José Luis Mendilibar said, among other things, after Olympiacos - PAOK (1-1): "The goals are not over because we have to be second. We have to fight for second place and after the Championship is over we will assess the situation.
We are unable to score goals. We have to be second. We can do whatever we can (after a relevant question) but we have to prove it."
In the press conference, the Basque said:
For the second Sunday against the same opponent, Olympiacos is better for 60-65 minutes, has created and missed many chances and does not get the result it wants. We would like you to describe your feelings and those of the players. And if you have any explanation for missing great opportunities?
Actually, beyond the missed chances, when you play a match and don't score, the opponent continues to play and stay alive. When you score and allow him to equalize (the opponent). Then he feels fresh. This year against PAOK we didn't succeed. In the three matches we were better and we didn't beat them. When you don't score it's natural for the opponent to hurt you and equalize as happened today.
Entering the play-offs, seeing an imbalance in the group of players. Did you see an imbalance in terms of fatigue and mood? And what does the applause at the end mean to you?
This has not actually happened. If something like that happened and if there was a lack of appetite, we wouldn't see so many chances. We saw passion and what we wanted. I get really angry when I don't see my team trying. That's not how things are.
Even though we have struggled in the Championship, in many of the matches we were better than the opponent. We didn't win but we are not angry. Our team was not bad. This year we saw that all teams were in this situation. We didn't see our team being worse than the opponent. We didn't see it win. We tried hard and were combative.
A Conference, a double and a lost title. What was the reason for losing the title? Ineffectiveness? And also, what message do you have to send to the fans for the new season? Fans who chanted your name and applauded you?
We won a Super Cup this year. This season must end and we will talk about next year. The goal is to finish in second place to qualify for the Champions League qualifiers. We want the season to end by fulfilling the goal we have left.
The fans want to support us and they have done so this year. Whatever they say, they always say it after the matches. They always support us during the match. After the end of the season we will see what changes we can make to be stronger next season.