Cuesta: “We have to aim for the top four – We were disrespected and punished”

The need and… obligation for Aris to aim for the top four in the new competitive season was raised by Julian Questa in his statements from Ptolemaida, where the team’s mission is for the main stage of the preparation.

The goalkeeper of Aris was also placed for the punishment that has been imposed by the EPO Disciplinary Committee for not receiving the medals, characterizing it as completely unfair.

“In addition to the fact that this is an extremely unfair decision, we were on the bench, no one notified us and we were not even respected. I know that after a final the losers get their medals first. We saw the winner take the medals and the Cup. It was disrespectful to us and a big surprise. We are disappointed because not only were they not respecting us, but they were also punishing us.” he reported.

Analytically:



“A special moment for me is approaching as in my family we are waiting for the child to arrive. I feel good, Greece is a country I love where I feel safe and together with my family we enjoy the time we spend” “We lost a final that we waited for many years. It was a difficult year. We have waited many years for the moment to claim the Cup. We lost as we lost and it wasn’t easy for either of us. But now we have a new year ahead of us. The truth is that there was an extremely difficult period, the one that followed the loss of the Cup for all the players. Now we have to change gears, look ahead and claim new goals, new distinctions. That is why we are here and working these days. We are waiting for the developments, the players who will come, possibly for some to leave. We’ll see how the roster shapes up. Needs patience”.

“I want to talk about the punishment imposed on me and many of my teammates. After the final we waited for twenty-thirty minutes in front of the counter for someone to call us. We were informed of the penalty. In addition to the fact that this is an extremely unfair decision, we were on the bench, no one notified us and we were not even respected. I know that after a final the losers get their medals first. We saw the winner take the medals and the Cup. It was disrespectful to us and a big surprise. We are disappointed because they not only disrespected us but also punished us.”

On his new contract:



“Both I and my family are happy in Thessaloniki. I am delighted to have renewed my contract for the next three years. As I said earlier, we have a good time with my family. I came to the team many years ago, it is improving year by year at all levels, in terms of facilities and operation. And this year interventions are being made around the issues of the team, in organizational issues but also in terms of benefits to the players in order to have the guarantees for a good year.

For the next season I can’t say much because as I mentioned before the team is in the process of building, some players will come, others may leave. Targeted and intelligent choices must be made. We also know that we are a team that cannot afford to spend recklessly like other teams. I hope that in the next three years we will win a title and return to Europe.”

On whether he expected to spend years on Mars:



“The truth is, I didn’t expect it. I came from a difficult year in Poland, in difficult conditions due to the weather. From the first day I came to Aris I felt the love of the world and that helped me to adapt. It helped me to do better and we got to the point of creating a love relationship with the world that keeps getting stronger.”

For the new format:



“For me it’s good and it shows that we should aim for the 4th. We are a good team, we play with everyone looking them in the face and I believe that once the changes are made in the training center we will have better facilities and possibilities to work and get to where we want to be. I see no reason why we shouldn’t aim for the top four””

On whether he will speak Greek:



“I understand Greek but I can’t speak Greek that well, I might say something maybe not in the right way and be misunderstood.”

If the fans’ smiles are motivation for next year:



“People’s disappointment is normal. We reached the final with expectation and belief. Winning the Cup was the dream of all of us. Now, we have to build the team from scratch and we have a month ahead of us. The presence of the crowd is important because when we see them filling the stadium, our psychology changes. We know how he feels and we understand. We are waiting for the crowd and I am sure it will give us extra motivation. I know it’s difficult and disappointing what happened for the world as well but we have to look ahead and focus on next year. We will determine the course of the year.”