Ceemo

He done another interview with a Serbian media outlet: https://www.mozzartsport.com/fudbal/vesti/intervju-kosta-nedeljkovic-bahar-mi-rekao-da-cu-igrati-za-celsi-jos-pamtim-akanijevu-cestitku/481376

Some selected quotes below:

Quote

"I started working with the team after a long time. I'm already at about 80 or 90 percent in terms of physical fitness. I hope that in the future I will play another match for Crvena zvezda. There will be space in the finish of the championship. We will see how everything will end, because one thing is wishes, another is possibilities", says the guy born in 2005 at the beginning of the interview for Mozzart Sport.
At the beginning, let's ask about your health. After signing the contract with Aston Villa, you suffered a hip injury that kept you out for a long time. What is the situation now? "I don't know how much I can and dare to say. It's mostly my fault. It's all from the load. I had problems with my hips, cartilage, but I didn't report them on time. I've been like that since the beginning of my career. I often go over the pain limit. Now everything is fine. I can only thank the people and employees of Red Star. They looked after me and cared for me, did everything in their power to get me back as soon as possible. They followed the recovery program to the maximum. It was all a bit difficult for me at that moment, when I realized that I was going to take a break. I am a Red Star player, and before that a fan. The situation was specific, because the team was fighting for the double crown. Partizan was first in the table. My parents raised me, but Red Star is an important part of my life. This club formed me as a person, I've been here for ten years. This is where I matured. And then it's normal to feel bad when you can't help."
Let's move on to the topic that perhaps interests the public the most. How did you survive the beginning of the year, it was January 14 when the news was announced that Red Star and Aston Villa had reached an agreement on a transfer and that you were going to Birmingham for nine million euros? "It was the weekend, I mean Sunday. I know that I was sitting at home when the 'puffs' started to arrive on my phone. I got a hint before that something like that might happen, but nothing concrete. My agent Zoran Pavlović called me. He told me that we should meet right away, to go through everything that is being offered to me together. We make decisions together. When I saw the interested club, it was really nice. Pride.” After all, wasn't everything finished then? "I mean, it was Sunday. And on Monday, we went to the basic part of the preparations in Cyprus. I was supposed to leave, then I was told that I would not go to Cyprus. Finally, a new twist. I go with the team and work on the side. It was all kind of shocking to me. And my family. You feel pride, happiness, you know what a transfer to the strongest league in the world means."
Surely you have a Birmingham anecdote? "I was delighted. To me, it was all the same... you see how a big club honored you. When we landed in London, they sent a club car to pick us up. I quickly passed the medical examination and signed the contract. I remember the next day. I headed to the gym and Watkins and Dibu Martinez approach me. Anyway, you can't care. I watched them on television, Martinez marked the World Cup in Qatar. They came to greet me and welcome me. He then approached Matthew Cash. We play in the same position. He told me something like: 'Kid, I'm glad you're here, I watched you against Manchester City. You were really great'.” What other impression did you get about Aston Villa? "A very traditional club, certainly among the four most important in England. We also won the European trophy in 1984. When we signed the contract, I was in the company of director Monći. We go through the corridor and I see that coach Unaji Emery will approach me. It cut me right around the stomach. You know that feeling when you have a math test and you didn't prepare well. He only told me that he expects a lot from me in the future. Later, when I returned to Cyprus, I saw how happy my teammates were for me."
Are you getting to watch the Aston Villa matches, maybe it's part of the preparation for what awaits you? "Look, I love football. I watched Aston Villa even before I signed the contract. And only now... My friends are constantly teasing me that I know for sure what is happening and who is playing in the second league of Andorra. I know what you want to ask me. I am aware that I will need time to adapt. It would have been the same wherever I signed. I also read what Marko Grujić said about your portal. But for what I own and the kind of football I prefer, I think the English league is ideal. I also spoke with Saša Lukić when I was in London. I'm the closest to him and Erakovic, that's how it worked out... They warned me what was waiting for me." Did the people from Aston Villa give you any tasks, like to learn the language perfectly? "Nothing special, I speak English well. But I took private lessons. I go once a week. Accents are different in England, I felt that when I talked to Watkins (laughs, ed.).”

Olympiacos have had an interesting season to say the least. They went through 4 managers last season and are on their 3rd this season which seems par for the course for Marinakis. As Greece's biggest club their are always under huge scrutiny. They have played all of Europe's biggest teams over the years including many sides in England. They knocked out Arsenal from the Europa League in 2020 and most recently faced West Ham in the Europa League group stage. They won the first game 2-1 before losing the return 1-0. Surprisingly with all this experience throughout the years in Europe, this will be their very first semi-final and this is a huge deal in Greece.

A bit like Forest (Marinakis' other team), they tend to sign and sell a lot during each transfer window. If a new signing isn't up to scratch quickly, they look to sell or loan out and get another signing in and with changing the manager all the time, they have their own ideas too. The team that plays Villa over the next week for example will likely be vastly different again next year and so on. This approach can backfire in Europe as for instance you can only register 3 new signings from the January transfer window and Olympiacos being Olympiacos signed 8 new players. Andre Horta, Chiquinho and David Carmo were the lucky 3 to get registered whilst the likes of Gelson Martins, Jovane Cabral and Fran Navarro have been restricted to playing in domestic competitions only.

This season by their incredibly high standard has been slightly off the pace in Greece. A horrendous night in Freiburg in the Europa League led to the sacking of Diego Martinez and he was replaced by former Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea coach, Carlos Carvalhal in December. A cup exit and defeat in the League to arch-rivals Panathinaikos saw the end of him in February and he has been replaced by the current incumbent Jose Luis Mendilibar. Mendilibar of course won the Europa League last season with Sevilla and worked under Monchi. He has faced Emery many times throughout his career and so they will probably both know what the approach from the other one will be. Since Mendilibar came in, their performances have generally improved with their Europeans results being the catalyst for the improved morale. They overcame a disastrous 4-1 defeat to Maccabi Tel-Aviv, to win the return 6-1. Mendilibar is known for his pragmatic approach and he will cede possession to the opposition if needed. He likes his sides to press high up the pitch and generally plays a more direct style than most modern day clubs, with the wingers being key.

They have a big squad and despite a hectic fixture list, have rotated heavily and so they will be fairly fresh compared to us for the first leg.

Olympiacos may field this side:
Tzolakis (21) (GK) - young keeper who broke into the side very recently and has been a revelation for them and was the hero of the penalty shoot-out win over Fenerbahce

Rodinei (32) (DR) - Brazillian defender who likes to get forward and deliver from wide areas.
Retsos (25) (DC) - Once signed by Leverkusen for £16 million in 2017, injuries have blighted his career. Good defender but has a mistake in him.
David Carmo (24) (DC) - Signed on loan from Porto in January who signed him for €20 million two years ago from Braga. 6'5 defender and so is a set-piece threat.
Ortega (25) (DL) - Argentine left-back who likes to get forward similar to Rodinei.

Hezze (22) (DM) - Argentine defensive midfielder who been excellent for them. Gets through a lot of work
Chiquinho (28) (MC) - Signed in January from Benfica. Very technical player.

Fortounis (31) (AM) - Played for Olympiakos for 10 years. Plays on the wing generally, but can play in the 10 role. Playmaker and creator. 19 assists and 11 goals this season. 56 caps for Greece, 9 goals.
Daniel Podence (28) (AML/AMR) - On loan from Wolves. Well known in these parts. Probably their most dangerous player. Likes to come of the left-wing onto his right foot.
Jovetic (34) (AMC/ST) - Well known here for his Man City spell. In the autumn of his career. Likes to find the space between the midfield and defence.

El Kaabi (30) (ST) - Front man who has scored 28 goals this season in all competitions. Strong in the air and a decent number 9 with good movement.

Other Options
Iborra (36) (DM) - Former Leicester midfielder who was with Emery at Villarreal and Sevilla. Solid defensive midfielder
Andre Horta (27) (MC) - Signed on loan from Braga in January. Typical technical Portugese player.
Richards (26) (DL) - Back-up English full back on loan from Forest.  
Alexandropoulos (22) (MC) - A young prodigy whose progress stalled at Sporting Lisbon. On loan at Olympiacos.
Ntoi (21) (DC) - Big aggressive young centre-back. Suspended for the first leg.
Masouras (30) (AML/AMR) - Good technical Greek player who has recently been mainly used from the bench. Suspended for the first leg.
El-Arabi (37) (ST) - Back-up forward that has been with Olympiacos for 5 years. Scored 95 goals in those 5 years but only used now off the bench.
Quini (34) (DR) - Back-up to Rodinei.

In summary, they aren't as good as Lille but they are a very good technical side who will test us a lot and considering our injury list, it will be very tough. Mendilibar will probably look to take the tie deep and get back to Greece with it all to play for.

With that defeat for Newcastle, that means Europa League football is confirmed as a minimum.

Once again a brilliant achievement.

Villa have officially qualified for European Football next season after tonight's result with Chelsea unable to reach Villa's total and now 7th is at the very least guaranteed and yet still a month to go in the season.

Absolutely incredible from Unai and the lads.