Metaxas: “The return of points is justified”

Iraklis Metaxas spoke about the decision to return the five points that had been deducted from PAS Giannina and how it affected the team in the press conference ahead of the match against Olympiakos.

Metaxas’s statements in detail:



On whether he believes that justice was done by returning the points and whether this boosted the confidence of his players:



“Righteousness yes, but to boost self-confidence I would not say it, because it would mean that before we did not have. On the contrary, we showed confidence in all the matches. And let us remember before the match with Lamia that we learned about -5 points. But we entered the match and won it. The team did not need anything to be confident “.

On whether there was bitterness from the way the positive result was lost in the premiere of Toumba (1-0 defeat by PAOK):



“It’s hard to watch the game on TV. I was walking up and down, shouting, I apologize to the apartment building, because I was home that day. Bitterness always stays when you lose. To say that the easiest defeats are the ones you lose with 4 or 5-0 and from the first minute it was as if I had no hope. Defeat at the last minute hurts. In the preparation of this match I had a small complaint from the team, because when we learned that we are entering the playoffs, I felt that there was an atmosphere that, since we entered now it will be a party. It’s not like that. It’s a job. Since you are 6th, why not be 5th? If you are 5th, why not try for 4th? I can say that I felt it on the first day of preparation and in some statements and discussions I heard around the team, because we are not just the players, but fortunately on the day of the game I did not see this atmosphere. I am happy with the passion that the children showed. I hope the next 9 games will be judged less by the referees’ decisions. I say this very carefully, because I understand how difficult their task is. When someone kicks in the abdomen, there should be a corresponding penalty. When someone with an outstretched hand pulls Karga’s shirt and throws it down, at least a foul must be given, I do not say card. When Perea is behind the midfield and the defender on the other side and raises a flag for offside… we all make mistakes, but to reduce them. And the referees should try to reduce their own, so that a game is not judged by such a decision. If we play straight and lose another 9 times, with bitterness, but I will give my hand to the opponent 9 times. But let this defeat be purely competitive “.

For the fact that PAS played with absences and the refereeing factor:



“I hope I can not say. We did not fall lower in the standings from the beginning, despite the problems we had. I remind you that in the beginning you asked about the preparation that did not take place in Poland, but we went to Naoussa, which then we did not have friendly, etc. The children overcame everything. If we talk about today’s training, I see an improvement, but let’s see it on the field as well. We last saw some things so well again before Olympiakos in here. Then we did not see them so well. I hope to see them again now as we saw them today in training. “Why not see a good performance again with Olympiakos, but with a different result this time”.

For the absences with Olympiakos:



“Conte is slowly getting into rhythm. The truth is that he is still watching his foot, but the children are also watching him in training. We hope it takes a few minutes, but we do not know if it will be this Sunday. Pirsman will not be with us, Lolis was injured yesterday with K19, Rizos has a virus, I hope Gardavski is well. “Today we watched him rest for a foot problem and from tomorrow I hope he will return to training so that we can have him on Sunday”.

For Olympiakos and how it sees the “red and whites”:



“I can see him well. The dashboard always shows the truth at the end. It is right where it is. When, for example, I see that he has two of the best stoppers in the Greek league and two others on the bench, it is unbelievable. He has an eleven on the field and another one outside for changes that are the best in Greece. But we play ball and we always have hopes to win. We do not enter the field for a draw, but to win. “If we do it well, otherwise if the tie comes we will be a little upset.”

For PAS fans even if it is an opportunity to enjoy games without pressure:



“I understand this with the pressure. But now that we entered the playoffs I did not feel more pressure than watching the match on TV. I do the pressure myself, I do not wait for the position I will be. If I feel pressured when it comes to not being charged, then it’s too late. You have to have the pressure every day. I remember Kahn at one point winning everything and saying what is my pressure now? That’s where the biggest problem begins. Until we get there, however, the pressure must be the same every day, we must always come in to win.

For the fans it is definitely more enjoyable, I hope they support us. We will need them one more time. We have shown many times that with our fans we play a little more and a little better and I hope it happens on Sunday as well “.

For the support of the people in Volos:



“It was unbelievable. And when they came with Lamia we played at Panthessaliko I liked it. From the first minute he was by our side. With this draw in Volos, we entered six, regardless of what would happen with the points that had been deducted “.

For the course of K19:



“Very good. Due to training I saw only the second half yesterday with PAOK. When we talk about K19 we are talking about the whole infrastructure. Yesterday I saw a child from K17 (s.s. means Nikos Lolis), who is very good. It gives us courage. We are happy for the victories and especially if we win the championship, but the main goal is for them to take the next step and come to us, without needing a whole year to get into the professional atmosphere. From what I see, we can have 2-3 players next year to raise them because they have value, not because some people say that we should have them on the roster “.

Follow News Bulletin 247 on Google News to be the first to hear the latest news .