He is probably one of the most resounding coaching names to ever come to Cyprus, with parchments and titles that many would envy. The reason for Neil Lennon, the coach of Omonia and reformer of the team in recent months. The coach of the greens gave an interview to KYPE.
He was initially asked about his feelings after the Cup final and how he lived the match, saying that at the end of the day, the way the conquest but the fact that the final was won: “We played with ten players from such an early age, which made the game more difficult for us because of its great importance. But the players showed character and took the victory and the Cup, something that in the final was fair as to get there we had to beat AEL in the quarterfinals and Anorthosis in the semifinals playing very well. “Personally, winning the trophy gave me a lot of happiness and satisfaction and also added another trophy for the club.”
Asked what was the key to this success, he spoke about the team mentality. “The team had to work hard in this area as the progress in the league was not good and they definitely had to change the mentality and get footballers more confident to believe in themselves. So in that way, we changed the way we played. “
Asked if the season was successful after winning the Cup and securing a place in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers, it was clear that despite not being a successful year in the league, winning the Cup and securing a European ticket for a third consecutive year are a huge success.
Answering a question about Omonia's goal and ambitions in the European championships, he said: “It's a little early to set specialized goals. Of course, if you are in a qualifying round of the Europa League, then the immediate goal is to qualify for the group stage. If we do not succeed we will be in the Europa Conference League. If the goal of participating in Europa clubs is achieved, this will be something fantastic, both for the players and for the club and its fans in general. At the moment, the focus and the most realistic goal is to build our team and be ready for the preparation and the games of July “.
Neil Lennon was also asked about the design of the team: “Of course, the design started when I signed in March. This is a constant situation. “Together with the coaching staff, the managing director and the board, we are looking for players who will lead the team and try to get back to the top.”
Omonia and answered that: “The team needs a central midfielder, a left-back, another midfielder and a striker. So we need players in 4 or 5 positions “.
Asked if the team is close to completing a big transfer, a big name, he said” not yet “.
Asked in which markets the focus is on attracting footballers, almost no market ruled out: “We are looking at Europe, in the United Kingdom, in South America. We work very hard to bring quality players to the club. Hopefully next week we will be able to announce players. The plan is to bring players who will make a difference and we hope that the players we will bring will also make the fans happy “.
The Northern Irish coach was also asked about the Omonia fans & # 8230; “The message I want to send to the fans is that we will do everything we can to bring more success to the club. The support that the players had in the Cup was decisive and excellent and the support I had from the day I landed in Cyprus was wonderful. The friends of Omonia express their support with a lot of passion and there is a real relationship between the players and the fans, which is very important. I hope we will claim the championship again next season.
I want to tell the Omonia fans that we took the team in the middle of the season and got it where we wanted it. We work to refresh the team and bring quality players to the team. We will claim the championship, the cup and a good course in Europe and I am very excited for next season “
Asked about the level in Cyprus: “The football level in Cyprus is excellent. You have to protect it because it is the number one sport in Cyprus and I am really impressed with the quality of the facilities, the quality of the players, the clubs, the atmosphere and the fans. I think it is a very good product for Cyprus “.
Asked about the level of the Cypriot footballer, he said that this is also very good, while speaking specifically about the Cypriot players of Omonia, he said that they are all very good guys, good players, who work very hard, something that, as he said, pleases him a lot.
Finally, he was asked if he thinks that the level of the National Cyprus and its results reflect the level of Cypriot footballers. He said that it is a difficult question to answer as he is on our island and has been part of Cypriot football for only a few months. He said the national team beat Estonia in March, lost to Kosovo last week and had a good showing against Northern Ireland. Noting that there are very good players in the National Team who do not play in Cyprus, Neil Lennon said that his assessment is that the National Team can develop.
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