Derby defeat cause for concern, but not time to panic. 

AGONAsport's PAOK contributor, Jonathan Batsanis, looks back over the derby defeat at the hands of local rival Aris and explains while improvement is needed, it is not yet time to hit the panic button. 

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It was always going to be a tough night's work at the Kleanthis Vikelidis. Aris, as cross-town rivals, live for the local derby. With the motivation of halting PAOK's 51-match unbeaten run, as well as potentially knocking them off the top of the Super League, the Kitrinomavri were always going to be up for the fight. 

And so it proved, with Aris scrapping and fighting for every second and third ball, PAOK's neighbours wanted the three points more. Although some may say Aris were "lucky" scoring four goals from only four attempts on goal, their win was well deserved. 

Yes, if a few things had gone PAOK's way, I'd be singing a very different tune right now. If Misic scores moments after Swiderski's opener to make it 2-0, or if the Polish under-21 international restores PAOK's lead shortly after Daniel Larsson's equaliser, it would have been a completely different result. But it was not meant to be. 

Aris shed blood and sweat and, in the end, were rewarded with the footballing gods smiling upon them. It is a loss, it happens, and PAOK will move on. With a whopping 19 games to go (including playoffs), nothing is lost, and it is not time to go into 'panic' mode. 

PAOK were unlucky, chances were missed, and a poor performance in goal by Zivkovic cost the Dikefalos tou Vorra two goals - which ended up being the difference. It is difficult to imagine so many things going wrong for PAOK in a single game. 

To put the defeat into perspective, the loss suffered on Saturday was PAOK's first league defeat in almost two years of football. A similar run from now until the end of the season (and beyond) will surely see them crowned champions again. 

Another derby in a week’s time against AEK means PAOK have no time to sit and feel sorry for themselves. A first derby win of the season is non-negotiable at this point. As mentioned last week, the derby results will be the difference between winning and losing the title, and as a result, the upcoming match against AEK is now a must-win. 

There are a few issues that need addressing by Ferreira and his staff moving forward. For yet another derby match, PAOK failed to keep a clean sheet. In fact, in all except one derby this season (Olympiacos), the Aspromavori have conceded at least two goals against their derby rivals. 

A massive reason for PAOK’s title charge has been the defensive astuteness instilled by Ferreira and his players. It goes without saying that you can not expect to win the league title by conceding two goals a game, particularly against your direct title rivals. Cleaning up the defensive side of the game in derbies will lead to victories in future derbies, something that we all know PAOK are hungry for. 

Next weekend, PAOK will need to focus on winning their first derby of the season, and keeping a clean sheet in the back will be vital in achieving this result. Mentally, it will be a huge hurdle to clear not only for the squad but for the manager. Ferreira is undoubtedly eager to get the derby monkey off his back, and as long as this time next week, I’m writing about a PAOK victory, nothing will have been lost, and the title charge will still be well and truly on track. 

by Jonathan Batsanis

Image Source: sportime.gr

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