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| Thursday, 10 September 2009 23:37 |
PAOK boss Fernando Santos refutes ‘conservative’ imageBoss expects gradual team improvement PAOK’s Portuguese manager Fernando Santos has defended himself against accusations of a conservative approach to tactics.
The ex-Benfica coach led PAOK to a second-place finish last term in Greece, but the Thessaloniki side scored just 39 goals in their 30 league matches, with a watertight defence the foundation for the team’s success, leading many to associate Santos as a pragmatic manager. “I can never understand why this is said for me,” Santos said. “Maybe they confuse the word conservative with the word realistic. Had I chose to play the way the fans want, we would have ended 5th or 6th rather than 2nd. If I have to choose between the 2nd place with a style of play that will give emphasis on defence or a style, or another style of play with doubtful results, I clearly choose the first. However, I clearly prefer to have a team with the qualities we are trying to add now. “We know we can’t fight certain teams with the same weapons they use. We just don’t have them. I understand that fans are always looking for something extra, I want the same thing. “You can ask any player that has worked with me throughout my career if I had ever asked for anything else than the victory. If I had ever said to anyone to play “not to loose”. If anyone tells you that, I will resign. Great teams always play to win and only when circumstantially realize that this is not possible, play “not to loose.” PAOK resume their league campaign this weekend with a trip to Asteras Tripolis, having beaten Levadiakos 3-0 in their opening match before the international break. However, Santos expects it to take a little more time before the fans see his side playing at their full potential. “Within one month you will see the difference. Even during the second half against Levadiakos, we saw something different. All coaches today are talking about the transition game, how to move forward from defence. We did not play with a different system, we just had better executions. This year things will be more difficult in the sense that other teams are more scared of us. The way we were playing last year can not take us all the way to the top and for that reason we need to add the element of speed to our game.” Add your comment |
