Sofronis Avgoustis spoke about his time with Apollon, the Greek national team’s match against Latvia, as well as the Cyprus League by Stoiximan, in comments he gave to SPOR FM 95.0.
The 49-year-old coach explained that he didn’t have enough time with the “blue and whites” to build what they wanted, since he was with the team for only two transfer windows—at a time when, in his opinion, a coach needs three to four to really show the results of his work.
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As for our national team, he highlighted the positive atmosphere in the locker room and expressed his confidence that our national team players will be able to secure a second consecutive victory.
Beyond that, he discussed whether AEL can contend for a top-six finish, Aris’s young roster, and described this year’s league as more competitive than previous ones.
Here’s what he said in detail:
On Apollon: “Some things don’t go as you expect, but you have to be ready at any moment so that when the opportunity arises, you can rise to the challenge. Right now, I’m following the Greek and Cypriot leagues very closely. At Apollon, we weren’t able to build what we wanted because we only worked during two transfer windows. Every team needs to give the coach time and let three or four transfer windows pass so that the coach’s work can be seen.”
On the national team: “It was a game the national team really needed, because even though we put up a good fight, we didn’t get the points. We secured an important victory and moved ahead of Armenia in the standings. Most importantly, when the team was down to 10 men, it showed character, and Mr. Mantzios’s tactics were excellent; we weren’t put in any danger, and that’s important because these are the kinds of games where you need to secure the result.”.
On tonight’s game: “We have players who can create problems for opposing defenses; I believe we’ll manage to win tonight and move up in the standings. It was clear even in the first game that we could have won; we created plenty of chances and opportunities, but we weren’t able to score. We need the win to finish in second place.”
On the team atmosphere: “Since I was there, I can say there’s an excellent atmosphere; they’re trying to help the players as much as they can. The two signings that were made—Fabiano, who is a huge addition; we all recognize his quality and character, and he’s shown that he’s an outstanding goalkeeper. And the move involving Edwards shows a lot of promise, with the Federation strengthening the team in this way.”
Regarding the fact that we’re playing our fourth consecutive game: “The coaches at the Federation brought this up, and it was accepted because they didn’t have time to work with the players and instill their philosophy, which is why we’re seeing larger rosters in these matches. All the coaches have expanded their squads because at some point they’ll need to fill the gaps. This was something requested primarily by France, Italy, Germany, England, and many others.”
On fan attendance: “It’s all about the results—it’s not just the national team; we see it with the clubs, too. If you win a derby, suddenly the stadium is packed for the next game; if you lose, there’s disappointment—and that’s part of our culture. It’s certainly important for the fans to stand by the team, but it’s also a matter of mindset.”
“This is a strong group of players who can contribute a lot; we have tremendous quality, and the guys want to achieve something with the national team.”
On the league: “The facts are clear: no team is significantly ahead of the rest, and at any moment, a team lower in the standings could find itself in first place. We’re also seeing the smaller teams play very organized and cause problems.”
On whether we’ll see anything different from the teams as the season continues: “I think it will be a positive for Paphos that they’ll be playing in Europe. For me, when you’re a team like Paphos, it’s a positive to be able to compete in all competitions, and players who haven’t seen much action so far will get more playing time. As for the injured players, it was evident in the Apollon match that the absence of certain players has been felt.”
On whether AEL can contend: “As far as I’m concerned, the management itself has set that as a goal, and the fact that they’re aiming high means they’ve built a strong team capable of aiming high. From there on out, time will tell if they can stay there. If AEL makes the top six, it means that some of the teams expected to qualify will be left out. We’re also seeing Aris, which has a young roster; they have good talent but lack experience, and that’s evident in some mistakes on the field.”
On whether the league will continue as it started: “Yes, at the moment, even though the only team that hasn’t earned any points is Ypsonas—though they’ve shown some promising signs—and we can see that the teams fighting to stay up are close together; they haven’t fallen too far behind. I think it’s a more competitive league; I hope it continues this way until the end.”
