Olympiacos head coach Imanol Alguacil said after the away win over Marseille that the victory was dedicated to the team’s supporters, who couldn’t attend the match.
Below follow words by the Spanish coach of the Legend:
What was the key to securing the away win? And are you dedicating this victory to the fans who couldn’t be here?
It was a victory against a tough opponent, in a difficult stadium. The atmosphere made the match even more challenging. We are delighted, and of course we dedicate this win to our fans. We have given them great joy, and we hope they enjoyed it, even from afar.
There is a great photo on Olympiacos’ social media showing you holding the goalkeeper’s glove. Was it a gift from Ortega, or were you suggesting that he was the MVP?
No, it was just a coincidence. There was nothing special about it; the glove had fallen to the floor, so I picked it up to hand it back to him. Stefan, however, was excellent and very important to the team with his performance. To secure a victory like this, you need to defend well, and he helped us a great deal. But it wasn’t just Ortega — all the other players performed equally well.
You mentioned the team’s defensive performance. You have now kept three consecutive clean sheets and have barely allowed your opponents any chances. Do you also feel you need to score more goals going forward?
We work on everything together; we don’t focus on one aspect of the game at the expense of another. We know that, to be a successful team, we need to be strong both defensively and offensively. It is important to keep clean sheets, but it is equally important to be effective in attack. That depends on the spaces you can find. In some matches, you will create plenty of chances, while in others you will have fewer opportunities. However, I agree with you: we need to score more goals going forward. We are working on it, and I am confident that, with the talent we have in this team, we will achieve that.
