Mladenovic: “I didn’t want to provoke in the Velodrome – I’m looking forward to the matches in OAKA”

He makes his debut in the Stoiximan Super League Panathinaikoswhich confronts him Bullet on the Avenue (20:00, COSMOTE SPORT 2).

THE Filip Mladenovic he spoke to the digital match program of the specific match, where he mentioned his celebration at the “Velodrome”, his first time in Athens but also his ambitions with the “greens”.

He detailed the following:

The last penalty in the Velodrome, the execution, your celebration, the others coming madly towards you. A terrible picture. Have you realized that you were in a moment that will remain forever in the history of Panathinaikos?

“Not yet. I think we will realize that and understand what we did, in the next few years. Now we have one more big goal ahead of us. A great challenge to complete a dream of ours, the Champions League. Undoubtedly, this club deserves it.”

Did the way you celebrated at the Velodrome come out of nowhere at the time?

“Yes, it was of the moment. There was so much commotion on the field throughout the game. It was something crazy. I have played in many big matches but there the atmosphere had something special. So what I wanted at that moment, was to close my ears and listen only to myself. Me and nothing else. It was not to provoke, nor to provoke by saying that I do not listen to you. I closed his ears wanting to hear me, my breathing. And at the same time I saw my teammates and the whole team coming towards me. It was really an incredible feeling. This image will remain forever.”

What do you think when you go to take the last penalty that you know will decide a big qualification? Have you ever been in such a position before?

“Not in the last penalty. I remember a match with Red Star in Cyprus against Omonia, I took the sixth or seventh penalty but there was another penalty after me. I didn’t feel much pressure against Marseille. I had already chosen where I would perform it. I felt good and I told the referee: “If you want, put me in the last penalty”. It was meant to be I think. I won’t say it’s a quality issue. It’s a matter of time. Today you put it, maybe some other time you will lose it. The day after my penalty, my friend Gudel from the National team, who plays in Seville, missed the last penalty in the Super Cup final. He didn’t deserve to lose it, but it happens in football.”

Everyone has realized that Panathinaikos is a good, quality and stable team. And you yourself obviously know it better than anyone. However, the qualification over Marseille, the reaction of the team and the way they got the ticket to the next stage, showed you that you can rightly dream of the Champions League groups?

“We came back from a very difficult situation. It’s not easy to concede a goal in the first minute and then concede a second goal in the 45th minute. If you were told the worst time to concede a goal, you would say the first and last minute of the half. And the way we reacted is incredible. I think we deserved it in the end. I felt it on the pitch as well and I think that as a team and as a group we deserved it. From the first game we felt it in Athens, that we can fight for the dream, for the Champions League. As a team we are still in the process of trying to improve, to get to know each other and for the new players to bring new energy and quality to the whole.”

One step left to qualify. How close or how far are the Champions League groups?

“We have another step, which is even more difficult. All of us players should give it our all, whether we are playing or not playing. To have energy, character and be alert to give everything. We are close but at the same time we are far. 90 minutes is a long time. Even one minute can be too much to change everything in football.”

What is your assessment of the away match against Braga?

“We were a bit lucky to score in stoppage time. But it was something very positive at the end of the match and ahead of the rematch in Athens. We had analyzed Braga well and faced exactly what we expected. They didn’t surprise us. I think they took advantage of the moments when we had less concentration.”

Are there any predictions on these types of games?

“Everything is open. It is a game where the odds are 50-50. In these matches the moments determine the result. I hope that the Olympic Stadium will be full and that with the support of our fans, which is an advantage for us, we will succeed and qualify for the Champions League groups.”

Before the rematch with Braga, Panathinaikos enters the championship battle against Volos. The fact that last season the title was lost at the last minute do you feel it keeps the team’s motivation for the championship at the highest level?

“Undoubtedly. Now we want it even more. One of the reasons I came was this: I like to claim and fight for titles. For the championship, for the Cup, for the European Cups. We know it will be a long, difficult and demanding season but we also know we have a good team and we will fight for the championship. It’s a big goal for us.”

What is the first image you have of the Greek league and the teams that will star?

“There are very good opponents and it will be a very interesting season. It is already seen in the European qualifiers that all teams are strong and give big battles. And this is good overall for Greek football. Obviously, they are our big opponents with whom we will fight, within the limits of fair play, for the championship, but what is happening with the course of the Greek teams in this year’s qualifiers is very good for Greek football”.

Panathinaikos has already played five official matches, all of which were demanding. Do you think this is an advantage for the team as they have gained a competitive pace?

“For sure. At this time when the championships start it is not possible to be in your best form, as you will be in November, December or March for example. After all, we see it during the summer qualifiers with several results. So the fact that we have official games at our feet is an advantage. Friendlies may look like official matches but they are very different. And especially the European matches are demanding and of a high level”.

Usually the problem in such circumstances is to put the European match that preceded and the one that follows, where the stakes are too high, out of your mind, to devote yourself to a league match. How can you avoid the trap?

“It’s an English week with three matches in seven days. You have to change your thinking from Europe to the league and back to Europe again. But if you want to be at the highest level and ask for something more, you have to put your mind to the process that every match is different. This is the way”.

What were the reasons that brought you to Panathinaikos?

“I came mainly for sporting reasons. I certainly knew that Panathinaikos is a great team, that it has fantastic fans and that Athens is a wonderful city. Of course, it had difficult years in the past, but now it presents a great perspective for the future, as the last two years show. So everything was leaning towards me choosing Panathinaikos, so that we could all level up together, claim titles and chase our dreams in Europe. And we started well…”.

Coming to Greece, what did you encounter?

“I am very pleased. It is very important to me that my family is happy here. The sun, the environment, the sea. Everything is closer to us, to our country, to our culture. I already feel like I’ve been in Greece for a long time. And this helps a lot in the adaptation…”.

Did the good atmosphere within the team help in this?

“With no doubt. Its amazing! It took me almost no time to adjust. Everyone in the team is top. I feel like the group we have is great. Certainly the coach has done a very good job in this”.

You had heard a lot about the strong headquarters of Panathinaikos before you came. You’ve already played on the Avenue. What are your first impressions?

“It’s a stadium with a soul. And you can feel this soul immediately. The connection between fans and players is unique. You feel it even from the friendly matches. It’s something special what you feel inside the old stadiums. The atmosphere is terrible. You really enjoy playing on the Avenue. Of course, we will play the European matches at the Olympic Stadium, but I think that the atmosphere and support from our fans will be impressive there too, since there will be three times as many people in the stands. I look forward…”.

How is Philip off the pitch?

“Totally different. Completely! Lion inside the stadium, but cat outside it (laughs). Is true. I am quiet, calm and smiling.”

How do you spend your free time?

“I spend most of my time with my family. We go for walks, to the park, to the sea, to a restaurant. When there is time I want to spend it with my family because then the situation will become more difficult with the traveling and the continuous matches. When I have time, I would like to visit the historical places of Athens. The Parthenon, the Panathenaic Stadium. There is so much history in Greece…”.

What sports do you like to watch?

“I like tennis. Especially when Djokovic plays I watch him, as does all of Serbia (laughs). I also like basketball. If there is a good game either in the Euroleague or in our own league, the ABA League, I watch them. Of course, I also watch a lot of football, but when you have children, the time for everything else is limited.”

I want to win everything. Everything is possible: league, cup, qualifying for the Champions League groups. All that a big club like Panathinaikos deserves. It is a club that should always be at the top and every day we will fight for it. We will fight for the glory of Panathinaikos”