Ozdoev: “Let’s reach the final of the Conference League with PAOK”

His desire to reach the final of the Europa Conference League with PAOK expressed the Magomed Ozdoev.

The central midfielder of the “double-headed of the North” granted a long interview to Russian media and referred, among other things, to what he has heard about the rivalry that exists with Olympicwhile he also stood in the victories at the end with Aberdeen and Eintracht Frankfurt.

In detail, Ozdoev’s long interview:

Regarding the derby with Olympiakos: “For me this will be the first game with Olympiakos. I hope it will be a great match. They have a good team, and so do we. Let’s see, the strongest will win. I haven’t delved into the history of PAOK’s rivalry with Olympiacos yet, but when I came to the team, they immediately told me that they don’t like the color red here. I asked, “Why?” They answered: “Olympian.” For PAOK this is the most important opponent. Although my opinion: the color does not play a special role. The main thing is to beat them».

About PAOK’s progress in Europe and whether this is a surprise: “Not at all! We have a good team, quality players and a competent coaching staff. I think that if PAOK played in Russia, they would fight for first place. The first four in Greece are very strong teams. So I am not surprised by our success in Europe. God willing we reach the final! I want it very much».

For the two matches with Eintracht and Aberdeen that were decided in the final: “It was a thriller, it’s true. As they say, everything comes back. We lost OFI in the 95th minute and unfairly lost the match we should have won. As a result, we have taken it back now. We also didn’t deserve to lose or even draw against Eintracht. We had many chances. We scored a quick goal disallowed due to offside by a centimeter or even a millimeter. Now the most important thing is to finish the group stage in first place to reach the quarter-finals directly».

On his participation in the upset with Aberdeen: “Yes, I won a penalty. Aberdeen are a good but purely Scottish team. If you play their football, they will run you over. They control the ball well from the back, but they practically do not use vertical passes. A third of the pitch is passed too quickly – due to attempts at long or diagonal passes from the defence».

On how PAOK managed to turn the match around: “We put the ball down and started to press more in the half court. Because of our quality, we managed to turn the match around».

For the match against Atromitos and his two goals which were the first time in his career with two goals in one match: “Yes, this is the first time I scored two goals in my career. It was nice. Always in a good mood, especially when the weather is not hot! I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I also scored the third. But that goal was disallowed after VAR assessment – it was offside just before I got the ball».

On the transfer of PAOK, the negotiations with Karagümruk and the attitude of the Turkish team: “They had objections. They didn’t want to let me go to PAOK. But such is life. There are certain agreements. I myself participated in the negotiations. It was very difficult, but we agreed. For the first time in my life, I negotiated directly with the management of the club. I met with the president, discussed the terms of termination of the contract – what concessions they were prepared to make and what concessions I was willing to make. A friend and colleague of mine only helped him. As a result, PAOK paid some compensation and Fatih released me».

Regarding whether there were other offers besides the one from PAOK: “The offers came at the end of the season, in May. In June the contacts started, the most active was PAOK. I saw serious interest from the side of the club, from the coach to the management. They called not in general, but they called me personally. And I already knew that PAOK is a high-level club that constantly fights for the championship and plays in European cups».

On whether he has met Ivan Savvidis and how close he is to the team: “Personally no. We met during the negotiations. Ivan Savvidis called and we talked. After our conversation, I decided that I will transfer to PAOK. He doesn’t come to the locker room, but he’s around the team all the time. He makes video calls, communicates with the team, worries about us and is there for us».

On his partnership with Razvan Lucescu and what he has heard from former teammates about Mircea Lucescu who was at Zenit: “I don’t know about Mircea, but all the guys who worked with him at Zenit speak highly of him and say he’s an excellent coach. And Razvan is a very meticulous person, he analyzes everything down to the smallest detail. They say he looks like his father. He is a man of temperament, he is emotional and charismatic».

How to contact PAOK: “Mainly in English, because there are many foreigners. I must say that many footballers who have been playing for a long time already know Greek. My English is enough to communicate, but I will continue to study and complete my studies in English».

On whether there is a player in the team who can speak Russian with him: “I can chat with Tyson, who played for Shakhtar. Tomas Kenziora knows Russian quite well and helps me in communication. Sometimes he suggests some words if I don’t fully understand what the coach is saying or if I don’t understand some things in general».

For the process of introducing him to the team and the consecutive games: “In our group, for example, we have this approach. A newcomer must first log in and join the group. Everything is done slowly, in installments. Therefore, there is constant rotation in PAOK. We are playing on two fronts and soon a third will be added – the Greek Cup. If a team wants to fight for the top spots, you can’t do it without rotation. You come in as a substitute from somewhere, you start from somewhere».