Garcia: “Absences are not excuses, we need to work more”

Pablo Garcia emphasized that Panserraikos conceded the first goal with ten players against a superior team, he asked for more work in view of the match with Volos next Wednesday, he asked for work and a change of mentality, he stood on the reception he had in Toumba from the friends of PAOK and his former players, while he thanked Razvan Lucescu for his kind words.

Analytically: “We knew from the beginning that it would be a difficult match against PAOK. We conceded a goal when one of our players was injured, the opponents were better than us from the start. We have to keep working and improving. The next matches are very difficult and we have to learn from these matches against the big teams. In the second round we have to change the situation and present ourselves better”.

On the absenteeism issues: “Injury and absenteeism issues always affect the players. They are not excuses, but we did not have important players with us. We have to work because we have an important game ahead of us on Wednesday. In the next match we have to be better and get the points, which are very important.”

Regarding the reaction that Panserraikos wants to get: “Let’s work, learn and change some things. Let me change some things and the players. We have to play differently, but I have to say that we have only played three matches at home and nine away from home.

For a team that has just been promoted it is not easy to have so many matches away. In the second round we will have many matches at home, we will have to improve and it will be a big challenge for us without losing our goal, which is to stay in the division. When we were doing well we knew we weren’t… going for a championship. We must have our ‘feet on the ground’ and work for improvement”.

On how he experienced the match, what he said with Vieirania and how he sees PAOK: “The matches I was at PAOK were without people due to the pandemic. I have been in Greece for many years, as well as in other countries. For me it is a personal victory to be called Pavlara on the street and that remains. People stay.

We have known Vieirania for many years, when he came to PAOK we didn’t know if he was… a player, because he was short and fat, but after so many years of work, you all know who he is. I have played and met many players and when he comes to greet me it is very important. PAOK has players who make the difference from the center and up front. Good luck to all the teams playing in Europe and especially to PAOK”.

On whether he has experienced a game of someone losing with a big score and being deified and on Lucescu’s words: “I appreciate Lucescu’s good words, but we have to improve. The easy thing for me would be to play defensively to keep the ‘nil’, but I’m not like that, we don’t play like that. We have a lot of work ahead of us. I am grateful to PAOK and this is life. I was in Spain and I had many friends, but here at PAOK I made even more.”