Pavlidis on critics before Benfica v Qarabag: It’s not that simple | OneFootball

Benfica will host Qarabag next Tuesday, September 16th, in what will be the first match of the regular phase of the Champions League to be played at 8:00 pm. In the preview to the match, Vangelis Pavlidis aimed for victory, responding to the criticisms that have been made about his performances as an eagle on his chest, without forgetting the draw against Santa Clara.

"We want to start well in the Champions League games. Of course, we will seek to play offensive football and win. The most important thing is to get the three points and continue well," Pavlidis began telling the journalists present.

When asked about the little success that the Pavlidis and Ivanovic duo has had at Benfica, the Greek forward attributed it to a lack of preparation: "The coach knows very well that we didn't have a preseason or the time we needed. We played nine official matches, plus ten days in the national teams. It's normal that we haven't had time to work as we wanted, but we will train more and play more. We will play together to support the team and help it play better football. We talked with Ivanovic about how we want to attack and the positions we need to be in. Everyone thinks about the last game. It wasn't good, but looking at other games with Ivanovic, we were fine, like against Nice or Tondela. They have to understand that football is not that simple. Day by day, we will get better and understand each other better."

Regarding the draw with Santa Clara, Pavlidis chose to highlight the good results achieved before the reception to the Azoreans: "We didn't play a good game, we want to be more aggressive, we weren't playing that well. Anyone can see that, but it was just one game in nine. We only have one draw and they talk about us as if we weren't good players or didn't play well. It was just one game and we'll see how the team can play a good game, tomorrow."

Finally, Vangelis Pavlidis responded to the criticisms he has been receiving, stating that he does not agree with the opinion of Benfiquistas: "I don't think I'm not playing well or something like that. We are playing well. The last game was not perfect, but in the Supercup and in the Champions League... I don't agree with the opinion. The fans always want what's best for the team, but I don't think they only care about me or the goals. Of course, I want to help the team, I want to score goals and they will come. We haven't had many recovery days. We play every three days, and it's very hard to work on some aspects, besides we have several new players. We need time, it's normal, but I don't agree that the fans expect more from me."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.