THE Sotiris Sylaidopoulos spoke to Sky Sports and referred to his conquest Conference Leaguebut also his Youth League from Olympiakos, stressing that he hopes other Greek teams will follow the example of the “red and whites”.
Everything he said in detail:
“Sometimes what happens in real life is bigger than you can imagine. To be part of two glorious days for Olympiacos, a club with a 100-year history, was truly amazing. The only words I can find are that I am blessed to have lived through these historic moments.
The way we succeeded was not really a typical Greek way and that is very important for us. Anyone who watched us during the tournament would have seen that we had a clear tactical plan and strong principles in all phases of the game. We saw a profile of dominance, pressing, which is a really strong point of the team. It showed that, even as a Greek club, we have the methodology and knowledge to succeed at this level and be really competitive against clubs like Bayern, Inter and Milan.
Even in those games, against really big opponents, we never felt like we were the underdogs. You could see that we had confidence, that we trusted ourselves to play football in a good way and that we could win in our own way.”
On Vangelis Marinakis: “He was the first to believe that we could win these European titles, both with the youth team and the first team. When we talk about youth football, it has to be a long-term progression, starting many years before in the academy. He understood that.
We were the only club in the UEFA Youth League not to have a single foreign transfer in our squad. This is very special for us. Our team is completely Greek, with players who have spent many years in the academy. That means they understand and share our values and vision, as does everyone else at the club, from the technical director to the caretaker.”
For Sina: “Sina has been really important to our success. He was amazing throughout the tournament and helped us win three penalties. I think the future will bring good things for him.”
About Mouzakitis: “Mouzakitis is a kid who is really mature for his age. He controls his emotions and looks bigger than he is. He plays as a defensive midfielder, but he scores so many goals. It’s not just his talent, but also the character he shows.”
For Kostoulas: “He has everything to have a great career. He was the youngest in the team, so we have to be patient with him, but he is an amazing player who has a killer instinct, which is not easy to find.”
For the next step, have these guys play in the first team: “That’s the ultimate goal, to get these players into the first team. This is also the idea of Mr. Marinakis. His vision is to bring in our own players from the academy. Don’t forget that in the Conference League final against Fiorentina, there were three academy players who started – Panagiotis Retsos, Konstantinos Fourtounis and Konstantinos Tzolakis – and another three who were on the bench.
So it’s a process that the club is already doing very well. But I think after this success, the way will be even more open for the U19 boys to break into the first team.”
For Mediliber: “There’s not much I can say about his coaching. What he has done, winning two European titles, first with Sevilla and now with Olympiakos, speaks volumes. It’s like being at university being around him and part of my job now is to help the new guys step up.
I always say it takes nine or ten years for a player to reach the first team, but it can only take two or three minutes for him to be assessed and whether or not he will succeed at senior level. Everything is completely different, so they need to be helped and prepared.”
For the progress of Greek football: “We had a great success with the Greek national team in 2004, winning the European Championship, but we didn’t really make big strides in European football. For me, the combination of winning the Youth League and the Conference League shows that Olympiacos is a club that works very well. We should be proud to be, in some ways, a “European” club in terms of the way we operate and the way we do things.
This is something that many other clubs in Greece should use as an example, but another aspect is that we have created a legacy and a path of faith for all young Greek players, showing that we have the potential to do great things and be at a higher level.
I think these two great achievements fill us with responsibility for what we need to do in the future, to continue the process. My hope is that we can show the way to other Greek groups and Greek organizations to build and become successful.”
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
