Lodingin: “We will give everything for qualification – Panathinaikos is growing, I did the right thing by staying”

What Lodingin said in detail:

The Cup was indeed a big goal for Panathinaikos. But the fact that early in the institution brings the team into a double “battle” with Olympiakos, does it give even more weight to this derby? Or do you treat the game like all the rest?

“If I want to be a diplomat and say that you see all games the same way, I will be lying. Of course, such a game – whether you like it or not – has a different, not important, but treatment. It takes much more concentration and much better preparation. It’s not so much preparation on a training level as it is preparation mentally. It’s a season of consecutive and important games. But I can’t dwell on the part that the most important games are the derbies with the strongest and most difficult opponents. No, I will say that many championships are also decided by games that you considered less important and you might lose points, which in the end would decide the championship. I believe that all games are important and I wish we could win them all regardless of the opponent. This is our goal after all. Believe me, no footballer wants to go on the pitch and say “let’s get an X”. Everyone is in to win and everyone is fighting for a ball. They want to win to claim their goal.”



It is a derby with particularities since the teams come from series games every three days. What will play a role in the final outcome?

“Because there are consecutive games, each of us needs to take advantage of as much time as possible to prepare for these matches: to do proper recovery and preparation. Therein lies the key. Also, regularly, the changes made by one coach or the other can help, but it has more to do with the psychology of the team and with the load that each team and each football player has. They all come from back-to-back games, while there’s another derby after that. These are all mental reserves that you leave on the field for 95-100 minutes. However, we all know how important these games are and we will do our best to qualify.”

Are empty stands a disadvantage?

“Unfortunately, we don’t have people in the stadium, and that’s a minus. It’s not just the help that the fans create at that moment that pushes you, it’s generally that beauty of football with stadiums full of people. Unfortunately, this is what we have to deal with at the moment.”



Does the fact that both teams have changed managers make this derby a bit more unpredictable?

“Maybe yes. But we don’t see it that way. It is a series of two difficult games against an important and strong opponent. We as football players have a preparation for the game. The coach guides us, shows us the weak and strong points of the opponent and each one of us prepares on a mental level…”.

Do you think the busy schedule has turned the road to the titles into an endurance race for the big guys?

“Definitely yes. You see that there are many games that end up being damaged. It needs proper management in the game as well. You have to understand that you can’t play at a crazy pace the whole game. In the end you might pay it. It needs proper management and a smart way of playing.”

Have the so-called “small and medium” teams risen, or have consecutive games put the “big” in a more difficult position?

“The small and medium teams when they play with the big teams don’t need to keep the ball. This means that by standing in their own half or a bit higher they can buy time, go deeper and have more energy, either on the counter attack or towards the end of games. It is more difficult for them to keep the ball under pressure. I believe this is one of the reasons that led the big teams to either drop points or be in danger. Big teams need to have possession of the ball, which I personally don’t agree with 100%. Sometimes you have to be very smart on the field. If a team for example is sitting with eleven players in their area, at some point with a chase they can make a counter and you concede a stupid goal. You have to get them out of there. You have to find ways to create spaces. We have a stick that we have to suffocate the opponent and have 100% possession. In general, the big teams are a bit captive to this…”.



Some time ago you signed the renewal of your contract with Panathinaikos. What kept you on the team?

“I was definitely kept by the behavior of the people in the team. The management, the coaches, the fans and the sympathy that exists. I took the subject seriously. The truth is, I was thinking of leaving. And that’s because I want to feel that I’m offering. When I’m somewhere, I want to offer. I don’t like to just sit on my contract and do nothing. I’ve been a star all my life and I want to stay that way. I want to offer to the team, I want to help in my way and within the team I will also win. Last season was difficult for me because I was left on the bench for too many games and it was something I have never experienced before. But I played some matches, I saw that they trust me and I thought that I had to continue with the fact that the team is also progressing, growing and trying to claim again either the championship, or Europe, or the Cup by playing at the top level. This is my goal: to be in a team that stars, that claims the highest goals. So I made the decision to renew my contract. I did the right thing…

Where do you think the title of champion will be decided?

“Two or three teams are closer. I think the title will come down to who will be better prepared and who will have mental reserves. Let’s go game by game…”.