Defensive frailty threatens to derail PAOK’s title defence

From strength to weakness, PAOK’s back-line has quickly become a major liability in the Dikefalos tou Vorra’s bid to repeat as Super League champions.

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After winning last year’s domestic double on the back of a solid defensive unit, PAOK’s back-line has been a liability to start the 2019/2020 Super League season.

Through four rounds of action in the Super League, PAOK’s title defence has gotten off to a rocky start despite the club’s position in the league standings.

While PAOK sit in a two-way tie with Olympiacos for top spot in the table, PAOK’s stingy back-line has leaked goals since the start of the season. What was a strength for PAOK en route to the club’s first domestic championship in 34 years has become a glaring weakness for first-year head coach Abel Ferreira.

Having allowed just 14 goals during the 2018/2019 season, PAOK have already conceded six goals through just four matchdays to start the new season.

Alexandros Paschalakis’ goal, which for long stretches seemed impregnable last season, has been breached in each of the club’s four outings.

PAOK started the campaign with a 2-1 defeat of Panetolikos on Matchday 1 as the Thessaloniki giants seemingly lost concentration in the dying moments before conceding a late consolation goal to Dalcio Gomes.

The Dikefalos tou Vorra managed an identical score-line one week later against Panionios as Karol Swiderski came to the rescue late in the second half to rule out Sotiris Tsiloulis equalizer.

PAOK’s defensive record got even worse after the most recent international break as the Thessaloniki side were hit for two goals by Atromitos striker Apostolos Vellios. The goals came in just a seven-minute span and erased PAOK’s early 2-0 lead after Chuba Akpom and Leo Matos had opened the scoring for PAOK in the first half. Once again PAOK relied on late heroics, this time from Jose Angel Crespo, to secure a thrilling 3-2 win in Peristeri.

In the Thessaloniki Derby this past weekend, PAOK conceded a further two goals as the reigning champions clinged to a 2-2 draw with crosstown rivals Aris after being forced to come from behind twice on the night.

PAOK’s six goals conceded rank fourth-worst in the league thus far with only Panathinaikos (9), Panetolikos (8), and Asteras Tripolis (7) having conceded more.

It’s a worrying trend for the club and the impacts were certainly felt during PAOK’s abbreviated European campaign. Five goals conceded in their UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie against Ajax meant it was the Dutch side that advanced to the playoff round.

But the bleeding didn’t stop there for PAOK as a further three goals in the UEFA Europa League tie against Slovan Bratislava, including a bizarre stoppage-time tally in Slovakia, prematurely ended the club’s European ambitions for yet another season.

Certainly, the rocky start to the season is a symptom of the club’s summer business, though nothing might have as much of an impact as Razvan Lucescu’s surprise resignation. With Ferreira installed soon after Lucescu decides to leave his post, the Portuguese tactician hasn’t been able to solve the club’s backline in eight competitive games so far this season.

With a derby date against AEK and in-form striker Marko Livaja, PAOK could be in line to concede even more goals this weekend in Athens.

Of course, PAOK fans won’t mind the amount of goals conceded if it means the club are able to repeat as champions, but if this worrying trend continues then perhaps the club’s reign might be over sooner rather than later.

by Peter Katsiris

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