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THE Ivan Jovanovich gave a press conference before the game against Finland for his final matchday Nations League. The Federal coach emphasized that the team wants promotion to the top division and that the players are playing for all of them Greeks.
Ivan Jovanovic’s statements:
On how the team is after England: “You understand we were very disappointed after England. In these few hours that we have behind us we had to discuss some things, because we have an important game not in analysis but in understanding some things that with England we could do something better. The players made a very good effort, but there was a great physical demand. England could control the pace, bring it down, bring it up. We have to take all the positivity, all the positives we had in the previous four matches. Competitively we are in for the first place, we have a difficult opponent that we have to beat”.
On whether he considers it coincidental that people came: “It’s not coincidental. We have a talented generation, they missed a qualification in a main stage on penalties you can’t blame them. After Georgia they showed they have what it takes to claim things. They are Greeks, they have egos and they want to claim something big. That is why there is disappointment because they managed to bring 60 thousand people to OAKA. Whoever they played after the double at Wembley the crowd would come. League A is a goal for us, it is elite. All these games are difficult but they lead you to the limit up. A team only improves with games like this. I don’t know if it’s possible to finish now or in March, we’ll have to challenge for promotion because it’s a huge challenge to be there. It will help us in future draws either in the World Cup or in the next tournament. We have conscious players, they fully understand the situation in the team.”
On whether he has been satisfied with the work done in the National Team so far: “In the National Team, things are different, the quality time in terms of training is reduced, the process of managing the players is special. It’s special how we work the way we want to play. It is an important experience for me. We have the same way of playing and thinking about the game. In some matches we may shape our game a bit to benefit us. As a team we have built a base which we can gradually shape. We have players who can respond to the style of play. I have a positive conclusion about what we have done so far, people have embraced the effort. Our obligations are constantly increasing, we must continue to be competitive.”
On what will get the team over the disappointment: “To win (laughs). You know we all came here for a purpose in the National team. After how many years so many people came to OAKA, we wanted this game to end and for them to leave happy. There can also be defeats. We must create the prospects for excitement in the world. It is not pleasant not to be full in the stadium. England will have a full Wembley whoever they play. We have to get results, that’s our culture. For me it is important that this team continues to put in a great effort. We are not playing for ourselves, we are playing for all Greeks. We always want to have a full stadium. Such defeats hurt us but make us stubborn.”
On the frustration with England and how he’s handling it: “Pushing ourselves to the limit up is the most enjoyable thing. The moments we lived, the double at Wembley, the full OAKA. You can’t tell someone don’t be disappointed if you don’t succeed. Disappointment is about how we would have been if we had won. We want the results, it’s normal. Every game is a new obstacle for us. There is frustration which is perfectly normal. But from this game and all the others to come, you understand the challenge we have to get great results, to keep the fans’ interest in the National Team. People were not disappointed by the result, we could have been better. If we exclude some intervals, we were not at the level we can be as a team”.
On whether he thinks the players are ready to react: “It might be an extra motivation. We have never won here. We have had time to discuss and I can confirm that the players are aware of the situation at the moment. They are aware and in the tactical part, our discussions are of great interest, they have a high level of understanding. Also some problems presented can be solved. They are a very good group, tomorrow they will show up ready. We have to be strong because they are a strong team. Whichever generation came did not manage to win here.”
About the statistics that National Team has and other teams don’t have: “A coach doesn’t think about it. Statistics play a role after the match and not before. I had told the players to create game conditions that create a challenge for the opponent, not just get the result. To see our weaknesses and improve them. We are not changing our thinking, nor will we change it tomorrow. On this basis we will build some things later because we will need to change things. Fortunately players who have the ego to go after things they want. We risk more playing like this, but it’s better. We have talent, it’s a shame it’s being put into a mold that doesn’t fit because of the result. In League A it will be more difficult, but it is the only group where we will have a real insight into what we can do. We have to play to our limits there, whether we want to or not. The games are more attractive and there are many positives to play there. We will help you in the next draws. At the end of the day we will play with them if we want to do something.”
On whether he wants to send a message to the world: “To those who came to the stadium and were disappointed, I want to tell them to stay with us. To be honest, like in Serbia, so in Greece, people love the result. We will succeed with the results. It easily fills the stadium, but we have to do things from our side to give them the motivation.”
Kourbelis: “Disappointed with how things turned out”
The players of our national team were represented by Dimitris Kourbelis, who emphasized that the defeat by England has annoyed everyone.
In detail:
On the psychology of the team: “It was a game that teased us at the end of the day, as it came from what we expected of ourselves. We don’t have the time or the luxury to deal with it. We have another very important match that we want to win and that’s why we came here.”
On possibly finishing level with England in the end: “It’s difficult because in all the games we showed our character, played very good football and got results. The truth is that if we were told in advance that we would be fighting for the first against this superpower we would have been happy. However, we are disappointed with how things turned out.”
On the fact that the national team has already achieved things in view of the continuation: “There are certainly many gains from this route. From how we dealt with England in both matches. It will help us with our mentality and we will have to do that bit more against big teams.”
On the fact that he has a lot of experience from the National Team and if he is optimistic about the future: “I am optimistic that we will succeed at the end of the day in achieving our goal. Jovanovic gives the player the optimism he needs to look every opponent in the face. Now we have more talent than in previous years and we will be able to achieve our goal.”
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