Andrea Trinchieri has shared his first thoughts after reaching an agreement with PAOK, speaking about the club’s vision, his motivation, the current staff and his desire to build a winning culture in Thessaloniki.
On attending PAOK’s centenary and the welcome he received
“I thank the president for his kind words. While traveling here, I wanted to understand my feelings, and the journey is the first thing I see. I am very excited. We are here for PAOK’s centenary and this is not something you can find in a supermarket. The president is the guardian of PAOK’s tradition and history. It is pure energy and responsibility.”
On how the agreement was reached
“Last week Misko Raznatovic told me to speak with Mr. Mystakidis. So we went to Milan and met. We did not talk about players or anything else, but about vision, and that excited me. Afterwards I told Misko that Mr. Mystakidis said many very focused things.”
On the relationship with the management and the fans
“It all happened very quickly. I truly felt that they wanted me deeply. My father used to tell me to go where you are wanted. It was about feelings. At the top we have Mr. Mystakidis and we also have the fans, who are very important.”
On philosophy and first steps
“The first thing we must do is decide our philosophy. The second is the strategy of how we move forward, who will come, what PAOK’s culture will be in the future, how we want to do things. This will be PAOK and we must define it.”
On not taking over immediately as head coach
“What I tell my players and staff is that nobody is bigger than the team. I watched 10–12 PAOK games this season and I like the body language. I was impressed by the coaching staff. I have many ideas, I trust Pantelis Boutsikos and the staff. There is no time to change something now. If I came in now, even in European competition, it could create problems for the team.”
On his current and future role
“Coach Boutsikos knows the players much better than I do. I will come often to Thessaloniki, he will coach with his experience, we will speak daily and exchange ideas. I will focus on organization and next season.”
On moving from the EuroLeague to PAOK
“I am romantic and I like these challenges. I like to see something blossom. I enjoy the journey every day. In the EuroLeague you do one thing: you play, you go home, you travel. It is a very demanding schedule. PAOK wants to reach the EuroLeague. How we will do it is in our hands. This is the challenge. I am a bit crazy, it excites me and it is the fuel in my tank.”
On titles
“I love winning titles. It is the best thing. If I say ‘yes, we will win titles’, it is the easiest thing to say but not the easiest to do. We must define our philosophy on how to compete with the best, what our culture will be. We must be there, among the elite. We have two very strong teams in Greece who have been in the EuroLeague for 15 years.”
On his contribution and ambitions
“I will give the maximum of what I have and help players and coaches. I will give advice in the right way. This team has prospects. We must respect the work being done now. I believe there are good chances to bring PAOK back to the top.”
On the Greek EuroLeague rivals
“They invest a lot of money and energy and that is good for the EuroLeague. But only one team wins, and that is true for many teams. We will see what happens this year because it is one of the most balanced championships. Panathinaikos has an incredible roster, Olympiacos is at the Final Four every year. They do everything to be competitive, they constantly strengthen the roster. There is no mercy. You must constantly be the best.”
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