Alonso: “We made it easy – To be able to grow, you have to work every day”

Totally satisfied with Panathinaikos’ performance against Botev and the comprehensive 4-0 win which earned his team a place in the third qualifying round Europa League presented to Diego Alonso press conference.

The coach of the “clover” in his statements noted that the qualification was made easy by his team itself with the quick goal, he added that Panathinaikos will fight to get the qualification with Ajaxwhile he noted that he liked the personality that his team brought out on the grass.

Among other things, he referred to Tete’s good performance, while he closed by saying that he will help his footballers to always give their best.

What he said in detail at the press conference:

Qualification with an emphatic 0-4. Did you expect such an appearance and such a comfortable passage from Plovdiv?

“Good evening to all. We made it look like qualifying was easy, of course finding a quick goal gave us peace of mind and changed things for the opposition. Botev is a good team, but we fought better, more and we passed.”

Just yesterday you talked about big challenges and today this is confirmed with a match against Ajax. In your eyes, how big is this challenge given the name of the opponent and the stakes?

“Undoubtedly we will play against a great team and of course we will have to do everything to play well and chase qualification. In Athens we tried, we had a good match for 70 minutes and today we overcame it and got the qualification”.

Apart from the 4 goals, the image of the team is such that within a few days it leaves a lot of room for optimism for the future. Panathinaikos “touched” the excellent both defensively and offensively and tactically and in the management of the match. What does this mean for the sequel? Because we are still in the summer, yesterday you told us that the team will be built until August 31st. Are we on the right track right now?

“Undoubtedly in the team there is still a lot to improve and we will continue to work every day to become better. I’m happy because tonight the team showed personality, played the way we want. But to be able to grow, you have to work every day.”

What did you like most about today compared to the previous OAKA game?

“What I liked the most is the personality the team showed. In Athens until 70′ we played very well. Then we didn’t do it like today. On the contrary, today the team showed personality throughout the match. We played very well as guests and showed what we are.”

You said that Panathinaikos has personalities. Tete came in and as long as he played he took initiatives, showed his ability. How satisfied are you with his debut? Do you think another personality has been added to the roster?

“I am satisfied with the performance of everyone who played tonight. Of course, Tete’s entry satisfied us, he has been training with us for a few days but he has shown good things. But we have to show patience, so that he adapts to the country, the city and the team”.

In the two matches against Botev, we saw footballers who last year did not have such an active role coming forward (eg Geremegev, Mancini, Djurisic). Is it a challenge for you to get the best out of your players, even those who are not considered key or are coming off a bad year?

“First of all let me tell you that congratulations are due to the players, they play on the pitch. My job is just to bring out the best in them. This is what I have to do. And to know what are the characteristics and quality of each one. In this way I can help to become a better team”.