches. I focus on our own position, and I know that our position has more advantages than the others. We’ll try not to drop points against smaller teams; the derbies will come, and we’ll try to win those as well.
What goes through a coach’s mind at the moment of Martins’ missed chance?
When we conceded the goal, we were pressing in the opponent’s half and we couldn’t believe the goal we conceded. It all started from a bad pass backwards. Then came Martins’ chance, where it’s actually easier to send the ball wide than into the goal, and Panathinaikos missed a similar chance shortly after — you see that anything can happen. I prefer a mistake in execution over a mistake in decision-making. Martins’ was an execution error, but the goal we conceded came from a wrong decision, and that bothers me more.
When Olympiacos concedes in derbies, it seems like the team loses their composure. They also appear less confident than last season. Do you agree?
I don’t know if that was the case last season, but this year, yes – when we concede, we show haste, not immediately but in the minutes that follow. We’re nervous and we clear the ball the wrong way. That does happen. We need to be more focused and avoid being nervous. If we find our calm, we’ll be able to achieve more.
What bothered you most about this performance, and was it more of a mental issue than a footballing one after conceding early?
Panathinaikos defended well and were well organised. We got to within 15 metres of their goal, but we didn’t make good decisions or deliver good crosses. In the few chances we created, we lacked quality. More than anything, we lacked the patience and calm we needed after conceding the goal. As I said earlier, the team was hasteful and we were very impatient.
