Kontis: “The DNA of Panathinaikos makes the players transform – Let’s take advantage of our opportunities”

Panathinaikos is in the Netherlands where on Thursday night (23/10) it will face Feyenoord in the second match of the League Phase of the Europa League, looking for a positive result.

Speaking at the press conference, Christos Kontis answered questions regarding the image that Panathinaikos will have in tomorrow’s match and whether he will change some elements in his playing style, he compared the matches with Go Ahead Eagles and Young Boys with what will be held tomorrow, while he spoke about his plan for the eleven, as well as the suspension function.

The statements of Christos Contis at the press conference in detail:

What Panathinaikos will we see tomorrow?

“Our opponent is a very good team. Because they have made a bad start they are definitely thinking about tomorrow’s match, even though they have a derby at the weekend. We must be focused throughout the match. We saw what happened with a poor 15 minutes against Go Ahead Eagles. We have to be focused, compact and play our own football when given the chance.”

On whether he will change some elements in his game because of the opponent

“Always in the way you play you adapt some elements to the opponent’s way. When you’re Panathinaikos, you can’t change much. We are an aggressive team by nature. We should notice some good points of the opponent. There are some elements that we have seen, we have analyzed. The players will know tomorrow exactly the plan and what they have to do. We will have to put our own elements based on the image of the opponent”

On whether it’s similar to that match against Young Boys: “They sure look alike. And the Swiss were an aggressive team. Both attack with several players and play defense high. Then we got a very good result. I hope the players present the same image and the same happens. They will certainly have their moments, but we should, when we find ours, be effective”.

For the plan for tomorrow’s match: “It’s not about the plan, it’s about how much the players want it. These games for players are more than just a show. Panathinaikos DNA makes players transform. They should do what they have to do to have a good face and if we are focused not for 90, but for 95 minutes we will succeed.”

As for whether Panathinaikos is going to start the match later: “Sometimes a quick goal can seem like a deterrent. Don’t think I’m crazy. Because the team, when they score, I feel that “now we scored a goal, now we have to keep the result”. I want us to score from the 1st minute if we succeed. I think that as a team the plan tomorrow in the first minutes should be restrained. We should understand the aggressiveness of the opponent. When we can keep the ball and break the tempo, we have to manage the game and find our moments.”

For tomorrow’s lineup: “Let’s put a team that can support the plan and win. Whoever enters tomorrow I think will do well. In all the games we have played so far, they have given their all. Tomorrow we will choose the eleven and I hope the players we end up with will bring us the victory”.

On whether there is a defensive problem in the team or is it a matter of psychology or bad luck? “It is important that we have limited the opponent’s opportunities. When you hold the ball you don’t let him get close to your area easily. Some of the goals we concede are the result of individual error rather than overall functioning. This only gets better with wins and wins with more goals. When victories with a clean sheet accumulate, your psychology rises, you think you are invincible and can beat anyone. When the defense and the goalkeeper keep a clean sheet, they give incredible confidence to the midfielders and they have a different air. We haven’t reached that point yet. The chemistry in the defensive four has not yet been completely found. This happens with time, even if there is no such thing. It will happen when the team plays consistently well.”

Where does Feyenoord excel? “I don’t think that the Dutch championship is better than the Greek one. It’s just more aggressive. They play more open and don’t care much about defenses. Something that doesn’t happen to us. The top teams have excess talent, young players, therefore a lot of energy, and they also have more technical footballers, so they are not afraid to play. We must not let the opponent take all their strengths on the field, especially at the beginning”

For the fact that there are no Dutch journalists at the press conference “I don’t want to say anything about it. I have a specific opinion. We do our job and tomorrow I want us to play a good game and win”.