Akis Manzios noted an intense pressure on his players in the first match against Panaitolikos, explained that this led to convulsive reactions and emphasized the value of the victory.

At the press conference, the 54-year-old coach of Aris initially argued that “we were threatened in the first fifteen minutes mainly by static phases. We didn’t get good reactions. Then we equalized and won. What counts is the result in a semi-final. It is a fair win and we look forward to the second game, in the presence of our crowd,” he said, referring to the second half. “We wanted to play the way we know how. We didn’t do that in Ioannina, maybe because of the Cup. In the second half we kept the ball, we controlled the game and presented good and bad moments, but what remains is the result . We had a lot of stress and pressure.”

He was individually asked about stress. “It is logical that there is stress, because we are close to a step that was last taken in 2010. As long as there is pressure, there is also stress”, he said, referring to the presence of Manu Garcia and Fran Veleth. “These are internal transfers. We missed them… Especially with Manus we had a big lack of creative midfielders. Like in Ioannina he was very good today. It needs support and time. We talk constantly so he can do the long period he was missing,’ he replied.

He then referred to the fatigue he has observed. “There is physical and mental fatigue. We played a lot of games in forty days. There is a lot of fatigue. We took the first step towards the final. Now we want to rest and get ready to go and win in Peristeri. Some players are crucial , because we don’t have many options. We will try to manage it. Sometimes we perform well, sometimes not.”