On elimination from the UEFA Europa League:

«It’s tough even speaking about it. It’s too recent. I personally can’t come to terms with it. But that’s reality. We are out of the UEFA Europa League. We won’t be playing in Europe this season. It’s by far the most frustrating situation I have lived at PAOK. We need to look ahead now. There are no excuses. We must give all we’ve got for PAOK, to win the league and the Greek Cup. We must not just stick to words, but fight on the pitch. That’s all I can say right now. It’s hard«.

On whether he is optimistic ahead of the season:

«It’s not my place to answer that. We are out of Europe and that remains a fact. I can’t even speak about it anymore. We are now focusing on the league and Greek Cup and we have to fight. We want to bring back the fans and the whole city to our side. We can achieve that only through our performances. By dealing with each match separately. There is nothing else at the moment. We can overturn the situation only on the pitch«.

How can a professional football turn this situation around:

«We must be strong. It’s all too fresh. PAOK played in Europe almost every season –and that won’t happen this season. We have to be united and concentrated and fight together. Believe me, all this is tough for a player to handle. Our job is not as easy as some might think. We have feelings, we are humans. Fans need to understand that. There is a match on Sunday and we need to be prepared for it, more so mentally. The most important issue is the pitch and we start our effort this Sunday. That is our primary target right now«.

On the fans’ absence from the first home games:

«We are used to it, it happens every season. That is the situation. It’s tough, but we will do our best to overcome it. We must start clean come Sunday. That is the only thing on our minds. The league and the Greek Cup«.