Almeida for Athanasiadis: “I am here to support the players”

THE Matias Almeida called qualification open after a balanced first game between AEK and Ari (0-0). The Argentinian coach referred to the practical support he showed to Giorgos Athanasiadis, but also to the returns of Araujo and Fernandes.

In detail, Matias Almeida spoke about:

-for the image of the match: “An even game. In the first half we were more in control. We missed being clear. But it’s the typical qualifying games. With both games. The qualification remains open. It was an even game.”

on whether he has seen improved Mars: “Yes, I had already seen Aris, that he has improved. And the championship match was even. The opponent is improving as a team. I had the opportunity to express my feelings with the coach of Aris. It is very good for the overall competition to have more equal teams”.

-for Athanasiadis for the difficult end he had in 2023 and the decisive intervention he made: “First of all in this life we ​​all make mistakes. Many times when you make mistakes you are judged and many times you may be canceled by others. This is not the typical work we do. We trust all players, because behind a professional there is a human being. Although he did well last year and had important operations, he plays in a position, these guys, that with the slightest mistake your team can pay for it and concede a goal. We are here to support them both when they are well and when they are not well. We need to have them all ready. When someone makes a mistake it is essential that we understand them and we give them the tools to try to improve. There is always a person and I respect people. He had a very good performance tonight and I’m happy for him.”

-for Pissarro and Ponce: “It’s not that easy not to have many games in a row. There are some players who feel this more than others. We have to keep working to find the best version of each of the players. They train well, they try, they are committed. And as with everyone what we want is for them to feel good and confident. We have to achieve that confidence.”

– about how he saw Araujo and Fernandez: “It is very important that they are back. Apparently they also lack rhythm. We hope they get up to speed quickly and enter the rest of the competition with their teammates.”