Atromitos take “Punching above your weight” to a New Level
Much was made of Atromitos in the 2017/18 season under new boss Damir Canadi. With a solid defence and quality attackers, the minnows turned heads and impressed en route to an amazing 4th place finish and a berth in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers.
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Central to that were the players that proved to be the difference in the final third. Amr Warda (on-loan from PAOK) was a revelation and one of the best players in the league last season before securing a spot in the Egyptian squad that went to the World Cup in Russia. The diminutive Egyptian scored 11 goals and notched 7 assists in 28 appearances for the Peristeri club.
However, he was not alone. The experienced Nicolas Diguiny led the line brilliantly as he scored 10 goals and grabbed 7 assists in his 34 appearances. On top of this, Abiola Dauda chipped in with 9 goals and 4 assists in his 34 appearances. This key trio all departed in the summer (with Warda returning to parent-club PAOK and Diguiny following him to Thessaloniki to join rivals Aris) and naturally questions arose as to whether or not Atromitos could replicate their giant-killing season in 2018/19.
The back line was kept relatively stable but there was a real fear as the side bowed out early in Europa League qualifying. This has been blown away in some fashion during the first half of the season. The so-called minnows from Peristeri have once again proved to be a nightmare opposition and currently sit second in the league.
Efthimis Koulouris has underpinned Atromitos’ success. Much like his PAOK teammate Warda, he went down to Athens from Thessaloniki seeking regular playing time and an opportunity to showcase his talent. The young striker has not disappointed and is on course to better the season Warda had. Even though it is hard to compare the players as they play different positions, it is safe to say Atromitos would not sit in second spot if not for Koulouris’ 13 goals and 3 assists in 14 games. He is the leading scorer in the league and has already earnt a call up in the Ethniki squad.
He has been helped by fellow attackers Roland Ugrai, Konstantinos Kotsopoulos (the team’s second scorer with 4 goals), and Clark N’Sikulu, but also defenders with an instinct for going forward. Keeping Dimitris Giannoulis from PAOK was seen as somewhat of a coup and the young fullback already has 5 assists this season and also earnt a call up into the Ethniki squad.
All in all, the calendar year of 2018 has been nothing short of sensational for Atromitos. They are on course to better last season’s efforts of 56 points, with 46 goals scored and 21 conceded, where they were statistically the best away team. This season, they already boast the best attack in the Greek Cup with 7 goals to date and the equal best attack in the league with 22 goals (joint with Panathinaikos, AEK and PAOK). Much of this can be attributed to the tactical awareness and flexibility of Canadi, who has undoubtedly built a team worth more than the sum of its parts.
