On his team’s condition:

«It was a very good fortnight for the players who stayed here. We had many absences of course, due to the international break, but now I have everyone here. The mood within the squad is great. Some players are ready, others are on adjustment period, especially the newcomers, while there have been some injuries as well. But overall I am satisfied, as I see improvement, correct mentality and good reactions day by day, session by session. As for the tactical part, we have worked well and I am happy about it«.

On his quote “the league starts now for PAOK”:

«I said that because I had two weeks ahead of me to prep the team and try to convey my own ideas, my own football philosophy. I wanted to change some things in our style of play and organization, without the pressure of competition. We had the time to pressure the team and work on tactics. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I can safely say that we laid the foundation. Mentality is of the utmost importance for me –and it can come only through hard work. Proper mentality, nourished on a daily basis, is what makes a team strong. We need to be well organized. Every player must know what they must do for themselves and their team-mates. One of PAOK’s lasting qualities is producing entertaining, quality football, especially in Toumba. But the problem lies in losing possession, what happens then? That is a matter of proper mentality and we deal with it on a daily basis. Before the international break, the schedule was full of matches and there was no time to work on that aspect«.

On the friendly encounter in Volos:

«I shouldn’t have given my consent for this match. We had gone through tough training sessions in previous days, but the match was already scheduled and we couldn’t back off. A strong session would have been more beneficial to us. On the bright side though, players who were returning from injury, such as Cañas and Biseswar, got to play, as did El Kaddouri. But such games don’t mean a thing. In my book, only daily work at trainings will lead us to winning performances on the pitch«.

On PAOK’s signings on transfer window deadline day:

«El Kaddouri and Maurício are ready to play. Zambrano needs more adjustment period. He was the last one to join us, is working at 100% and is eager to play. Vieirinha’s case is different from the rest. He had an injury and was sidelined for a long time and we need to be extra careful and plan his comeback thoroughly. But he is also very eager to return to full trainings. I believe that we will have everyone available and in full form in 1-2 weeks’ time. They are attack-minded players, who add to the team’s quality and can take us to the next level«.

On Monday’s game:

«I know our rivals. Every match is tough and every team fights. It’s the beginning of the season and every player wants to win their coach over. I expect a tough encounter. We must be patient and react well. I am sure they will defend in numbers, wait for us and go for counterattacks. We need to be focused, patient, careful, refrain from errors and disrupt the balance in our rivals’ lines. I want us to be aggressive and willing to win, to take our first opportunity and make it count, in order to get in full control«.

On whether he wants to send a message to his former collaborator, who is now at the helm of Apollon Smyrni:

«He is a great guy and a friend. During my stay in Greece I have met some exceptional people and he is one of them. Before and after the game, we are friends. But I expect a tough battle in between«.