Nikos Nikolaou: "I would return to Onisilos"

a 86 Nea Famagusta, Nikos Nikolaou
a 5061 Nea Famagusta, Nikos NikolaouNikos Nikolaou, a few days after leaving the technical helm of Ayia Napa, talks about everyone and everything, about his training course, about Omonia and the possibility of returning to Onisilos one day. Read the exclusive interview he gave to SotiraNews.com

Nikos, a few days after your departure from the position of coach of Ayia Napa, I would like you to describe to me what you have gained from the Division A Championship this year?
I must say that I have gained a lot of experience from the first category since it is a very competitive league with daily requirements while the quality and difference of some teams is very obvious. However, it does not cease to be a two-speed championship with the teams that are in the upper echelons seemingly belonging to another "category".

You had a team this year with which many said you did the impossible. That is, to start directly from the XNUMXrd Division, to ascend next year to the XNUMXnd Division where you won the Championship last year and to be in the XNUMXst Division until recently, facing teams of millions and with European experiences with the most obvious difference in capacity. Do you feel like you had to fight unarmed in an unequal fight?
We certainly knew that our task was difficult due to the reduced budget. The budget was the smallest a first-class team ever made. And of course, in order to build a team, you have to hire players who are not always in your first choices due to the financial situation. Apart from that, everyone must understand that in order for a weak team to compete with the "giants" of the first category and because the championship is long, it needs financial support and special effort. The weaknesses of small teams with low budgets and the difference in quality can be seen along the way.

How do you feel about leaving Ayia Napa?
Certainly in two and a half years of my presence I lived very good moments. We won two promotions and a championship in the B category. I am leaving as a friend and I wish you good luck on the way to Ayia Napa. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the President for his many years of cooperation.

History has shown that you are a coach with many potentials. You took a team from the XNUMXrd Division and promoted it within two years to the XNUMXst Division, winning the Division B Championship. Do you think that you have achieved a lot or do you reserve more for the future?
I am a new coach and I am still at the beginning of my career. But I am a coach who believes in the philosophy that in order to succeed you have to work hard and give your best every day, which I adhere to and the results are shown below. My goal is to train constantly and I definitely believe that I have not achieved anything yet. I feel that I still have a long way to go to prove my coaching skills. Always a coach to succeed depends on the conditions in which he works.

You have deleted a great career in Omonia. How do you see your old team this year with its many financial difficulties and poor scoring?
Omonia is always a big team regardless of financial problems. Certainly, these problems also affect the match, but in the last games and especially in the game with AEL, the players have shown that they can chase their entry in the top four.

You were in Onisilos as a footballer but also as a coach. Would you return to Sotira's team if you were offered?
I am definitely open to any suggestion. Especially with the team of my Municipality, I am emotionally attached both as a coach and as a footballer, giving my best and I would not say no to a future collaboration. These are the ways of the coaches.

SotiraNews.com