Interview with Eitb media, the main media group of the Basque Autonomous Community, given by José Luis Mendilibar.
The Olympiakos coach spoke, among other things, about his adaptation to Greece, the experience of his first presence outside Spain and the “red and whites” objective for the new season.
“I like the experience in Greece. It’s a new league, a new culture and, of course, the team’s first European title. At first I was scared, as it was the first time I left Spain and I didn’t know what I would find”admitted the Basque coach.
“But everything went very well. From the beginning, the results helped us and people understood what we asked. We are also very lucky with the language, as there are many who speak Spanish. More than 3/4 of football players speak Spanish, So this fact helped us a lot”.
Medilibar also focused on another factor, the number of Hispanics at Olympiakos:
“Language is important because in the end they have to understand each other when we speak, but gestures are also important. There are times when making a gesture or a face makes you understand better than when you speak. I think I found smart people at Olympiakos”.
Regarding the question of whether there are differences in relation to Spain, the coach of the “red and whites” stated… comfortably: “It doesn’t feel like I’ve been abroad or anywhere else. In other words, the style is like being at home, in that sense”.
When outlining his ambitions ahead of the new football season, Mendiliber was clear:
“The objective of a team like Olympiacos is to win the championship. This year we are starting from scratch. A few days ago we renewed with the football players that we want to stay with us”.