Angelos Anastasiadis didn’t shy away from responsibility in the press conference following Greek Cup elimination. He admitted that PAOK did not deserve to qualify after their poor performances in all three group stage matches. Here is what he said in detail:

“Nothing went well in the Greek Cup, right from the very first match. We lost to Apollon Kalmaria, didn’t defeat PAS Giannina at Toumba, wasting many chances in that encounter. Today the pitch was heavy and we made many errors. However Papadopoulos wasted a huge chance to claim victory. We will continue our efforts in the Greek league, our only aim left. The signs were there, that it wasn’t meant to be in the Greek Cup. We are downbeat, but I believe that there will be positive things to come out of this elimination. I always believe in seeing the glass half-full, not half-empty as others do. Some players performed well today, some didn’t. The Greek Cup games can provide us with some useful conclusions”.

About the changes in the starting line-up: “I don’t believe that there is a problem in the line-up we fielded today. We have a very tough and decisive match ahead this weekend, that could prove pivotal for the remainder of the season, and we need to prepare. I opted to rest some players. That header of Papadopoulos is a can’t-miss goal, it takes an effort to waste that! I know that some will choose to call us names, but sometimes that is good as well”.