García: “Medilibar played a big role in me coming to Olympiakos – He has a similar way of working to Ernesto”

THE Danny Garcia spoke in spanish relief and of course he mentioned Olympiakos.

The 34-year-old revealed that the Jose Luis Mendiliber played a big role in wearing the red and white, while he noted that the Basque coach and Ernesto Valverde they have a similar way of working.

What he said in detail:

For the first months in Greece: “The adventure, to put it this way, is very good as a family, we are very comfortable, we have formed a group with other Spaniards who play in other teams and we usually meet in the afternoons. We go with my daughter who is three months old, the others go with their children to the park and we drink a coffee, talk etc.

On a sporting level, I had an injury in the first week of pre-season when I felt good, I recovered in five weeks and I have already started playing, like in the second match of the league. Football-wise I’m at a good level, but physically it’s still noticeable that I haven’t had a preseason and I have problems with my calf.”

For the changes in the environment and the country: “Yeah, let’s see, there were days when I mentally said, ‘where are you going, what are you going to do’? But I think we made the right decision. Also, since I went to Holland with the team, my wife told me that our daughter was already sleeping through the night. This is a blessing, because since then we have been able to sleep very well.

In every game we have weight, most teams close behind and it is difficult to win. At the moment I think we have not reached our best level as a team and we are fighting for that.”

For his expectations: “Because of the trust shown by both the club and the coach I came for, I feel obliged to give my best. I am doing everything possible to feel good physically now. It’s the year I do the most training, to feel good because I don’t want to disappoint the people who have put their trust in me.”

On whether he feels pressure at Olympiakos: “Yes you can feel it, because you see the people around you how they feel about defeats and victories. I’m lucky I don’t read anything, or learn anything from what they say. We speak Spanish and English in the group, you don’t understand anything from Greek. So more than the gestures and attitudes of the people, you understand how big Olympiacos is, because every time you either play a bad game or get a bad result, that’s when you see the size of the team.”

For his debut in Europe: “It was a difficult game for the debut in Europe, because Lyon is a big team and they have very good players in midfield. But yes, I was very excited about it. I felt good on an individual level, but I think that as a team we need one more step to go to a better level. Now we have another important game against Braga and I think it’s important to start adding three because the home games will be key for qualification.”

For the reason he chose Olympiakos: “I talked a lot with Medilibar, though more about other things than the project. Because apart from being at Olympiakos and being able to have a non-league experience, Mendy’s presence there was very important to me. Not only because he trusted me, but because I know that everyday life with him is important and fun.

Mendy and Ernesto have a similar way of working in training, they are very similar and for the player it is very pleasant. On a daily basis it is very important to go to work happy. When Olympiacos called me for the first time, I had not decided, but I had this thought in my mind. The time had come to move on because both Athletic and I had the same doubts about whether or not to continue together. I don’t regret it because the truth is that we are very happy, both me and my wife.”

On whether he would like Athletic as his opponent: “It was terrible. At the draw, through the WhatsApp group, they were telling me ‘I hope we get lucky together’ and I was already telling them that I didn’t want to see them as painters either. No, no, I wouldn’t want that.”