Olympiacos head coach José Luis Mendilibar spoke at the press conference following the 0-0 draw with NEC Nijmegen at the “G. Karaiskakis” Stadium, stressing that his team has a week to improve and prepare for the second leg in order to secure qualification for the UEFA Champions League play-offs.
Here is what our head coach said:
NEC Nijmegen’s coach said his team endured a “storm” from Olympiacos. What went wrong, then, and why did Olympiacos fail to score despite creating that “storm”?
It seems to us that they were better than we were, so perhaps we see things differently.
These matches are something new for many of your players. What was your criterion for selecting the starting XI, given that you opted for more players you already know rather than new signings? And why did you choose to play Rodinei as a winger — a full-back by trade — rather than another player?
Last season, Rodinei finished the play-offs as the team’s best winger, with four goals, and he had a good season. He was one of our best players, delivering successful crosses, scoring goals and providing assists. That is why I decided to start Rodinei as a winger. We have made 12 signings so far, and six of them featured in this match, either in the starting XI or as substitutes. Roca, who started on the opposite wing, is also one of our new players. Some of those 12 players joined the team only a week ago. I made my decision based on all these factors, so it is not as you suggested, that I prefer the older players to the new ones. It is not a question of preference or safety. You have to take into consideration that Gustavo Sá arrived a week ago, while Ortega had not trained with a team for two months. I take all the factors into account.
As you said, NEC Nijmegen were the better side. Olympiacos appeared not to be ready to face the Dutch team. What can change in one week ahead of the return leg?
We have an additional week of training during which we can correct certain things. The opponent was stronger than us and won the individual duels. We have to improve certain aspects, be more dynamic and more decisive. Considering that it was a poor performance from us, rather than a poor match from NEC Nijmegen, 0-0 is not a bad result. I think it was a balanced game, with chances for both teams, and I believe that qualification is still wide open.
NEC Nijmegen’s coach said he had analysed last season’s Olympiacos extensively. We saw Olympiacos looking quite similar to last year’s team, while NEC Nijmegen used a number of players in defensive positions to make things difficult for Olympiacos.
I don’t think NEC Nijmegen showed a different approach because they knew we struggle against teams that defend deep. On the contrary, they played offensively, although they kept players behind the ball in defence. They are a team that came out with attacking intent and wanted to score. They did not change their style, but we were not relentless, nor were we aggressive, dangerous and threatening enough. NEC Nijmegen have nothing in common with the opponents we faced last season, teams that defended deep. We were unable to move forward with the intensity we needed in order to win at this level.
Did Retsos’ fifth and forced substitution change your plan?
It’s not as if we had been excellent before Retsos was substituted, nor did we suddenly become excellent afterwards. His substitution did not affect us in that sense. He has the same ankle problem he had during pre-season, which kept him out for a period of time. It was our fifth substitution, it happened early and prevented us from bringing on another attacking player, but we had already made our other four substitutions before that.
What makes you believe that your team can change so many things in one week and secure qualification away from home, in such a difficult stadium?
I believe that, considering we were not good tonight, that we still have a period of adaptation ahead of us and that we did not lose, with an additional week of training and adaptation, we can win.
One of Olympiacos’ characteristics with you on the bench has been the team’s reliability in European competition. Is that also a “weapon” that can help Olympiacos qualify against a team with less experience?
When the draws are made and the first leg is at home, many people consider that unfortunate. But we have proved that we can qualify in both circumstances, whether we play the first match at home or away. It does not make a major difference to us whether we play at home or away. We are facing a team with whom we share many similar characteristics. If we are better and more clinical in the next match, we will be able to achieve what we want.I don’t know whether experience will play a role, since we will be playing at their stadium. It will be a game decided by fine margins, a balanced match, and we want to make the most of our opportunities in order to win.
