Carrera: “I came here to win”
Newly-appointed AEK manager, Massimo Carrera, spoke to the media for the first time since signing a contract with the Athens-based club.
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AEK confirmed the signing of 1.5 year contract with Carrera, which runs until the completion of the 2020/2021 campaign, on Sunday. Spartak Moscow. In 2017, the Italian ended Spartak’s 16-year wait to win the Russian Premier League title again, before he subsequently claimed the Super Cup with the capital club in the same year. Carrera also worked with Juventus and the Italian national team in the past.
On Tuesday afternoon, Carrera held his maiden press-conference in the status as AEK head coach:
How he can improve the form and results: “We need to impose a positive attitude on the players. The team must feel that it is a family. I have come here to win. Good results are required, and in order to do this, the players need to fight for each other on the pitch. We must give 100% in games. If we lose, I it to be against a stronger opponent, and not for the defeat to happen because of our mistakes.”
What convinced him to join AEK: “My motivation is similar to Ilja’s. He always wants to win, and this is what made me come to AEK. We have to work on our organisation as we’re conceding too many goals at the moment, and the players must compete with passion and desire. Players have to understand that they are playing for the emblem on their chests. We need warriors on the pitch, competing with their blood and soul. We have quality.”
When contact began with AEK: “The main conversations took place last week. Iija speaks Italian, so that’s great.”
What must improve: “You always want to improve. There were even mistakes in the game against Panionios. We must not give our opponents the advantage, and we have to be confident that we will prevent them from scoring. We want to dominate matches. We are eager to see an aggressive team with personality and without fear. Every game will be a final for us.”
The toughest challenge: “The hardest thing is to change the mentality. This is a key factor, because the players must have the correct attitude. I always want to win. The players must train hard, show passion on the pitch and make sacrifices. Our philosophy will be seen in games. My assistants and I will try to make the players better so that they commit less mistakes.”
If he wants to play with a 4-2-3-1 or 3-5-2 system: “It’s a secret. Not even Ilija knows it! I like my team to be capable of playing in different ways. They must be able to play in different positions and different roles; a team of chameleons. I want my players to change their system without making any substitutions. My goal is to get the best out of all of my players, to get 300% from them.”
Opinion on Greek football: “I haven’t watched a lot of football in the Greek league. However, there is enough talent with teams playing in Europe.”
Relationship with Spartak Moscow supporters: “When I was the Spartak coach, I held a meeting with the fans and said that I don’t make promises. I told them that the players would always give 100%. The players will play for the club emblem. If we lose, it will happen because the opponents were stronger, not because we made mistakes. The fans then told me that they wanted victories in derby matches. I replied that I would choose to win a championship, rather than just a derby. The best thing, of course, is to win the derbies and win the championship too.”
