Simanski: “Giannikis had forbidden me to step on an opponent’s area”

The reasons for her disappointing course AEK and ups and downs presented by his own performance attempted to analyze the Damian Simanski.

In an interview given to the website “weszlo.com”, the Polish media mentioned the reasons for new vicious season that the “Union” is going through.

Among other things, then, he spoke about Specific features of the Gianniki period, revealing that it was imposed on him limited role and sometimes its forbade even run in the opponent’s area.

Simanski’s interview in detail

How do you comment on the fact that you do not appear in the selections of the new coach of the Polish National Team?

“There was no contact with coach Michnevic. But I have to keep doing my job. I try as hard as I can. I play regularly in a good club, which may not be known on the same scale as the top five clubs in Europe, but it has its own name. First of all there is a lack of contact with the new team. When Paulo Souza came, I was on the list of players watching. I was in contact with the staff trainer, among others. I knew they were watching me. Maybe I was taking the opportunity. Well, I got it in September when there were absences. “Every coach has the right to his own choices, his ideas and I respect that.”

Have you gained stability at a high level in your collective career?

“It simply came to our notice then. This season I almost always play in the starting lineup. In the last two I played less. I did not play against Panathinaikos, as I was positive for the coronavirus. On Tuesday I was already training and on Wednesday, after a training I started with PAOK. That’s why I played less than an hour. Before Asteras, the coaches were afraid that I would see a 7th yellow card and I would risk not playing in the first matches of the playoffs. So I was on the bench. Unfortunately after I entered I got a card. So I will not start in the playoffs. “I’m a little unlucky.”

The reason you got a red card after the end of the match with Asteras Tripolis?

“I jumped on the ball with one of my opponents. I put my hand on his shoulder, I had no contact with his head. I won this duel and the referee gave me a yellow card! I was very upset. After the game I went to him and asked him if he saw the foul and the rest σε He was indignant and gave me a second yellow card. For the first time in my career I saw a red card. I will rest one game and return to the next “.

AEK will start in 3rd place in the playoffs. How do you see this mini championship?

“We are a little disappointed with the season. The potential of the team does not reflect our progress in the championship. I think we deserve more, but there is a problem. And this happens every year. We start well, everything is great and then something collapses. This is our difference from Olympiakos: It wins against competitors that are low in the standings even if it does not play better. We will stumble somewhere, after the second time and the derby will come that Olympiakos is not likely to lose. And so it escapes the table.

There is no stability in the team. We can have a great season, play well 3-4 games and win. And then to fall into a hole and not even be able to equalize, a weaker opponent! We are supposed to control the game and lose with a goal from a set phase. So we lost a lot of points. We are left with the fight for European tickets. “It does not make sense to have illusions that we are going for the championship.”

What are the reasons for the negative results that AEK has against Olympiakos and PAOK?

“This is a place we are talking about. We beat Panathinaikos and Aris at home, but we lost away. I thought we would have a good season. “Those were the assumptions we made, but unfortunately it turned out to be different in practice and we have a similar season to the previous one.”

Was the removal of Argyris Giannikis expected?

“After the 3-0 with Panathinaikos, Giannikis lost his job. This is a Greek coach who spent his whole life in Germany. He is a young coach who had a chance with us. His dismissal surprised me. I did not know it would happen. I went to training and learned everything. It was a decision of the club and I do not enter into it “.

At an individual level, what stage are you in compared to last season?

“A lot has changed with the style of my game. Most often I am six. Giannikis especially preferred more defensive behavior on the field. I have fallen for my statistics creatively. In this position much depends on the system with which the team operates. You can be a defensive midfielder and attack when you have the chance. Giannikis, however, demanded that I keep the second line and, above all, that I have control. He even happened to forbid me to go ahead and run in the opponent’s area. He generally wanted to use pressure and in the beginning it was done. It also looked good. But then there were a lot of forced changes in the 11-man squad and our style of play stopped working properly. Hence the decision of the administration to look for a new coach “.

How much did the blockade by Velez cost?

“The whole team was in a reorganization and we had not yet completed the regular preparation program. Few of those eleven who played then, still play key in AEK matches. Some then left. Of course, this does not justify us. We had no right to be excluded. “

In the summer, however, you played with Velez in July and the championship started in mid-September.

“That’s why I stressed so much that Paulo Souza had me on his radar before his calls in September. At that time I had not played a game for over a month. “The Greek championship should have started a little earlier, but there was some controversy over television rights.”

When will AEK enter its new stadium?

“The stadium is practically ready. We will play the match of the premiere at the opening of the new season. In addition, they built us a training center where AEK U23, which is playing in the second championship, will play. Plus a modern hotel. “The whole thing looks very nice.”

How is your relationship with Darko Gevtic?

“We have good contact. Darko speaks Polish. It’s nice to have him with me. He helps us on the field. He is a class player “.

What do you have to say about Yevgeny Sakhov and his support for what is happening in Ukraine?

“It simply came to our notice then. His wife had just given birth in Kyiv. Fortunately everything went well. We all try to support him. “As a Pole, I’m proud of what Poland does as a country and how it helps Ukrainians.”

Do you think what would happen if you were still a player of Ahmad Grozny?

“I am very happy that I was able to get rid of this club. I felt bad there before. And now it would be even more difficult. But who would have known that such a thing would happen? I believe that everything will end well, there will be peace in the world. “Nobody needs a war.”

Did your life change after the goal against England?

“It was a wonderful moment. I will never forget them, because I managed to live them thanks to my hard work and consistency. I was always ready and when the opportunity came I did not miss it. I am glad that I lived the term of Paulo Souza. I appreciate and respect him a lot. He showed confidence in me. He had played in another big Greek club, Panathinaikos, so he knew that the level of the Greeks is high and if someone plays often, he must be in the National. I already had some coaches in my career and to be honest I did not work in the regular part better than him. Souza knows things.

As for his departure, I do not want to comment on it, it is his business. The only thing that bothers me is that after the match with England I did not play any game from the beginning. I think I deserved it. I was ruled out with an injury in October and I know I would have been given the opportunity then. “In November I went in with Andorra for 10 minutes.”

How did you experience the goal with England?

“There was a moment of euphoria, but I did not rest. Immediately after I scored a goal in a very important game with Panathinaikos. I have an equal, good level in my club. I believe that I am going in the right direction and I do not intend to change. “

Do you feel that in AEK you are slowly reaching your ceiling?

“In June I turn 2.5 years old here. I think the first half of the year was very good. Then, due to the disorder I had with my health, a worse period started, but after that I returned to a good path and this season is the continuation of the first. In the meantime I joined the National team. After the opening of the new stadium, AEK will be able to go ahead and show more things in Greece. It’s hard for me to answer your question, we’ll see. There are two years left in the contract, I do not rule anything out. “Maybe I will stay longer and maybe I will be taken by a club with which I will go higher”.