On the overall performance and result:

«The fact that we missed the penalty dented a little our confidence that we had built up to that point in the game. AEK managed to respond and Livaja took over the set-pieces. We managed to also respond well [to the AEK goal] and got ourselves 2-1 ahead again. I think from here we gave away too many fouls in general. After AEK made it 2-2, we continued to battle for the win and the AEK goalkeeper made two really great saves.»

«It was a very good game; a great spectacle and I’m sure everyone enjoyed it. I’m disappointed about the end result though. I can’t fault my players really because they gave it their all for the win and they had the majority of the chances to do it.»

On PAOK’s goals and the fact that today he changed his philosophy sllightly:

«First of all, we are not playing by ourselves. My philosophy is that I want my players to try to keep the ball as much as possible so that the opponent does not have it. And then I aim for them to try and create the circumstances to score goals while making sure we do not concede chances. The team did very well in the first half, especially in the first 35 minutes when AEK did not even manage a shot on goal. But AEK has good players, and after the penalty miss, all of the AEK players were looking to Livaya for a piece of individual skill. The truth is that our opponents also forced us to play a little further back then we are used to. From free-kicks from out wide we play zonal defense and at corners it’s man-to-man. That is clear.»

On PAOK’s missed chances:

«PAOK are one of the few teams in the league in which the bulk of the players have played some part in matches so far. If I am not mistaken, only Lamprou and the three youngsters have not played. Everyone else has been involved an had pitch time. We came here to win. The win would have been the big profit for us, but on the other hand one victory we have taken from this game is for the squad. Everyone now understands that in our team, the only star is the team.»

«In any case I am very pleased with my players. In terms of the result, we did not manage to win, although we did deserve to. In the first half, we played very well, but in the second we were simply not at the same level that we had in the first. This is because our opponents started to play well and tried very hard. Backed by their fans, AEK were rejuvenated after we missed the penalty. And what can I say about [AEK goalkeeper] Barkas’ two saves from [Chuba] Akpom? Should I shout and tell him not to put his hands in the way? Tonight there were two great teams out there both trying to win and there were chances.»

On the referee’s decisions:

«The truth is, you know my character. My focus is on how to improve the team and get the best out of each player. And that’s because this league has the particular feature of the Playoffs. The top teams competing for the championship will face each other many times throughout the season. There will be points dropped between them many times and we need to be focused on how to improve the team. I haven’t seen the repays of all the incidents. And apart from my own take on those, I think you all also have your own views about them.»

On the message PAOK sent to its title rivals today:

«We are slowly realizing that a team’s strength is not just about any one player. Obviously I want all of the players at my disposal. We are also waiting for injured payers to return.»

On how much PAOK has improved and whether he wants to change something significantly:

«To win a game, you have to play well. I don’t think you can win games just by having a great defense. Whatever I do, I really have to believe in it. I can’t do something that I don’t believe in. Of course the results are of huge importance, but I think that they will come if we keep on playing like this. In any case, there is certainly plenty of room for improvement. And, with the players we have, and those who are due to return from injury, we will do that. Today we played a very good first half and we deserved much more than going in at half-time 1-0 up. The positives we take are the performances of [goalkeeper Zivko] Zivkovic, who did a great job, and Giannoulis who has made huge progress and in a couple of years he may be playing abroad for a top [foreign] club. Karol [Swiderski] has come in to the team and scored two goals. Those are my takeaways. I don’t want to take about the team’s average age today.»

On [Lampros] Lamprou and [Miroslav] Stoch:

«We are all in the world of football here and when I say I would prefer not to answer a specific question, it does not mean that it’s bad – it’s strategic. Only 11 players can start each game, and we can bring on three substitutes. The truth is that for Lamprou, who is fighting for the position at number eleven as I call it, is competing against some quality players in that position.»

«The way I operate is pretty simple. I always select the players which I think are the best ones for every game. However, I can tell you that these players you mentioned, as well as the three youngsters we have, have worked very hard and have contributed to getting us where we are. We all work together, and we are all ready to fight. And that’s why today we saw the strong performances from Zivkovic and Swiderski.