Loutsescu: “Maybe I was wrong about Constantelia – I wanted Lyratzis to stay”

THE PAOK comfortably passed Volos and secured the ticket to the quarter-finals of the Betsson Greek Cup, with Razvan Lucescu to speak at the press conference about four football players of his team.

The Romanian coach commented that he might have been wrong last year when he said that the Konstantelias needs to improve in terms of maturity, placed for Mark Antony and Michaelidis and referred to his stay Lyratzi to the Thessalonians.

What he said in detail:

For Konstantinos: “Maybe last year I was wrong about my positioning for Constantelia. I should have said that Giannis should improve in the area of ​​maturity. In the match, when the substitution came out, I told him that I see from him a great improvement in his maturity and responsibility in his game.

But I think he can focus even more on that, become even more effective. Not to be late for a moment for example in the game, to play for the team and not have that easy to play with the ball. He naturally has that, that’s his talent and his personality, to bring out that nice way of playing. But on the other hand when the team has to win, it shouldn’t have many situations like these. Because from a lost ball due to lack of maturity you can reach the point of conceding a goal. This is his way and I appreciate it, I told him, I have no problem but he has to aim for the team to win and give his best for that goal.”

For Marcos Antonio: “Unfortunately for him and for the team there was this long and difficult injury spell which … punished him and the team as he was deprived of a player of his quality and attributes. The other players at that time were gaining pace and confidence with consecutive wins and this resulted in him falling behind his teammates. He fought to come back, he gave his own fight.

He was giving everything to come back but it was difficult for someone else to come out and take their place. But as a ten he can give us something different in difficult moments and in important matches. He can be a good option, he’s fast, he’s smart, he’s very responsible in runs and pressing, he reads the game well and has good returns. So it is an option and step by step we will see since it is a long period with many games.”

For Michaelidis: “He is currently at a very high level of performance in all areas. Both in build up and in defense and in terms of placement, concentration and responsibility. At this moment, he is probably in the best phase of his career, while I am at PAOK. He looks more mature in his game and more aggressive. It can be improved even more.”

For Lyratzis: “I will be 100% honest with you about Lyratzis. I didn’t want him to leave, I wanted him to stay in the team. I can’t promise he’ll play, but with the frequency of the games it’s important to have him here for the team. He was unlucky, I know because he is a serious player, the most professional player I have ever known. When I say he is unlucky, I mean his injury at the start of the season and he was left behind in the internal competition, with other players in the same position. In a moment it might be time for him to play and he should be ready. I want him here, that’s my decision. It is very difficult for him to find his place, but I feel that he will find a way and a place to play.

As for handling defeat, a defeat is never easy to handle. Everyone is down, losing their cool a little and it’s hard to talk. You need to analyze what went wrong, but we don’t need to dwell on that. We had a good season, in excellent condition, we are in three competitions and on a winning streak. With a negative result it is not possible to erase everything. Many teams in Europe have a similar course and are losing, what we have to do is to move forward and stay focused. This qualification is important for the group and we continue in the Cup.”