Takianos: “We are waiting to show better things”

Fotis Takianos stressed that he was not satisfied with what the PAOK players showed against Aris in Alexandrio last Sunday and expects better examples from his players in Thursday’s match for the quarter-finals of the Cup in Heraklion, he stressed that he is still waiting for the adaptation of the young players of foreign players of the “doubleheader” and how the pride of his players has been “hurt” after the match at the Palace.

Analytically:

On the differences with league matches: “It’s a completely different process. In the championship, the first round also counts, where we won. The ‘knockout’ process makes the game special. From the last game only useful conclusions can be drawn, so that we can present a better face for a longer period of time because on Sunday we were as we wanted for only 25′.

On the adaptation of the new foreigners: “Certainly, they have not assimilated our philosophy to a satisfactory level, so that they themselves feel that they have adapted. In such situations, psychology also counts, so that these gaps can be filled with mood and team spirit.”

What can change in the psychology of PAOK: “Always the loser is ready to react. It’s a matter of psychology whether your pride has been hurt.

We try to make the players feel good inside the set. We don’t have much time to change many things, but we can focus on how the players will react to some processes that will occur during the game.”

Elvir Fridriksson added: “We saw some things in the video and we need to improve and adjust some things. We have three new players and we need to adapt better in defense and attack. It’s sometimes nice to face a team you lost to immediately after because you want to get the revenge and that’s an extra motivation.

This time there is no home advantage, as was the case on Sunday for Aris or when we played as home team in the first round. We are playing at a neutral venue, the game will be largely decided by who wants it more. That’s why we should show up ready.

Aris is a team that plays in a certain way. They play hard on defense, they have size on their racket, athleticism, they can control rebounds and we have to match their energy. It’s nice to switch shows and play in another city. It is a very nice stadium and I hope it will be a very nice event.

It’s the best level I’ve competed at in my career. There is toughness and quality, there is always competition and you have to be ready in every game. I really like the experience here and I hope to continue to develop as a player.”