Decade Review: Olympiacos FC, another decade of dominance

AGONAsport’s “Decade in review” series continues with Theo Bouras looking back on a memorable ten years for Olympiacos’ in both Greece and Europe.  

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Second Half of 2009-10:

Heading into the new decade, the Erythrolefki lost their first game of 2010 to AEK and found themselves eight points behind league-leading Panathinaikos by the end of January. The year’s only bright spot in Greece came on March 21st when Olympiacos defeated their Green rivals 0-1 in front of a packed OAKA Stadium. In Europe, the team reached the Round of 16 in the Champions League, but some bad luck and questionable officiating cost them in their 3-1 two-leg loss to Bordeaux.

2010-11 Season:

After losing the Greek Super League for the first time in six years, Evangelos Marinakis took over the team and started a complete overhaul. Kevin Mirallas, Marko Pantelic, David Fuster, Alberto Riera, Jose Holebas, and Ariel Ibagaza were some of the key names that came to Piraeus. The team suffered a shocking elimination at the hands of Maccabi Tel Aviv in early August and were eliminated from the Europa League; this would be the first time since the 1996-97 season that the Legend would not be playing in some European group stage. One of Marinakis’ first acts was to hire back Ernesto Valverde, and the team cruised to the top of the Super League standings.

2011-12 Season:

After a season without any European commitments, Olympiacos returned with a vengeance. The Erythrolefki lost their first two Champions League games but then won the last three of four (including a 3-1 Matchday 6 victory over Arsenal at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium) on route to amassing nine points. Unfortunately for them, they finished third because of a tie-breaker with Marseille. In the Europa League, the Reds eliminated Rubin Kazan in the Round of 32 and faced Metalist Kharkiv in the Round of 16. After a 0-1 victory in Ukraine and a 1-0 lead in the second leg in Piraeus, Olympiacos squandered many chances to go up by three in the aggregate. Unfortunately for them, a catastrophic ten minutes cost them the qualification as they allowed goals in the 81st and 87th minute. In Greece, a vital 0-1 victory at the OAKA Spyros Louis Stadium in March all but assured them of the Greek Super League trophy and the team won their first league/cup double since the 2008-09 season.

2012-13 Season:

The Summer of 2012 was always going to be a busy one after manager Ernesto Valverde stepped down in the off-season citing “family reasons,” and Kevin Mirallas was sold to Everton. Kostas Manolas, Dimitris Siovas, and Paulo Machado were some of the key signings in the off-season. Portuguese manager Leonardo Jardim took over but was fired by December because of a “lack of exciting play.” The Erythrolefki finished third in the Champions League and were bounced quickly by Levante in the Round of 32. In Greece, the team won their third consecutive league title and second straight double but were not impressive. They tied both games against Panathinaikos and both against PAOK while trouncing AEK 0-4 at OAKA and 2-0 in Piraeus.

2013-14 Season:

Spanish coach Michel took over the team towards the end of the 2012-13 season and had a busy summer of 2013. Joel Campbell, Javier Saviola, Alejandro Dominguez, and goalkeeper Roberto were added to an already solid roster, and the team was set. Olympiacos finished second behind Paris St-Germain in their Champions League group but ahead of Benfica and Anderlecht. In the Round of 16, the Legend defeated Manchester United 2-0 in Greece but lost 3-0 in Old Trafford. Michel won his first and only Greek championship as the team finished 17 points ahead of second-placed Panathinaikos. Kostas Mitroglou had an incredible start to the season as he netted 17 goals by the Christmas break; he was sold to Fulham in January.

2014-15 Season:

The 2014-15 edition of Olympiacos will always be remembered as a tale of two tapes. Current team captain Kostas Fortounis was signed in the off-season as the team captured the Trikala playmaker while he was about to sign for PAOK. In the Champions League, the team beat Juventus and Atletico Madrid and finished the group stage with νινε points (Juventus finished with one point ahead). The team’s impressive play continued with a 1-0 victory over Panathinaikos. In the second half, the wheels began to fall off as Michel was relieved of his coaching duties, and the team lost in the Europa League Round of 32 to Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. The team finished 12 points ahead of second-placed Panathinaikos and won their last double of the decade.

2015-16 Season:

After another transitional summer, the team hired Portuguese Marko Silva as the manager. Brown Ideye, Felipe Pardo, and Esteban Cambiasso all joined the club. In Europe, the team stunned Arsenal in England with a 2-3 victory and finished the group stage with νινε points (after another tie-breaker didn’t go their way). The Europa League experience was a short one as the Reds lost the aggregate to Anderlecht in extra time 1-3. In Greece, the Piraeus giants won their first 17 straight league games (a Greece record) and were dominant. Olympiacos won both their games against PAOK and defeated Panathinaikos and AEK at home by a total score of 7-1. The only disappointment came in the Greek Cup Final against AEK, where they lost 2-1. It’s worth noting that the Cup final was delayed for six weeks, and while the Erythrolefki were waiting, AEK were staying match fit because of their playoff obligations.

2016-17 Season:

The summer of 2016 began with the stunning news that Marko Silva was stepping down as team manager and was followed by a shocking Champions League qualification loss to Hapoel Beer-Sheva. The Erythrolefki hired Paulo Bento and won all three first-round derbies against PAOK, AEK, and Panathinaikos. They qualified for the Round of 32 in the Europa League, where they eliminated Turkish side Osmanlispor before eventually being bounced out of the tournament by Besiktas. The second half was a nightmare as the team lost all three derbies against their main rivals but hung on to win a historic seventh straight Greek Championship.

2017-18 Season:

After a disappointing start to the 2017 calendar year, Evangelos Marinakis completely reshuffled the team before the 2017-18 campaign. Nevertheless, the squad never meshed, and Olympiacos finished in third place in the League for the first time since the 1995-96 seasons. In the Champions League, the team only got a single point in a tough group with Barcelona, Juventus, and Sporting Lisbon.

2018-19 Season:

A complete team overhaul highlighted the summer of 2018. Portuguese manager Pedro Martins was hired in April but would be in charge of piecing together his team. The team added Lazaros Christodoulopoulos and Vasilis Torosidis to change the toxic culture in the locker room. The signings of Miguel Angel Guerrero, Jose Sa, Daniel Podence, and Guilherme were also critical to the club’s new-found success. In Greece, the team remained competitive and finished behind PAOK. In the Europa League group stage, Olympiacos defeated AC Milan with an extraordinary 3-1 victory in Piraeus to march onto the last 32 before falling to Dynamo Kyiv over two legs.

2019-20 Season First Half of Season:

Wanting to keep the momentum of the 2018-19 season, the board decided against making any big sales to keep the team nucleus together. Center back Ruben Semedo was added to become the backline leader, and Youssef El Arabi was signed to become the team’s much-needed poacher. In the Champions League, the Erythrolefki finished third and qualified for the Europa League. In Greece, the team is battling it out with PAOK in what will most certainly be a fight to the finish for the Greek Championship.

THE HIGHS

Six Past AEK and Champions Again (2010-11 Super League)

On March 20th, 2011, Olympiacos hosted AEK Athens in what was a derby only on paper. The Reds trounced AEK 6-0 and clinched the Greek championship. After a one year hiatus, the Legend was back on top.

Panathinaikos – Olympiacos 0-1 (2011-12 Super League)

The eternal rivals battled it out all season for first place but on March 18th, 2012, a key 0-1 victory at OAKA Spyros Louis would give the Reds a key victory. The goal by Djamel Abdoun gave Olympiacos the win as the Erythrolefki moved five points clear of the Tryfilli and never looked back.

Olympiacos – Anderlecht 3-1 (2013-14 Champions League)

Olympiacos had their fate in their own hands on the night of December 10, 2013. The Legend needed a victory over Anderlecht to advance to the Round of 16 of the Champions League and they delivered. Javier Saviola scored a pair and Alejandro Dominguez added the insurance on their way to a 3-1 victory.

Olympiacos – Manchester United 2-0 (2013-14 Champions League)

Manager Michel and his team reached the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 for the first time in four seasons and their first leg in Piraeus was nothing short of magical. Goals from Alejandro Dominguez and Joel Campbell led them to a historical 2-0 win over Manchester United.

Olympiacos – Atletico Madrid 3-2 (2014-15 Champions League)

Few were confident on Matchday 1 of the 2014-15 Champions League season when Olympiacos had the task of facing last season’s runners-up, Atletico Madrid. Nonetheless, Olympiacos put together complete performance and defeated the Spaniards 3-2 while shocking all of Europe.

Olympiacos – Juventus 1-0 (2014-15 Champions League)

Historically, Olympiacos always struggled with the Italian giants. On October 22nd, 2014, the Reds beat Juventus in Piraeus thanks to a goal from Pajtim Kasami and cemented their status as an elite club. The MVP of the evening was goalkeeper Roberto who was spectacular.

Arsenal-Olympiacos 2-3 (2015-16 Champions League)

After a heavy 0-3 loss in Greece to Bayern Munich on Matchday 1, Olympiacos pulled off an astonishing victory in London. The Greeks never trailed in this game and looked at the English giants in the eye. This was the first of their three straight Champions League victories that season; a record for all Greek teams that still stands today.

17 straight victories! (2015-16 Super League)

The 2015-16 season wasn’t only special in European competitions for Olympiacos, the team was equally successful in Greek competitions as they began the season with 17 straight victories. They lost their first points on January 18th, 2016 in a 1-1 tie in Crete against Platanias. They would go on to finish that season with 28 victories, one draw and one loss; the highest point percentage in league history (94.44%)

On top of Greece, 7 years in a row! (2011-17 Super League)

The bipolar 2016-17 season is certainly one that leaves fans with mixed emotions. The one thing that no one will forget is the fact that the Thrylos tied their existent record (from 1997 to 2003) of seven straight Greek championships – a record that will most likely never be broken.

Olympiacos-AC Milan 3-1 (2018-19 Europa League)

Entering Matchday six of the Europa League group stage, Olympiacos had their work cut out for them knowing they would need to beat AC Milan by two goals to qualify for the Round of 32. After a scoreless first half, the Erythrolefki put together a remarkable showing after the restart to defeat the Italian giants and send them home.

Honorable Mention:

Olympiacos – PAOK 4-0 (2013-14 Super League)

Going into the 2013-14 season, PAOK had hopes of stopping Olympiacos’ run of three straight Greek Championships. Olympiacos put any doubt to rest as they smashed the Dikefalos tou Vorra 4-0.

THE LOWS

Olympiacos-Metallist Kharkiv 1-2 (2011-12 Europa League)

After a 0-1 victory in Ukraine, Olympiacos scored early in the second leg in Piraeus and missed a rue of chances to go ahead by three. Unfortunately, a total meltdown in the last ten minutes of the game cost the team the game and the qualification. The quarter-finals were mere minutes away so there is no telling how far the team could have gone.

Olympiacos-Panathinaikos 0-3 (2013-14 Super League)

Four days after a 2-0 victory over Manchester United, Olympiacos hosted their rivals in Piraeus. A scary heart issue to Michael Olaitan early in the game killed the momentum for the team and Olympiacos allowed three goals in a game the fanbase would soon want to forget.

Manchester United-Olympiacos 3-0 (2013-14 Champions League)

The Legend never got into the second leg in England – they found themselves down by two at the half and looked like sheep in a slaughterhouse. A Robin Van Persie hat-trick gave the Red Devils the qualification and shocked Olympiacos 3-2 on aggregate.

Olympiacos – AEK 1-2 (2016 Greek Cup Final)

In the infamous “Kontonis Cup Final Game,” Olympiacos players had to wait through six weeks of postponement as the game finally took place on May 17th – an entire month of inactivity for the Olympiacos players. Meanwhile, AEK were playing regularly in the Greek playoffs and won the final 2-1.

Olympiacos-AEK 1-2 (2017-18 Super League)

The catastrophic 2017-18 season was highlighted by two games against AEK. In the first round, Olympiacos blew a 0-2 second half lead in OAKA and lost to AEK 3-2 in the last few moments of the game. History would repeat itself in the second round where the Reds opened up the scoring in the 81st minute, only to allow goals in the 87th minute and during injury time and suffer another embarrassing loss at the hands of AEK.

PAOK-Olympiacos 3-1 (2018-2019 Super League)

Entering the game last season in Toumba, Olympiacos were trailing PAOK in the Greek Super League standings but wanted to close the gap. A lethargic 3-1 loss to PAOK crushed any hopes that the team would win the Greek League and unofficially ended their season.

DECADE STARTING XI (with backups)

Goalkeeper: Roberto

The Spaniard came to Olympiacos in the summer of 2013 and was in top form. His showings against Benfica, Juventus, Arsenal, and Atletico Madrid are performances legends are made of. He was a true locker room leader and a presence in goal for the Reds.

Backup: Jose Sa

Right Back: Omar Elabdellaoui

Since 2014, the Norwegian back has been a mainstay in Piraeus (unless you exclude his six month loan spell in England in the first half of 2017). He has been the best right-back in Greece and now shares captain duties with the club.

Backup: Vasilis Torosidis

Center Back: Olof Melberg

The Swedish giant was one of the strongest and well positioned players that ever laced the boots for Olympiacos. Years after his retirement, Melberg is still synonymous with what Olympiacos fans are looking for in a center-back.

Backup: Ruben Semedo

Center Back: Kostas Manolas

The speedy Greek centre-back had a knack for outpacing his opponents, being dominant in the air and scoring the odd goal. Manolas was a dominant player and it comes as no surprise that he is playing for some of the biggest clubs in Europe.

Backup: Dimitris Siovas

Left Back: Jose Holebas

Holebas had four seasons where his play led to him being called up to the Greek National Team and eventually signing to AS Roma. His excellent crosses and wicked left foot were an asset offensively and his defensive abilities improved as time went on.

Backup: Kostas Tsimikas

Defensive Midfielder: Luka Milivojevic

Spending two seasons with the club, Milivojevic was a dominant presence in the midfield. His tackling, positioning and stamina were second to none.

Backup: Guilherme

Center Midfielder: Giannis Maniatis

In this past decade, nobody has had the longevity (over three years) that Maniatis had for the team. This isn’t the “sexiest” pick, but when Maniatis was at the top of his game, he was a horse in the midfield. Injuries unravelled his time in Piraeus but his time won’t be forgotten.

Backup: Mady Camara

Attacking Midfielder: Kostas Fortounis

The Greek international is one of the most talented players to ever play for the Legend. His style can lift an entire team and he can be a real difference-maker. Olympiacos are blessed to have such a talented player in their squad.

Backup: Alejandro Dominguez

Right Attacking Midfielder: Daniel Podence

Not since Luciano Galletti have the Erythrolefki been as dominant in the right winger position. Podence has world class speed and dribbling; his biggest knock comes with his finishing. If Podence is able to get better contact with the back of the net, he will go down as one of the team’s most elite players.

Backup: Felipe Pardo

Left Attacking Midfielder: Kevin Mirallas

Mirallas came to Olympiacos as a third string striker but eventually broke out. His 36 goals and 15 assists in 86 games prove his dominance. His 2018 run wasn’t what he or anyone else expected, but he remains one of the most talented players to ever play for the Piraeus-based club.

Backup: Joel Campbell

Striker: Kostas Mitroglou

Throughout the decade, nobody had a better track record scoring than Mitroglou. The Greek striker potted 64 goals in 128 games during the 2010s and at times seemed unstoppable.

Backup: Youssef El Arabi

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