Olympiacos has put its dramatic 3-2 victory over Kifissia behind it and is now focusing all its attention on a particularly demanding stretch, with Imanol Alguacil demanding absolute focus from his players ahead of the matches against Rennes and PAOK.
The Basque coach congratulated his players on their effort following the 2-2 draw at Leoforos and on the way they fought until the very end for the winning goal. At the same time, he also made some remarks about the team’s performance after taking a 2-0 lead, focusing mainly on specific plays and the delayed reactions that allowed Kifisia to get back into the game.
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“First of all, I want to say that it’s important we put in a great effort after the score was tied at 2-2. In the few minutes that remained, we tried to score the winning goal. It’s a big deal that we earned these three points,” said Al-Ghawathil.
The Olympiacos coach made it clear, however, that there’s no time for celebrations. “It’s important that we keep winning and that our morale is improving with every game. Through victories, it’s easier for a team to learn things that will help it improve. Now, however, we must look ahead and focus on the games ahead of us,” he emphasized.
His message ahead of the two big matches was clear: “We have to pay attention to every detail of the game, because everything plays a role. Even the smallest detail can make a difference. How we react to the little things is what can lead us to big wins.”
He added: “We have two tough games coming up against Rennes and PAOK. We’re focusing on the first match. They’re a good team, and we need to be very careful to achieve our goal.”
As for the plans against Rennes, Armando González appears to be the frontrunner to lead the attack. Although it looked like he would start against Kifissia, Alguathil ultimately chose Roman Yaremchuk, and later brought on Marius Muadilmaji as a substitute, who scored and had another significant chance.
*photo source: AP
