«I saw important things»
Igor Tudor spoke to Novasports TV about the upcoming encounter of PAOK against AEL Kalloni in Mytilini and analyzed his thoughts regarding the team’s situation right now. He also spoke about the improvement he saw against Qäbälä FC and PAOK’s need for easy goals.
On his opinion regarding the elimination from the UEFA Europa League:
«As I have stated before, we were not lucky with our draw. We faced Qäbälä FC, who eliminated Panathinaikos, FC Krasnodar who are leading our group now and of course Borussia Dortmund. We are looking ahead. Against Qäbälä, I was happy to see a very good second half performance. I saw some very important things. I have a positive outlook on our future, starting on Monday»«.
On the positive aspects from the tie against Qäbälä FC:
«I liked my players’ self-sacrifice. Their confidence, their runs, their courage. I saw important things. We created several chances to score but we didn’t. That’s what I am expecting from my team come Monday. To start scoring«.
On the team’s performances in the last month:
«We are blocked psychologically. But I think that changed in the second half against Qäbälä FC. We wasted many chances to score of course and we need to address that issue, as we should have netted 3-4 goals. For example, we defeated Panathinaikos despite creating half the chances. We scored from the spot, once from a set piece and another from open play. Football can be strange sometimes, but it’s crucial to score. Therefore, we need goals. I am witnessing progress anyway, and that is very important/«.
On the latest disciplinary issues regarding the team:
«I consider Klaus’s photo as something positive. It’s a very smart joke and I enjoyed it myself. It was part of that evening’s fun. Regarding Berbatov, any player could react like this. At that given moment, any player can react selfishly, but a few minutes later they realize that a coach has to think of 11 players and not just them. It’s in the past now and we look ahead to the future. Berbatov is a very important player for us and he will be important throughout the season«.
On whether he had behaved as Berbatov did when he was a player:
«It might happen to anybody, as I said. Everybody wants to play and be in the team. I won’t attach too much important on that incident«.
On the source of his optimism:
«I am optimistic because of what I saw against Qäbälä FC. After the interval, the players introduced on the pitch had a different mentality and changed the team’s display. I am looking forward to Monday’s game«.
On AEL Kalloni:
«They are very strong at home. We will be focused on our performance and on our game, in order to get the desired result«.
