How do you live this “special” period linked to the pandemic?
Difficult. In football, we as coaches like to be able to control everything and in the face of this problem that affects us all, we cannot control absolutely anything. It’s complicated to adapt the training, the competitions. It is an unprecedented experience that does not only affect our field. It is a form of learning at all levels. We leave the comfort zone that was our daily life and we have to be more flexible.
>> “A great player and a great man”, Pedro Martins praises Danilo Pereira, new recruit of PSG
On Wednesday, you will face OM for the first match of the Champions League group stage. How do you approach this meeting?
I think our hen is very homogeneous. If we take away Manchester City, which is the strongest team of the four, I see a very balanced group. Both Olympiacos, FC Porto, and Olympique de Marseille can qualify. I see very close, very contested matches.
If you had to analyze this OM team …
It’s a quality team that I know well. I have already faced a good part of his players with Vitória de Guimarães [Europa League, en 2017-2018]. Mandanda, Sakai, Amavi, Sanson, Payet, Thauvin, Germain… Many are still there. Historically, OM is a formation which fights for the first places of the championship of France. And then, she has a trainer that I appreciate. I like André’s work [Villas-Boas]. I don’t want to list its strengths or weaknesses because it prevails for the whole.
You say you appreciate the work of André Villas-Boas. What do you like about him?
He has demonstrated his qualities. He did a great job at FC Porto, in particular. I have a lot of respect and recognition for the professional and the person. He is out of the ordinary.
Why out of the ordinary?
Because he’s a gentleman, a gentleman, wise, intelligent …
Are you in touch?
No, but from time to time I am in contact with his assistant, Ricardo Carvalho.
You traded at the time of the draw?
No, no, not yet. But we will have the opportunity to do it. When you get to this stage, there is no way to choose your opponents (laughs). The teams are all so strong.
In your group there are three Portuguese coaches (Pedro Martins, André Villas-Boas and Sérgio Conceição), there is also Luís Castro who directs Shakhtar Donetsk. How do you explain this “trend” around Portuguese coaches?
It proves that they have quality, and if we add the Europa League, there are even more of them. It shows that Portuguese coaches are very popular abroad. There aren’t many words left to express it. Portuguese coaches are seen as a guarantee of reliability at international level.
Is there a “fad” around Portuguese coaches?
I don’t consider this to be a fad. The fads are linked to certain methods, not to coaches who are not all from the same school. It is the competence, the results obtained that explain this. Not long ago, Jorge Jesus shone in Brazil by winning several titles with Flamengo, Vítor Pereira was champion in China, André [Villas-Boas] and Paulo Sousa did a very big job in France, like Paulo Fonseca in Italy, Mourinho and Nuno Espírito Santo in England; I was champion in Greece, Luís Castro was champion in Ukraine. And each with their own style and differences. Competence predominates. We could speak of “fashion” if there was a common style of play between the Portuguese coaches and this is not the case.
Besides your differences in terms of background (some have been high level players, other teachers, others neither), there is also a plurality in your styles …
For example, Nuno who is a friend and whom I like a lot, and who does a big job with Wolverhampton, has a totally different game than mine. And you can be successful with totally different styles. It is not a question of fashion. Portuguese coaches are recognized as competent and highly specialized professionals.
What is your style, exactly? What should the Marseillais expect against your Olympiacos?
A team that will play to win, with attractive and attacking football. It’s our way of being and we are not going to change it.
In their last seven Champions League appearances, Olympiacos have only gone beyond the group stage once. What does this team lack to go beyond?
I cannot tell you what happened in previous seasons but I can tell you about the Olympiacos of Pedro Martins. Last season we had some very good games, and it was all about details. Against Tottenham we were leading 2-0 until the 45th minute and an individual error cost us dearly [défaite 4-2]. If we had beaten Tottenham we would have qualified for the eighth. Regarding my Olmypiacos, there was clearly a lack of experience. I had very few players who had already played in the Champions League. The vast majority discovered this competition. Today, the Olmypiacos team is much more experienced, it has much more capacity to meet this level of requirement. And then, we must also underline the fact that, last season, we came across the future winner of the competition. [le Bayern Munich] and the finalist from the previous season.
You are living your third season in Greece. What is your personal goal, what are your desires for the future?
I don’t think too much about it. I feel good here. I have goals with the club, we want to grow. You asked me why Olympiacos rarely qualify in the first round of C1, it is clearly one of our big goals for the season. We want to conquer a lot here and qualifying for the eighth is a clear goal, knowing that we are in a very competitive group. I have ambition, I would like to be in a championship of a greater dimension but I am very focused and happy at Olympiacos.
There is one player for whom this match against OM may be special is Mathieu Valbuena…
I think so. If you ask him he’ll probably tell you it’s still a Champions League game but I think it will be a special moment for Mathieu. It’s a club, a city, which means a lot to him.
How important is Valbuena in your group?
He is a very important player at all levels. Mathieu perfectly embodies the spirit of Olympiacos. Despite his age, he is young. He is very intelligent in the game. He is a very important player in the structure of Olympiacos.
How are Yann M’Vila’s first steps going?
He has just joined us. He got to know the club, his new teammates. He discovers a game very different from the one he was used to in France. He feels good. I am very happy with him, his involvement, his professionalism. He is a player who beyond his experience has many qualities.
Frédéric Antonetti, who was his coach at Stade Rennais, predicted a future at FC Barcelona in 2011…
He is a player who has a lot of qualities. I don’t know what has happened in the meantime, in his game, in his development, but he is clearly a high level player.
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