Jose Luis Mendilibar said goodbye to Olympiacos's Rentis training ground, staff and players on 10 September, closing out a spell in which he built an excellent relationship with the Greek club from his first day in the country.
Speaking on "The Football Show by Stoiximan" on protothema.gr, journalist Vasilis Konstantopoulos said the next chapter belongs to Imanol Alguacil, a coach with a different philosophy from the departing Basque manager.
Konstantopoulos said that for anyone who can read between the lines and not just follow big names, Alguacil inspires confidence, explaining that the incoming coach places heavy emphasis on pressing, attacking football and intensity of play.
A different approach to matches
According to the report, the Spanish coach manages games differently from Mendilibar and has a character that can connect with Olympiacos's institutional identity and the demands of its supporters.
Konstantopoulos described Alguacil as an intense personality, a coach who wants Olympiacos to play attacking, fast and highly pressing football.
Alguacil built his reputation over several years in charge of Real Sociedad in Spain, where he was known for an attacking, high-pressing style and led the Basque club into European competition, including the Champions League.
Tension over transfer decisions
On the subject of transfers and Mendilibar's working relationship with the club's management, Konstantopoulos said several roster decisions were not exclusively the Spanish coach's own recommendations.
He explained that tension had built recently between Olympiacos's management, the staff who handle transfer planning, and Mendilibar, as the experienced coach wanted full control over transfer decisions.
Mendilibar is an old school coach. He did not easily compromise and wanted to have the first say in choices, Konstantopoulos said.
Konstantopoulos added that Olympiacos, by contrast, is a club that relies heavily on transfers and on generating value by trading players, a business approach that created friction with Mendilibar's preferences.
Results fell short of expectations
He also noted that several of the signings made did not perform to the level that even Mendilibar himself had expected, which became another factor in what he called a difficult working relationship.
Mendilibar joined Olympiacos in 2024, a year after leading Sevilla to the UEFA Europa League title, and guided the Piraeus club to the UEFA Conference League trophy in his first season, the club's first European title. Olympiacos, based in Piraeus, is one of Greek football's most successful clubs and regularly competes in European competitions.
Alguacil now takes over at Rentis as Olympiacos's new head coach, tasked with applying his pressing, attacking style to a squad and a club culture shaped in different ways by his predecessor's more cautious, hands-on approach to transfer strategy.
