Olimpija coach Joao Henriques disappointed with performance against Radomlje: “Probably our worst game this season”

Published on 9. October 2023 9. October 2023

On Sunday Olimpija hosted Radomlje in the Telemach First League. Olimpija entered the game from a slightly worse position, having lost more games than Radomlje in their last five matches. The final score was 1-1, with both goals coming in the first half. After a pass from the corner, in the 14th minute. Marcel Ratnik scored for Olimpija.Radomlje tied the game in 35th minute, they made a quick move, after which the Madžid Šošić scored. After the game, Joao Henriques was very disappointed with the performance of the Green and Whites: ”This time we lacked everything. We deserved to hear the whistles from the stands. There are no excuses for the way we played. It was probably the worst game we have played this season. And when that happens, you are punished. We were punished with two losses,” said the Portuguese.

In the second half, Olimpija lacked energy and creativity and Radomlje were closer to victory. Joao Henriques has also noticed this: ”Everything was missing. We tried with fresh players, rested legs. We had a goal advantage and could have gone 2-0 up. But it wasn’t enough. The players who came on at half-time need to show more. The players who started the game also need to show more. It’s mental fatigue. More than physical fatigue… The biggest problem is too many matches. But that wasn’t the main reason this time, because we dealt with it by bringing in fresh players like Raul. The problem is not individuality. This time we were collectively bad. The pitch was also bad. We were too poor. We need to improve, Celje is getting further away. We lose points by being stupid. We need victories. Teams defend against us and looking for our mistakes. We actually make too many mistakes and let them get to our goal. And for no reason. We need to do better. We need to relax. A representative break will come in very handy, most of all to clear our minds. The next cycle will be tough again. Seven games in one month. This time it was bad. Everything went wrong. We have to accept that.”

Joao Henriques: “The pressure is always there”

Joao Henriques also apologised for his poor performance to the fans of the Ljubljana club, who have less and less patience for Alberto Riera‘s successor: ”We must also accept the discontent from the stands. I apologise to the fans for that. They deserve a match with more energy, enthusiasm and quality. But this time we didn’t give it to them. One match per season is enough.”

Some people are already of the opinion that the Stožice management should consider a change on the bench. Joao Henriques is not bothered: “The pressure is always there. We have to win. That’s normal for us. That’s how it is in big teams that want to win. Even when we are not at 100 percent, we have to win. This time we were not 100 per cent, but we should have won anyway. Let us be pragmatic. But the pressure… It’s always there in big clubs.“

This text was automatically translated using AI.