Lucescu «We are highly motivated»
Razvan Lucescu shared his thought and insights with Novasports ahead of the Play Offs opener against PAS Giannina. Read what the Romanian coach said via paokfc.gr.
On the game against PAS Giannina:
«I expect a good and interesting game. I have noticed that the level of Greek football in general has risen. The teams are more balanced and the games are more or less the same. We come into it from a European game and only a few days of preparation for PAS, and our opponents have had a full week to prepare. For us, however, our motivation remains high, there are players who are ready to play in these games who did not play on Thursday, so we will be motivated and I expect an interesting game.»
On how easy it is for players not to think about Thursday’s game:
«You asked me about the importance of the first game of the Play Offs. So are we now saying that this game is not important? Of course it is important! I think this is the biggest ingredient that footballers should have. To focus every time on the game in question. Now we have to prepare in the best way for PAS Giannina and then when the match with Gent follows, then we will return to focus on that. This is our philosophy. That’s what we have to do and that’s what the players have to do.»
On the approach of the upcoming game and possible squad rotation:
«We have a lot of players and we have to make some changes against PAS to keep our players fresh. There are European teams that are used to playing every three days and winning games. We are in the process of developing this philosophy and through this season we will learn a lot about that which will be to our benefit for nerxt season.»