Jovanovic: “Panathinaikos is back where it belongs – This year’s championship is exciting”

Read what Ivan Jovanovic said at the press conference after Panathinaikos’ victory in Toumba.

For the three consecutive victories of Panathinaikos: “The draw with Volos has come and it can happen. When a team is first in the league from the beginning, it must overcome any such result. It was a big loss for us. We then managed to win two very important games. As for the importance of winning. As games go by, they matter more. We beat one of the best teams in the league”.

For his team’s reaction: “We are a hardened team. The style of the players, the way they work and the way they perceive things shows that we have that character. We are at the top of the standings and that is one of the main reasons we are there. It is a strong foundation for the years to come. Panathinaikos suffered a lot and with steady steps it is returning to where it really deserves to be. My players believe in themselves. We are a very big organization and my players have done very well.”

For the unsuccessful results against PAOK in January: “I want to tell you that as a team we have enormous respect for PAOK, which has been doing very well in recent years. Claims titles. The home of Toumba is always difficult for all teams. These games have nothing to do with the January matches. Then we were in a period where we were not playing well. PAOK was better then and excluded us from the institution of the Cup, which Panathinaikos must go to the end in this competition. But we cannot go back to the phase we are in. All games are different. The teams are close to each other in terms of quality. The three points in today’s game are a step closer to the ultimate goal. I am very happy that we managed to win the game. As for Tyson, we know his quality.”.

On the stress of the players in the delays: “If I had known, believe me, I wouldn’t have had white hair (laughs). This is difficult. This last period of delays we were under a lot of pressure. We always have a plan for these phases, but when there is this pressure to win it makes us function more inhibitingly than necessary and there is a justified panic. Of course, this is an issue and it is not pleasant. It is an experience for us that we will carry into the next games. Up to a point I can understand my players. Because from the moment PAOK equalized, everything that was happening was out of football logic. That’s what football is all about. I am sure that everything that happened in the game made those who saw it very happy. Of course, we are a little more”.

For what the game was judged: “Your question is very good. Motivation played a role, but PAOK also played with great motivation from the 70′ onwards. If someone saw it, they would say it’s the last game of the season. They were both terribly motivated. PAOK was more aggressive than us and we, because of the score we had from Ioannidis’ goal, wanted time to run out. We didn’t even know how many delays would be played. We didn’t even know how many minutes we played after the penalty. I can’t tell you clearly where it was judged. Maybe the result we wanted so much created a game where the balance was constantly changing”.

For the celebration of Ioannidis: “I don’t know what Fotis did. Rest assured that we have high goals and pressure, but we are not a team that wants to challenge. I work with these guys. I don’t feel that they don’t have as a team to create tension and challenge. You understand it from my statements and those of the players. We are not a team that tries to provoke and we have no reason to do so. We don’t want someone to come to our headquarters and challenge us. We are against any movement it may cause. I honestly haven’t seen it. And Aitor is not a provocative child. In my era we had a bit more magic, but my players don’t do that. The sport is alive, but we separate that from challenging. The best healthy part in Greek football is the protagonists. The players and the coaches. We have a very competitive league. And we will try to have the same one afterwards. We are living in a good time for Greek football. Either way, each team will get what they deserve. The stadiums are full. Remember that two years ago there were no people in the stadium at all”.

Regarding whether one of AEK and Panathinaikos has a lead: “We have five games to go and everything is difficult. The championship is exciting. No one has an advantage. We will have to be focused until the end. We will try until the end”