On the match:

“We lacked proper movement, our function was off and we grew more nervous as the match unfolded. I know we can do much better. It was only the first leg. There is still the second leg ahead of us and I am looking forward to it”.

On his choices:

“I tried to change some things. We switched our tactics and some players and tried to improve our display. There were also position changes during the encounter. We had two good chances to get on the scoreboard, but we didn’t improve, nor did we deserve something better out of the game”.

On Cimirot:

“Cimirot suffered a light knock in the previous game and wasn’t 100% ready to play today. He has a calf tear, he was limping yesterday and that is why he didn’t start”.

On the changes he is pondering for the second leg:

“We have 95 minutes ahead of us and we are trailing by two goals. We need to win and cancel out Panathinaikos’s first-leg victory. Sometimes a team can score 4-5 goals, but they could also concede as many. We will try to improve our display, remedy our errors and take more initiative on the pitch”.

On their rivals’ dominance in set pieces:

“We knew that Panathinaikos have tall players and are strong in dead-ball situations. We conceded the first goal out of nowhere. We weren’t focused. Sometimes you score them, sometimes you concede them. That’s football”.

On whether his troops were carried away by their win last Sunday:

“I don’t believe we were affected. The two games are different”.

On PAOK’s penalty claims:

“Matos told me it was a clear penalty. I am confident that, had Mr Sidiropoulos seen it, he would have awarded it, no doubt about that. My player told me it was”.

On the second leg:

“I believe that a comeback is possible, and so do my players”.

On his players’ nerves in parts of the game:

“It was a derby and it’s only normal that such things occur”.

On the team’s mediocre results in Athens:

“We need to fix this. We have suffered four defeats in Athens and that’s not good. We are trying to reverse that trend. When I spoke about refereeing a few days ago, I asked: Is it just a coincidence that we haven’t had Thessaloniki referees appointed at home games? Because it looks pretty odd”.

On what needs to be remedied:

“Scoring when getting the chance tops that list. We should convert at least one of every three opportunities we get. That is our responsibility and we need to fix it. My players have to be more self-confident. Today we were presented with such a goalscoring opportunity. Sometimes the ball goes in, sometimes it doesn’t”.

On the effect that this defeat will have on the team:

“The cup is the cup and the league is the league, two different competitions. I know only too well how much our fans long for a trophy. We are six points behind Olympiacos –a win here or there could have made the difference. I don’t anticipate any problems in the league. I repeat though, we have still the second leg ahead and are eagerly anticipating it”.