Sznaucer: «Our confidence has been boosted»
Miroslav Sznaucner shared his thoughts and insights on the upcoming Super League Interwetten Matchday 3 Play Offs clash against Asteras Tripolis with the Novasports cameras. Read what the Pole said on paokfc.gr.
On Murg’s goal and how it gave the team a psychological boost PAOK:
«It was a very important goal. It gave us a lot of relief and calm just a few days after the game with Panathinaikos. It has given us strength and a good lead to help us reach the final. We have another game at the Toumba, so everything is still open, but the 1-0 victory has boosted our confidence for the next set of games. You saw how we celebrated, all together as a squad. It seemed that everyone was feeling under pressure and that after the goal it was released. We want to enjoy moments like this; the goal was fantastic and we are moving forward.»
On whether Murg is one of the club’s main free-kick specialists, or whether it was a last-minute decision for him to take the free-kick:
«Yes, he came on in the 90th minjute and scored in the 94th. He is one of the players who takes free-kicks for us. It was a set-piece for a left-footed player and he was on the pitch, along with [Amr] Warda. And so he was the one who took it and won the game for us. We have many players who have helped us win games and points with free-kicks, such as Vieirinha and [Nika] Ninua.»
On what the key takeaways are for PAOK from the two games in Athens:
«The victory over AEK has boosted our confidence and given us strength for the next games. Against Panathinaikos, the 3-0 defeat was heavy defeat and one we did not deserve. It was not a 3-0 match and in my opinion we were better than Panathinaikos. The next day was very difficult, but this is football, we have to always look forward.»
On [head coach Pablo] Garcia’s celebrations at the final whistle and his speech to the players on the pitch:
«It was very important for us to win. The players were under pressure after the defeat against Panathinaikos. How the goal came about so late on, and then the speech and the celebrations show that we are all united and together, no matter what happens, we are a team.»
On the game with Asteras:
«They are a good side who play good football. During the regular season we lost 2-1 there, so clearly they are a threat and a quality team. So we need to make sure we take care with them. We are in a good state psychologically after the victory over AEK and we want to continue with victories.»
On whether anything changes in PAOK’s approach to this match:
«No, we have two positions that we do not yet know who will play, and we will see in training.»
On Vieirinha and if he is available for selection:
«Yes, we have received the OK from the medical staff, he does not have a serious issue.»
