Dabrauskas: “Next year in OFI we will have 25-26 football players”

Regarding what OFI is planning for the new season, the coach of the Heraklion team spoke, Valdas Dabrauskasemphasizing that he wants the Cretans to form a roster 25-26 football playersalong with the goalkeepers.

Regarding the number of the roster he wants to work on in the new year, he emphasized that: “To be honest, because we discussed it, 25-26 footballers together with the goalkeepers. So 22 players together with 4 goalkeepers and this year we had a very large roster with the result that when we went to the games we left out 4-5 players which was sad for them because each of them should have the opportunity to participate in the team . Through this number we will be able to give the opportunity to new players who will be presented when injuries or suspensions occur. It is a road on which we learn to drive, we will have our ups and downs.”

For the characteristics of the players that OFI wants: “I don’t like to talk about formations because that’s not the most important thing. What is important, when it comes to transfers, is what we want. We are talking about pressure and attacking football. We want to press to have constant possession of the ball, play aggressively and have the ball at our feet to play for us. When we talk about players, we think about the characteristics of footballers who must be fast players, have key passes, create assists, score goals. To be able to play under pressure, not to be afraid to play in stadiums that are full of people. I’m not just talking about attacking players, for example if a stopper leaves, we have to replace him with another one who will be good with the ball at his feet, be quick, promote the team’s play. In cooperation with scouting and Ivan Slavov, we did not start the search for transfers now, when the previous transfer window ends, we start the search for players for the next one.”

For the renewals of Giannoulis and Sotiriou: “We have to maintain a stability in the team. These players are important for the dressing room, to maintain a Greek body and strengthen it, it is something we discuss with Minas as well. OFI has always been a team that had a Greek base. Maybe some of the players didn’t play much, Marinakis started to be among the main players, he was unlucky because he was injured in the game against Panathinaikos and Larson plays in the same position, who together with Toral were the top players. But the competition is such in football that every player has to try to win his place. Maybe Giannoulis and Sotiriou didn’t play that much in the locker room and this is something that I discuss with them is that their role in the locker room is very strong. If you look at the last 15 years in OFI, there is a lack of stability. One matchday we are upset that we didn’t beat Olympiakos and the next we say “oh my god, let’s not be in the last places”.



For the Fearless: “Atromitos has a distinct style of football, a consistent course throughout the league. Aris for example can make three consecutive wins and then lose, Atromitos goes consistently throughout the league. I like how they play, they are an organized team. When we played in Heraklion, they only played defensively, scored a goal and then defended to keep it. I believe that at home they will need to play aggressively, but the issue is not Atromitos but what we will do.

We are working for first place, the previous game left us with a bitter taste because we wanted to get the third win in a row. Usually when we play well we take the lead and keep it, now we weren’t good and we took the lead. Of course we can play better, we were below our standards, Asteras came, played for the point and left happy. We are upset that we didn’t win, now we are playing with a team that, like us, is the only one that doesn’t have any pressure in this process. All the others play with pressure except for us and Atromitos”.

On what he wants ahead of the three matches: “What do you remember from the end of last season? The defeat in Volos. This is the last one left. I want us to play aggressively, get the wins and score goals. I believe we can show the stability needed in the last three games, of course I recognize that it is difficult but everything is connected to this year. You know, for players who have been in the team since the beginning of the year, it’s very difficult for everyone and it’s like three years in one. Nobody wanted the team to be in this position, it was low, and for me it was difficult because it was the first time in my career. All the players who have been in the team since the beginning of the year, it’s like they fought for three seasons to get to Europe.”