AEK's 0-0 draw at Leoforos allowed the Union to extend their lead at the top to 6 points, but Marko Nikolic, in his press conference, pointed out that he saw complacency from his players, which he disliked immensely, reiterating that nothing is over in the title race.
Below are Marko Nikolic's full statements in the press conference after AEK's 0-0 draw with Panathinaikos at Leoforos:
In his initial comments, he stated: "The positive thing is that we have one more point at the top, six points ahead. We couldn't win despite being numerically superior for 75 minutes. Panathinaikos is a well-organized team, with a fighting spirit. We had beaten them twice, they have pride and they would give their best. They are not just... decor in the playoffs. Our energy levels were not at the desired level, we created chances, the biggest one being Varga's. We had to score to win and in the end, we were in danger. Something I didn't like in the preparation is that when we start from a high position, we pay the price. The team is not ready for something like that. The championship is not over, there was some complacency. When we start from a low position, we have fighting spirit. We failed to capitalize on the result from Thessaloniki, but we have an extra point in the difference. If someone had told us in June that we would be at the top with a six-point difference now, I would have taken it. But we must be absolutely focused, nothing is over and we must look at game by game to win the title."
Regarding whether Panathinaikos' red card didn't help AEK in terms of rallying the Greens: "It often happens that when a team loses a player, they become more compact and the opponent is more relaxed. Our energy levels were high, we created chances, but then things became more difficult. It's unacceptable that we didn't find solutions to score. Congratulations also to Panathinaikos' goalkeeper for his performance."
As for the reason for the complacency and if the players were affected by knowing the result of the other match: "They certainly knew the result. The point is to have focus. It's not so much a matter of behavior. The players were not in a good mood and did not perform as usual. The passes were not good, but we created chances yet didn't score. We almost got punished at the end. I will say again that Panathinaikos' goalkeeper made excellent saves in both the first and second half. He was at a very good level."
Regarding whether the break was bad for his team, which is a rhythm-based team: "You're right. Such a break at this point in time is unusual. It applied to Panathinaikos too. We are a rhythm-based team, we used to play every three days but we didn't complain. We had a friendly match, but it's not an official match and a derby. We beat Panathinaikos twice this year and we expected a reaction. They fought for every ball, they had the motivation, now we are preparing for the match in a week at our home ground."
Regarding the mathematics in the last matchdays for AEK to win the title: "We haven't been defeated for a long time, but nothing is over. Nobody likes thrillers. It will be over when it's mathematically over. It was an issue I had identified before the game. That we would win and it would be over. That's not the case. We have a six-point advantage, that's the reality. We are in a good position, but nothing is over."