At the press conference for tomorrow’s match between the national team and England at Wembley, the national coach Ivan Jovanovic said that if Greece wants to change its status, then it will have to go beyond.
Jovanovic’s statements in detail:
-About Wembley and how he feels about leading the national team in such a stadium: “It’s a historic stadium. It has huge recognition in world football and is a really beautiful stadium. But we don’t have time to admire it so much, because we have a difficult match. It is a symbol of world football and we are happy to be here.”
-What changes from the previous matches since he faces a bigger team: “There are not many things that can change as a coach of the National team and with the time I am in. As for the previous two matches, what didn’t work well should work better now. Not much depends on us because England are a quality team. It’s an interesting match and certainly a very good test for us when we have to face such a big team.”
-What does a coach say to the players in such matches: “Things are simple for us. If, as a national team, we want to change the status we have, we must go above and beyond. To make results that may not be at the level we are now. After all, we are a team that has a lot of people who play in Europe and in big teams. We also have egos. A coach in these games asks for the maximum.
To avoid mistakes that might not have cost in other matches. And we should have longer possession of the ball. It’s a good challenge and that’s how we deal with it. With all the freedom that football gives us to express ourselves in an amazing stadium and an atmosphere that we would like to experience on a daily basis.”
-On what has changed in England since Southgate’s departure: “For sure Southgate has done a lot for both the national team and English football. Carsley in these two matches has given different things, he has changed the style of the game. Freer positions for the players in terms of the tactical part. It relies more on quality, especially on the wings with Saka. In the last two matches they were very imposing and I liked the way they played.”
-How difficult will it be for the national team to defend and have possession of the ball: “There are no options. No team and no coach can come to these matches thinking only of the opponent. I think about how good we have to be on the pitch. To challenge ourselves. How competitive we will be in everything. And suspending when we have the ball. How confident we will be. How much can we as a team force England to think in isolation too.
There are many topics that we discuss in a few days and through the discussion and less than the training we can persist. As a coach I can hardly change my way of thinking that I like to see and I like my teams to play. Things are more difficult here, but we have quality. I know the Greek player and I know he wants to do some special things. And in these matches the opportunity presents itself.”
-On whether the presence of people increases the burden of responsibility: “No. I am happy for the people who will come to the stadium. It is not a burden, it is something that motivates all of us to give our best. It doesn’t surprise me, I know Greeks love football. We also saw it at home against Finland. My issue is how we should present ourselves on the field. We ourselves how we will give the trigger to the world to follow us and be with us. The ten years that Greece has had to go to a major event play a role. The mentality of the Greek is that when things go in a better direction, there should be support. There are young children who deserve support.”
-On whether the recent matches against France and Germany are a guide: “It won’t be a guide, they have nothing to do with tomorrow’s game. The issue is how much we need to improve compared to the last two matches. Each game has different requirements. A match against England will not allow you to be passive. In terms of our own style of play, it’s about using our own time.”
-On the national team’s way of playing: “To be honest, what I want as a coach is for my team to have a recognizable way of playing. I have demands in the game with the ball, we are a disciplined team. These are things that do not need much criticism. The ball game is what interests me. To take good positions and move the ball under pressure. Let’s take risks and take advantage of the elements we have as a team.”
-On the fact that never before has a Greek footballer played in front of 90,000 people: “It will be beautiful. It will be football. We will see how it will work tomorrow. The ability of the football players on the field will determine the outcome of the match and not the number of fans. The fact that the stadium will be sold out with us shows that England also takes the match seriously. I wish we had games like this often, to see our mistakes and correct them.”
Tsimikas: “The zero in defense is important”
The internationals were represented by Kostas Tsimikas, who stated: “Zero is the most important. In every game you will have phases no matter how bad or good you are. For us it will be one of our important elements. Let’s play good football and go strong in the stages. Let’s go to whatever phase we can to score goals.
We play every game to win. All kids want to take out their egos on a field like this. For everyone it is a big dream to play in such a stadium. We will go for the win and play good football.
We are definitely playing for all Greeks. It’s a big challenge for us to show what we can do.”
-On his teammate, Arnold: “We have spoken many times together. They are the kind of kids who want to play. I’m happy for him. His numbers at Liverpool speak for him.”
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