Tserin: “It’s the moment we have to show our potential – Panathinaikos and Athens are my home”

Full interview in the online magazine of PAE Panathinaikos o Adam Cherin. The Slovenian midfielder, spoke about the recent renewal of his contract with the “clover”, noting that from the beginning his intention was to remain with the team, he answered questions about tonight’s derby in OAKA with Olympiakos (06/10, 20: 30), stressing that this is the right opportunity for the “greens” to react and expressed his will to win many titles with Panathinaikos.

Adam Cherin’s interview in PAE Panathinaikos’ Match Day Mag in detail:

– The time has come for the derby with Olympiakos and as they say about these matches, neither the tradition, nor the previous results, nor the form of the teams matter, but what counts is the moment. Do you share this opinion?

“Agree! When you play in a derby like this, the eternal derby, it doesn’t matter what the teams are in before they step on the pitch. What matters is the moment and how the teams will appear on the pitch: concentration, determination, motivation are elements that determine the game. I believe that in the end the team that makes the fewest mistakes wins. As far as we’re concerned, even though the team isn’t getting the results we’d all like, they can still get a big win against our big rival. And that can change a lot. This is our goal.”

-All wins in the league give three points, but there are some wins that can offer a lot more to a team. Is the fact that winning the derby with Olympiakos will give you time and peace of mind an additional motivation for you?



“Everyone expects us to be high in the standings and get wins. But we are not where we should be. And the people are right on their part to have a complaint. So it is the moment when we have to show our potential to climb high. The good thing is that the season is long and there is time to turn the situation around. And a victory in the biggest derby will give us a big boost ahead of the next one. We need a good winning streak, and if we get it, the aura around the team will change and everything will be better.”

-For the last two years you have experience in the Greek clasicos. What does a team need to leave the field victorious?: “These derbies are always… special. The atmosphere is special, especially at our headquarters, but also away from home. You feel like it’s something special. It is by far the biggest rivalry in Greek football and you feel it when you enter the stadium. In these kinds of games, Panathinaikos fans push us and give us tremendous energy. Beyond that though, when the referee blows the kick-off whistle, there are eleven players from each team on the pitch. And there, what you will show on the field counts. It is important in these matches to have a good plan. Be well prepared, both competitively and psychologically. And with the boost our fans will give us, it’s the perfect combination for success.”

– The stadium will be full! What does a full Olympic Stadium mean to the team?: “We have seen the power of OAKA when it is full and how much the people’s push helps us. We felt it last year with Villarreal and Braga and of course this year with Lance. We want the world by our side and we know the power it gives us…”

-The team has been in a transitional stage since the summer with a change of coach, philosophy and several people. She shows that she is trying to find consistency in her game by making some good plays during the matches. Are you optimistic that you will reach the level you want?: “It is true that we have some good moments during our matches. There are periods in the matches when we play good football. Some of the goals we score are good creations, like the one we scored in Banja Luka. But obviously it is not enough to play good football for 20-30 minutes. We need to get more length in our game. Because when you play like that, you make it harder for the opponent as well. This is our goal. We want to control the game longer to have more chances to win. We can do it…”

-It was a special summer for you as you lived the Euro experience in the best possible way, but at the same time this did not allow you to integrate earlier in Panathinaikos. How did you experience this and how much did it affect you at the start of the new season?: “It was definitely a special summer. The positive side of course is that I participated in this great celebration with my country. It was an unforgettable experience. A big moment for Slovenia and for me personally. We enjoyed it and at the same time we did it with great success. We proved that Slovenia may be a small country but it deserved to be among the top countries in Europe. As far as the club is concerned, it was a difficult situation.

There was not much time for rest. The Euro drained us of a lot of energy physically and mentally. We went there after a long and demanding season. We got together right after the championships ended to start our preparation for the event. After such a tournament and such a season, you feel a little empty. You need time to recharge your batteries. But this time was short in this case, because the new season for Panathinaikos had already started. At the same time, there was also a change of coach in the team. It is not very easy to adapt immediately to the new data and to a team that has already started training with a new coach. It took time. But I think that now everything has stabilized and especially after the renewal of my contract, the best will come for me and for the team…”.

-It was not an easy task to renew, but both you and the club showed how much you wanted to continue together. What are your feelings having already ensured that you will be at Panathinaikos until 2028?: “I never hid my intention, which was to stay at Panathinaikos. From the first moment I came to the team, I felt very good. Athens and this team became my home. I enjoyed the moments inside the stadium and I wanted to continue here. But nothing is easy in football. Not even this contract renewal was easy. Like me, the club has shown its will to continue together for another four years. And I really thank the president and the technical director of the team for this deal.

I am very happy because now I can focus exclusively on football. Sometimes, with such things on your mind, it is not easy to be completely focused. Now that this chapter has closed on a positive note, all that matters is football and being here for the next four years. The big goal is to win the championship and I want, during my time here, to lift it!”.

-What does Panathinaikos mean to Adam?: “Before I came, I had heard about Panathinaikos. About how big a club it is. I hadn’t experienced it though. The team has gone through a tough time in the past, but I feel that in the time that I have been here, the team is rising and getting stronger day by day. We came very close to the league the first year I came and won the Cup in my second season. I really feel that the team is progressing. What I have realized in these two years that I have been at the club, is that Panathinaikos is an enormous size. I feel it everyday. Wherever I have been in Greece, there are Panathinaikos fans.

This team has so many people who love it and follow it and care about it. And when you experience all this, you feel – wearing this shirt – that you have an even greater responsibility towards these fans. You want to give satisfaction to this world. You want to offer them something they will remember you for. And this is my goal for the time I will be here, to achieve something for which the world of Panathinaikos will remember us”.