Ludogorets’ coach, Per-Mathias Hogmo, spoke ahead of the team’s Europa League clash with PAOK.
“I expect motivation to be at the highest level in every match — this is the culture of Ludogorets. Of course, with every league match we develop the team. The domestic league and the Europa League are quite different. We are facing a different team compared to Celta. I hope we continue to develop our game — both in defense and in attack,” the Norwegian began. “I expect every team that comes to play us in a European match to be well-prepared. That applies to PAOK as well. It’s up to us to create different types of chances. I am satisfied with the opportunities we created — against Slavia and also against Celta. We broke through their lines. We must be able to attack from the left and from the right, to create chances, but also to convert them,” he continued.
“I’m happy that every one of the players fights, shows courage, and never stops battling. We have the chance to play for nine points. After the match with Celta, the team is motivated, with great desire,” Høgmo added.
Regarding the new addition to the sports and technical staff, John Phillips, Høgmo commented: “John impressed me and the club. He has knowledge, works well on conditioning, has experience in many clubs, and contributes in the scientific field. He comes from the Red Bull system and really has exceptional experience. As you mentioned, we have a tight schedule — it’s a challenge. You asked Dinis Almeida how he is coping — he himself is discovering new details. With John’s arrival, we have another competent specialist who will help us immensely.”
Defender Dinis Almeida also spoke before his team’s Europa League match against PAOK. The Portuguese centre-back said he believes in himself and his teammates in the battle against Kiril Despodov and PAOK’s “Double-headed Eagles” from Thessaloniki.
“We take it match by match. We fight in every single game. We have a difficult, dense schedule between domestic and international fixtures — we know this from previous years, with matches every two or three days. In recent games we are growing as a team. Against Slavia in the last match we didn’t win, even though we deserved to, we played the way we were supposed to. We must show who we are and keep improving,” said the Portuguese defender.
“Of course, there is a difference. In Europe, you face the best teams from different countries; in Bulgaria, teams are difficult in a different way — they play well in a low block. It’s totally different. We need to take the points we need; we know what is required and how to adapt,” he added.
“In Europe the best teams and players compete. Despodov is among them. He is well-known and has done good things here. I believe that together, as a team, we will deal with Kiril and PAOK and we will succeed. Celta also had very good players, but we beat them,” Almeida said.
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