Padovic: “Let’s do a restart and a winning streak – I’m here, waiting for my chance”

After all, an interview with Panathinaikos’ Matchday Mag about tonight’s game against Asteras Aktor in Leoforos was given by Milos Padovic.

With the Serbian striker, he talks about his dreams and ambitions with the “greens”, about the arrival of Rafa Benitez on the bench, but also about the mistakes that his team should not repeat in the crucial games to come…

What he said in detail:

After a difficult period, the team reboots. Do you feel like it’s an opportunity for all of you to make a fresh start?

“Yes, of course! We had a difficult period behind us. And now is the opportunity to restart with our new coach. Of course, we all really want to do our best and get things right. Things that led to us losing points so we could celebrate victories. We want step by step to start building a winning streak. I hope, from now on, with the new energy, the new system, the new things that the new coach will bring, that everything will go better for our team.”



Coming to Panathinaikos last summer it was different, but now you will have the privilege of training under the instructions of Rafa Benitez. How are you feeling?

“Since I’m also a Liverpool fan, the joy is even greater (laughs). I was three years old when he won the Champions League! It is a great honor for me to work with him. Everyone in the team was impatient to start training with the new coach. Now we have to adapt to the new system, to everything new it will bring. He has vast experience. He has coached big teams like Real Madrid, Liverpool, Chelsea, Napoli, Inter. He has an amazing career. He will definitely bring something new to the club. So we are all looking forward to the next day…”.

The team comes from two consecutive unsuccessful results with Aris and Feyenoord having presented a good image for a long period of both games. Where do you attribute the “dead” periods in the game that score points? What should the team do to change this?

“We have good elements in our game. In almost every match we play very well, especially in the first half. We score goals, take the lead but then we are more passive and concede goals. We don’t finish matches when we have the opportunities. We have to finish games early. We can! We have shown with our performance that we have the opportunities to lock up the three points. What we have to do is score two and three goals when we create the chances. And everything will become easier. I think we need to put more intensity and pace into our game.”

How do you explain the fact that in many matches the team leads the score but then concedes a goal? Did it happen with Levadeiakos, Kifissia, Olympiakos, Go Ahead Eagles, Aris and Feyenoord?

“There are things in football that don’t always go according to plan. We want to win. We really want the three points. But we have to keep chasing the goal. We are Panathinaikos and we need to score more goals. We must not settle for 1-0. We must always try to score more goals. Unfortunately, that’s how football is sometimes. And during this period we also had bad luck. In several matches we were 1-0 but the opponent either equalized or beat us. We will work on it in training with our new coach to improve and not repeat the same mistakes.”

You mentioned the good times that Panathinaikos has. By comparing the performance of the team and the quality it possesses, with the scoring harvest, do you consider that you have done yourselves an injustice?

“Certainly! We deserve more. We are better than what we got. Only the players, the coaching staff and the team people know how we train, how many hours we spend together, how much hard work goes into it. But I don’t know how to explain it. This is football. Sometimes it’s good and fair. Other times it is bad and unfair. You also have to have a little luck in some games. Something we didn’t have…”

A dangerous encounter with Asteras Tripoli follows. What is your opinion of your opponent and what game are you expecting?

“We have talked about our opponent and we are ready. It will be a difficult match. It’s one of those games that waits back, closes and you have to break them. It will be a tough game, but if we play like we know how, I think we can take it. We are a better team, but we have to show it on the pitch.”

You were one of the last transfer additions to the team. How do you feel at Panathinaikos?

“Amazing! From the first moment I felt it. I am very well here and I feel very honored to be a member of Panathinaikos, to have these teammates and this coach”.

How was your adjustment to the new environment?

“It was easy. All four players (Djuricic, Mladenovic, Cerin and Jedvaj) who speak the same language helped me a lot. They made my adjustment easier. Everything is going well to be honest. Everyone in the team embraced me and did everything to help me.”

Besides the new environment and coming to a new country, it is not always easy to find a rhythm coming from the bench. Do you feel that competitively you are gradually adapting to the team’s data?

“Indeed, sometimes it is difficult to go into a match in the last minutes when the score is 1-1 or 1-0. But I always try to give my best to help the team get the three points. I’m here, waiting for my chance, and when it comes, I’ll do my best.”

What are your goals with Panathinaikos?

“I came to Panathinaikos to win titles, to play in Europe and of course to be called up to the National team if I deserve it and if the coach decides…”

How is life in Athens?

“I really like it! It is similar to Belgrade. People have a similar mentality to us in Serbia. That is why I feel that it is easy for me to adapt to life in Athens”.

How do you spend your time? What do you like to do?

“We have a heavy schedule this season. We play almost every three days, so there is no time. But when I have a day off, I will spend my time with my partner. We will go for lunch or coffee. I like to drink coffee! Sometimes I also go for coffee with my teammates, and that’s it. I’m not doing anything special. Home, training! Usually, I spend half the day at home to get a good rest.”