Embila: “I believed in the title even at -12, the referee should do his job on the Avenue”

THE Jan Embila forcefully returned to its original shape Olympiacos in the victory over PAOKwith the Frenchman and his teammates now preparing for the big match against Panathinaikos at Leoforos.

The French midfielder made statements to Cosmote TV and, among other things, referred to his credit for the title – who did not lose even when his team was twelve points away from the top – in the refereeing, his return and also Valbuena!

What he said in detail:



For the match with PAOK:

“Determination was what gave us the impetus to perform like this. It was also a result of the very good work that we have done all along with Mr. Mitchell and continue to do. This change after our draw with Aris acted as a motivation in the minds of many players and made us more determined to win this game, which we did.”



On his return from injury:



“Yes, I did everything really to play in this match. I really wanted to be ready and help the team. During the break I tried very hard to prepare. For me it was very important to come back and I worked hard for it.”



On whether he thinks football owes him something from this year’s derby with Panathinaikos:



“It also depends on the referee of course… We will have to be very focused and dominate the game. As you know very well, six months ago we might have been good against PAOK, but six months ago if we had conceded a goal we would not have continued to dominate the game. So whatever happens, even if we concede the first goals again, we must continue to give everything and believe until the end in the implementation of our own plan. We should get bad in a good way. To be aggressive, to win all duels and to give everything from the first to the last minute. Then I believe we will win and I hope the referee will do his job”.



On whether they now believe more that they can win the championship:



“For me personally, nothing has changed. I believed that we could win the championship even when we were 12 points behind Panathinaikos. Olympiacos is a team that can make such reversals and win the championship. Of course, as the gap narrows, people have begun to believe it more. Even me and my family have taken more courage and believe it more. Of course, we need to keep our heads in our heads and always do what we did in the match against PAOK. If Olympiacos plays like this, we believe that in the end the title will be ours again”.



For Valbuena:



“That’s Mathieu’s strength. This is his great quality. No matter how old he is, he can always perform well and help the team. He has offered a lot to the club since the first moment he came to Olympiakos and still continues to offer. I have said it before that even in 3 or 4 years, even after 40, Mathieu will be able to play just as well. I hope he is at Olympiakos by then and helping the team because the club is very lucky to have a player like him.”