Panathinaikos presented Rui Vitoria: “I came to a passionate club,” said Portuguese

He went on to change coach in the middle of the season, with Diego Alonso being a past by the team and presenting him as a new “trifled” technician. Rui Vitoria was announced by Panathinaikos as the successor of Diego Alosno and after his first training with the “greens”, he spoke for the first time to the media about the new “capital” that opens up in his career as coach of the “trify”. The speech was originally given by the Technical Director of Panathinaikos FC, Giannis Papadimitriou, stating: “Good evening to me too. I would like to welcome the coach and wish him good luck and achieve all the goals we have set as a plan.” Rui Vitoria then answered the journalists’ questions, about his goals with Panathinaikos and the way he thinks about football. Rui Vitoria’s statements about what Panathinaikos needs to change to move to the next level: “Good evening everyone. First of all I would like to tell you that for me it is a special honor and a great privilege to be able to be here and coach such a large club as Panathinaikos. I would like to thank the club for the invitation, the president for the trust and the invitation. Being here in a club with such a great tradition in football history is for me a special honor and pride. On what we should do for the team, I think the most important thing we have in football is intelligence, intelligence. Of course I know the team, I saw a lot of Panathinaikos, but we need to focus on the details. I am convinced and I have no doubt that we will do a very good job. We will play to win on Sunday and what we will move forward is step by step to convey our ideas, to surround football players with confidence, so that they know what to do in the field over the next few days and weeks. Always when there are changes, you understand that there is motive but above all there is the need to get to know the team as best possible. To bring good energy, but in order to be able to get different results, we have to do different things. Of course it is important to make this presentation, but even more important is to work.” For his football philosophy: “It means that in certain games we look to play in a different way. But what I like is that my team is always intertwined with the rhythm, with the game. Essentially what we’re looking at is that the team can control and be the master of the game. But of course we never play alone. And basically our thinking, our philosophy is to have possession, having possession to be able to attack and when we lose the ball to regain it immediately. I want to convey to you in principle the fact that this club is a passion club and with great ambition. And when I go to a group, the first thing I do is understand her culture and thinking. If here there is passion, ambition, will and appetite, we will look at all this to put it into motion, to exploit it. In fact, what I will convey is what I said to you: passion, balance and possession so that we can be masters of the game. This is certainly not easy and it is not just words. We need to see it and do it on the field. I arrived only yesterday and from now on I have time to put all these ideas into practice.” How important the budget is: “I don’t think only the budget is the most important. Because I understand there are many ways that a group can evolve. I by nature always look to see who the new players are, how they prepare. But we have to see the reality of where the club is moving in the future. I have many ways to build this philosophy, with time, with stability, to create the structure. The budget is important, but it is not authoritarian.” For the statement at the airport for combat: “I will tell you my opinion. Under no circumstances can a coach come to a club solve all problems. And also no player who signs a team will come alone to solve all the problems. And it’s also not just the existence of money that solves your problems. There are clubs in the world that have terrible money reserves, but cannot solve problems. But what I’m going to tell you is that the faith the coach has, the quality of the players, the way they are framed by all the people who work at the club, are with the world guaranteed to do something good. We know the demands people have, we understand that requirement and we need all the people working at this club to frame each other to do the best. We want our fans to support us, push us, but we too must do everything for them. Essentially this is what we should do, take step by step so that we all work together with confidence, certainty and stability to take the step further.” About whether he’s talked to anyone. Portuguese technician who worked in Greece: “No, I didn’t talk to anyone. And I’ll tell you why. Because it all happened so fast I didn’t have time to talk to anyone. In fact, last night we found some time to dine. But surely now seeing the team and having more time, I’ll see if I can communicate. But when the proposal came to me, I immediately said yes and agreed in terms of appetite, will to come here. In fact, I didn’t want anyone to influence me, either for, or against. You should know that I have very good relations with all these coaches. When I speak they will tell me some things that will stay between us.” About Panathinaikos having changed 5 coaches over the past year: “My thought is that we are in a new period, in a new time. So I know the tradition of this club, I will assure you that I have found myself in clubs that have also had many difficulties. There is only one way to achieve: trust in ourselves, confidence, faith in the people who surround us and battle! It is important to know what our goal is and not to deviate from our ideas and beliefs. Definitely the factor of luck always plays an important role in the careers of coaches, players, clubs. We mustn’t think about what happened in the past, seeing today, the moment. The time is to work together! I’m neither better nor worse than anyone else. I have my own thoughts and beliefs that help me carry out the work I want. Essentially, what we have to do is work together. To have ambition. When we’re all together, united, things will go so much better.” On whether he intends to see all the life force from the start: “As I said at first, I spoke of intelligence, intelligence. So it wouldn’t be smart of me to come in yesterday and change everything. No! No! If right now I’m starting to torpedo players with information, things won’t work out because the mind has a limit of information that it can receive. System issues are secondary. The way you play is secondary. The most important thing is to be able to implement our basic ideas, what we want to do and how. But what I would say is my main concern is the big picture, our basic ideas. The system is secondary. The main thing is to give the big framework. I also know that in two or three days you can change a team. But we’ll see the team with my ideas, we’ll see everything. First of all, let me tell you that from what I have seen and lived, all players are active. Fortunately I can tell you that I was very pleased with the quality of the players we can use in every need that will arise. Of course you know there are players who have more rhythm, others less, but that actually makes me look at it all in a global way and determine how we will win. The more active a player is, the closer he is to the game”. Whether he has the title as his first goal and whether the success of his job will be judged by it: “I will not hide it, such a club, with such fans, always plays for victory. Whoever comes here doesn’t come to come, comes with ambitions, because he wants to achieve things. This is a daily mentality, we must have it daily. Having it, we’ll see the result we’ve achieved in the end. But I know very well the demands this club has, the quality, the tradition, everything it represents. I didn’t come here with any fear, I came to take over the club. I pledge to work for this ambition. Every day and game game. We’re not cheap dream sellers. Because if I were like that, I would say “I came here, we will win the Championship”. It would be very nice, but if you want it without working every day, you won’t get it. I’d rather do the opposite. I want to know everything and then every day I can inject this ambition. I know very well which players are champions, which clubs are for championism. The important word is ambition. Have the appetite, the will. Finally, have the hope that everything will be fine.” For the three rules he pointed out (attract the opponent, free space and speed up): ‘I do not want to go into details right now. Of course many times I want things, but I can’t. The idea is a group that is dominant, balanced. A team that has the intelligence to read, understand every moment of the game. Show ambition and the will to win. All this is data that I want to get into the character we want to put on the field. I understand that it is important that players want to have the comfort of showing everything on the field, but if I was only thinking about this piece and what I said before about balance is exactly that the team should have the balance to prevent the opponent from being able to evolve. Working every day is not easy. Many may think that’s how we start and that’s the way. What I’m going to do is take advantage of time so that what I want happens. I’ll use all these days to work. But of course you know it, too, sometimes it comes out and you get good results and others don’t. I’ve had a few years so I can smell what’s coming. My first smell was very good. I have to spend my thoughts on the players and they have to put them on the field.” For the purpose of Europe and the exploitation of the “trify” academy: “I think the group has potential. Of course there are groups that had potential but things didn’t work out as they would. Essentially what we want to see is how we move on. What I want to do is make the material I have available. This is done working very well all days. To make players believe in our ideas, to make all the people around us believe in what we want to do on the field and to think that it is not just 11 players who can solve all the issues. These are solved by a partnership of all of us. We can have an excellent roster, as we have it, but we can’t have the connections and if we don’t, we won’t be successful. So what it takes is to connect all players, the whole world, so that the result is group rather than one’s. This is the mentality that I believe right now is the important, necessary one. We can connect all the pieces to work. Now I know the players, I still don’t know their nicknames. Because there’s a player who has a name but on the field we give him another. Of course in these games I’ll use the players I have on the team. I know there are the academies, I’ll see if there’s any quality there too. If we want to go on two paths at once, then we’ll wreck. Right now I’m going the way I told you. Then I’ll look at the other step, because that’s how I like to move on. In all the clubs I found, so it was.” Rui Vitoria has won titles in Portugal with Gimaraes and Benfica.