Following Olympiacos’ 1–1 draw with PAOK, head coach Imanol Alguacil focused on the team’s failure to make the most of the chances they created.
Here are the Basque coach’s comments in full:
What went wrong for Olympiacos, preventing the team from securing victory?
First of all, we needed to convert our chances and be more clinical in front of goal. That is what football is all about — scoring goals. We had more chances than our opponents, but we lacked accuracy. We did the difficult part by scoring and taking the lead, but then we gifted our opponents an easy goal. We need to be more careful. Ultimately, what cost us the most, despite creating further chances after the 1–1 equaliser, was our lack of clinical finishing.
Is there any update on Hezze’s injury?
We don’t want to jump to conclusions. We first need to wait for the medical examinations, but the initial assessment does not look good.
A comment on the fans, who applauded the team and chanted “Champions again!” despite the draw.
Once again, we want to thank our supporters. We failed to win, and that leaves us feeling as though we have suffered a defeat. Nevertheless, they are always by our side, as they consistently are, both inside and outside the stadium. We want them to know that we will never stop trying. We are coming off a good month with positive results, and we will try to replicate that after the international break. We are not satisfied with just a point, but we thank them for their support and want to assure them that we will give everything in every competition. The players and coaching staff will continue to give their all, so that we can meet the expectations placed upon us.
Do you think the team became complacent after taking the lead, given the way PAOK scored their equaliser?
It was a mistake, and it should not have happened. Mistakes are part of football, but this time it cost us points. We worked very hard to take the lead, deserved it and managed to do so, but then we gifted our opponents an easy goal. We hope to be more careful from now on and avoid dropping points in this manner again.
