four coaches, four sporting directors… and a two-time European champion

Evangelos Marinakis, owner of Olympiacos, Nottingham Forest and Rio Ave, is a manager-shredding machine. This is not enough to win. He always wants more. They have won 22 of the last 28 Greek Super Leagues and have played a stellar role despite this. including intermediate ones, 43 changes! in the coach. On the Karaiskakis bench they marched: Ernesto Valverde, Michel, Carlos Corberan, Pedro Martins, Oscar Garcia Junyent, Zico, Victor Sanchez del Amo, Marco Silva, Vitor Pereira, Leonardo Jardim, Antonis Nicopolidis…

This course was no exception that proves the rule. Poor team dynamics in the League -finished third after AEK and PAOK (champion)- caused a real revolution in Piraeus. Olympiacos had four coaches (Diego Martinez, Carlos Carvalhal, Sotiris Silaidopoulos and José Luis Mendilibar) and four different sporting directors (Antonio Cordón, now Global Sports Director; Jose Ignacio Navarro, Pedro Alvesand Darko Kovacevic). The latter, who previously played for Real Sociedad, became the one who took the “glory”.

“You start to take stock and… it seems like this couldn’t have happened. Moments matter in football and we came to the end of the season at the best moment, both physically and mentally. Perhaps if we had taken Aston Villa 3-4 months ago, everything would have been different,” he admitted. Vicente Iborra in “Pizarra de Quintana” after defeat Unai Emery’s men in the Conference semi-finals.

The former Sevilla and Villarreal player, who has four Europa Leagues and one conference to his name, admits importance of mehndi : “It seems like it would change a lot, but it gave us peace, serenity, simplicity… be who he is.”

It seems that a lot would have changed, but what Mendilibar gave us was calm, serenity, simplicity…

Vicente Iborra

From Athens… to Olympus

Interestingly, the 2023/24 season for Mendilibar has officially begun… in Athens. While still coach of Sevilla, he lost the European Super Cup on penalties to Manchester City (1-1, 5-4 points). at their future stadium. On February 11, the former player of Athletic, Osasuna, Valladolid, Eibar, Levante and Alaves, among others, finally signed a contract with Olympiacos. Thus began his first “adventure” on the bench outside of Spain.

The round of 16 match against Maccabi Tel Aviv marked the “before” and “after”.. Olympiacos bounced back from a 1-4 deficit in the first leg to win in Israel 1-6!, including extra time. That day the Spaniard made a key decision: Bet on Tsolakis in goal. They then beat Fenerbahçe (7–5) and Aston Villa (2–6) before beating Fiorentina (1–0).with a goal from El Kaabisurprised by the “top scorer” of the Conference with 11 goals, in the 116th minute of extra time. “It seemed like we were headed for a penalty, it was very difficult to score a goal, and in an isolated game we achieved it,” admitted the Spanish coach.

He played a couple of Intertoto matches for Athletic (they lost to CFR Cluj in the 2005–06 season), but his real baptism of fire on the Old Continent came on 13 April 2023 at Old Trafford against Manchester United. (2-2) in the quarterfinals of the Europa League. He was 61 years old. No matter how incredible it may seem, In 412 days they won Europe and the Conference League.

“It took a lot of effort to achieve these successes. Until now we’ve been fighting about other things which turned out more or less well. But it’s so important: what happened last year, what happened this year… welcome.” recognized Zaldivar’s genius at Movistar.

Until now we had been fighting over other things that were going more or less well. But this is so important… welcome

Jose Luis Mendilibar

So it became with Rafa Benitez, in the second coach in history win two different European titles in a row… with two different teams: “Not now, but I think in a few years I will remember this and put my hands on my head.

I think in a few years I will remember this and put my hands on my head.

Jose Luis Mendilibar

Not only this. ‘Mendi’who beat Mourinho in the final of a major European tournament for the first time last season, allowed Olympiacos to go down in history. The painting of Piraeus, which will celebrate its centenary next season. became the first Greek team to win the European title.. In fact, the conference can be considered the greatest international success of Greek football. since winning Euro 2004 under Otto Rehhagel.

“I saw Ernesto Valverde (won three championships and two cups with Olympiacos) before the final. He is a good friend and is very well liked here. Now maybe I’ll tie it.” Mendilibar had joked before, already in the middle of the party, exclaiming: “Long live the mother who gave birth to all of you Greeks.”

Olympiacos can truly boast of being two-time European champions. And they have just accomplished another great feat: the youth team defeated Milan (3-0) in the final to win the Youth League. Another unprecedented feat by the Greek team.

Now, from Olympus, it’s time to continue making history: “I have one more year on my contract and it’s not moving.”