Jovanovic: “We also have to set the right example – Our goal is to win against Maccabi”

The need for the protagonists to set a good example for the fans of the teams and not to seduce them with attitudes and statements was underlined by Ivan Jovanovich in his statements at the press conference ahead of tomorrow’s match between Panathinaikos and Maccabi Haifa, commenting on the events of the last few days in the country and the phenomena of violence.

The Greens manager pointed out that violence is everywhere and not just in football, adding…

“It is difficult to give a solution but from my side, from my statements I will try not to lead children to do things that are not appropriate. We have a new kid in the hospital who just went to do his job. We who are directly involved in this must lead by example, be calmer and more humble. Let’s not give a trigger to young children to act badly”he said while for tomorrow’s match he emphasized:

“I can’t have second thoughts, because the draw also helps us. We’ve never done that before in any game. Neither in Greece nor in Europe. We have never entered with the reasoning that a draw is good for us.”

What he said in detail at the press conference:

For the duration of the interruption:

“In the first days we were preparing the match with Atromitos, when it was postponed, then we looked at the match with Maccabi. We took advantage of the break, we have played matches at a higher intensity and these days, the 7-8, we could work more because after Maccabi there is no special time. We concentrated and worked harder for tomorrow’s game, to be as ready as possible because it is a demanding game.”

For what is happening in Greek football:

“For all of us who are in football, playing in empty stadiums is the hardest thing we can endure, as directly involved in a match. It is difficult for a player to play in empty stands. We play for the people, they motivate us. It will be very heavy, as far as we ourselves are concerned.

I understand that it can be a headache for the government and no one wants a headache. We hope that in the future these decisions will provide at least some solution to issues related to violence. I don’t expect too many things for the sequel, that something can drastically change. It is also a matter of culture, we are in the Balkans, we love football in our own way. What I can do and the people who work in teams, let’s start with ourselves, how can we protect football”

For Maccabi:

“We didn’t have any special surprises in the first match. Our group, maybe only the AEK group is more competitive, it is very strong. Maccabi have been playing together for many years, had the same coach, they know each other well. They serve many systems, it has enough quality and many more European experiences than we have in recent years.

Maccabi has the quality and the ability to take advantage of mistakes. We expect her to be competitive, she knows she only wants to win. For our part, we don’t have many options. We are preparing for an open game. Maccabi may change their profile, but we are fully prepared. The rest are inside the stadium.”

To manage the match:

”I can’t have second thoughts, because the draw also does us. We’ve never done that before in any game. Neither in Greece nor in Europe. We’ve never gone in with the mindset that a draw does us.

It’s not our style, it’s not my way of communicating as a coach. As a team we must always be positive, competitive, have demands. Only victories are the normal results for a team like Panathinaikos. We don’t like the idea of ​​a draw. Nothing changes and I hope we can show that in tomorrow’s game as well.”