Sastre: “I have many dreams, I want to play in the Champions League with PAOK”

The 20th matchday of the Stoiximan Super League includes a big derby, since the PAOK welcomes him to Toumba Panathinaikos (28/01, 20:30).

In view of this match, o Joan Sastre he talked about his general course in “biceps of the north” but also his goals with the team.

What he said about PAOK in detail:

On whether there are people who have helped him in his career: “There are always people who help you, especially in the psychological part. For example, this year a psychologist has joined PAOK alongside the coach. It helps us to manage all situations, believe in ourselves and face every situation with maximum positive attitude, give our best. There are, of course, others who have helped me.”

On how he came to PAOK even if there were other teams that wanted him: “I don’t like to talk about other teams, with PAOK it was something we both wanted. It was an easy decision to come here, I didn’t have to think about it much and that’s how I ended up going to PAOK that January (2022). I am very close with my family and we discuss everything, especially with my partner. The truth is that I made the decision to go to PAOK with great enthusiasm because it is a big team, a team that plays in Europe, claims the Championship and the Cup and competes with other big teams here in Greece, here they see football somewhat differently” .

For his first period at PAOK: “I went in the middle of the season (2021-2022), we had a lot of games then, both for the Championship and the Cup. In the league we finished second, got a place for Europe and competed with the other strong teams in the playoffs. We also reached the final of the Cup, it was an exciting battle”.

For last season: “When I came to the team, the same pattern was constantly repeated, we had consecutive matches. I had to know the team, the city, there was not much time available. The second season started on the best terms for me. I now understood the coach’s ideas clearly, I participated in the summer training, the coach trusted me a lot, I played a lot. In the end we finished fourth in the Championship, we went into the Conference League, in the Cup we reached the final and that is a sign that you are among the best. You certainly enjoy the competition in the Greek Championship, with the playoffs, there are 3, 4 teams competing for the title. And the playoffs are really an exciting process.”

As for what language they speak in the PAOK locker room, given that there are Spaniards (him and Brandon) and several who speak Portuguese: “We speak mainly English which helps us at work, a little Greek and whenever we can, with Brandon, Spanish.”

For the empty stadiums in Greece this season: “There was an issue with Olympiakos, the government decided to close the stands until mid-February. For us this created a problem because we have many derbies this season and we are forced to give them without our people in the stands. In Greece, the public, especially that of PAOK, is enthusiastic and helps us a lot, it is one of the best in the world. It gives us a boost, we experience a fantastic atmosphere with this crowd and now we are forced to play without the fans on our side.”

On how this season is going: “The season is going very well, we are fighting a real battle in the Championship, we are enjoying our run to the Cup and the Conference League where we are already in the 16″. In the Championship, it is very important what we will do in the playoffs, how we will get the most points, because it is basically a new Championship. For us, the most important thing is to continue as we are going now, to face the games with the same enthusiasm, to give our maximum in every match and to go game by game. Now we have a month ahead of us with many games in the Championship and the Cup.”

On what he would like to have achieved at the end of the season given that PAOK is in all the titles: “I don’t like to think like that, I like to see things as they come. For me, the most important thing is the next game and now what I’m thinking about is only the match with Panathinaikos that we have ahead of us. We have to enter as well as possible, to get the three points, I believe that everything will go well in the season.”

On his career dreams: “I have many dreams, but at the moment I am thinking that I am in Greece, we are in the Championship, in the Cup, in Europe, it would excite me to win a title and play with PAOK in the best possible European competition (s.s. Champions League)”.