Jovanovic: “Winning in England made the world proud – When there are difficulties we have both ego and courage”

OR National team of Greece will welcome her Ireland in “G. Karaiskakis” (13/10, 21:45), with Ivan Jovanovich to speak at the standard press conference.

The statements of the Serbian technician:

“I told you in the presentation. I had no experience at Nationals before. My rationale is to create a team and profile that fits our mindset and characteristics. It’s definitely not easy. They are the first games where we try to create something. Improvement is probably only through games. The match in England was much better than the previous ones. Depending on the opponent we approached the game to win. We must not hide. It was a great performance from all the players. This was seen both when things were going well and when we were under pressure. It is something that everyone likes and expresses us. Let’s keep it as long as we can.

I’m a coach. I can’t take the role of psychologist to a point where some are serious about it. This characterizes us as a people. Selfishness and courage. When there are difficulties we have them. The players showed it in conditions that were not easy. How long can we keep this up? It’s something that when you succeed, you’ll have something to lean on for the future.”

For Tsimika and Kostandelia: “He had some problem with a fever. Probably some virus. Today let’s see how it is. They had fever for two days. I hope they are well and we can have them. They feel good temporarily. Let’s see their reaction after training.”

For the match against Ireland: “Ireland are a very serious team. A team that has that national feeling. They are a team that fights and tries for 90 minutes. The 1st game we won was decided in the details. He comes here in a much better frame of mind. Let’s have respect. We have to be just as good competitively. We need to have good standard performance to get good results. Not all games are the same. I consider tomorrow’s game against Ireland to be very demanding as well.”

For the packed field for Sunday: “I’m happy about that. It’s normal for me. I know how a sports fan thinks. What it’s like to have a team that represents him. We had emphasized how in the last 10 years we didn’t have big events, people didn’t have a chance to express themselves. England’s victory made the world proud. There is an increasing obligation to keep our world together and continue to be proud of the players who represent them.”

For what to expect: “I think there weren’t many differences with the two games. Ours with Ireland and Ireland with Finland. It’s not easy. It shows that they are a team that is looking to change the score in the game. It will be a tough game. We can’t change much. It is important to see which team will be in better condition as both teams played important games for two days”.

On whether the doubles is the beginning of Greece returning to major tournaments: “I haven’t thought about what was going on in 2003. I’m definitely interested if this game with England is an opportunity for better results and certainly with a presence in big competitions I would be the happiest manager. It depends a lot on us. I believe that my players, their personalities and way of thinking and that they want to do something special with the National Team is a motivation that for me is very important.

For the sport that is the most loved in Greece. It is the great effort that we must make and our responsibilities that we must assume. This victory puts us in another process. We wanted this victory. Now we have a nice challenge because we have to deal with the ramifications of this victory. I don’t know. I don’t think about my adjustment. I have very big responsibilities for what I have undertaken. My role with the kids is to try and show how we are worthy of the position we hold.”