Donis’ Panathinaikos Train

Five weeks into the new Super League season and the team on everyone’s lips still continues to be Panathinaikos. Giorgos Donis’ “babies” have set the competition alight with their swashbuckling style of play. If the Cup win over Panetolikos is taken into account, it is now 6 wins in a row to start a season for the first time since 2009-10 (ironically the last time the Greens accomplished the League and Cup double).

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This has inevitably led to comparisons between the two sides, with many of the opinion that the current crop of players under Donis are playing better than the team back then with players such as Gilberto Silva, Giorgos Karagounis and Djibril Cisse. No mean feat.

In amongst all of the hype, it is important to keep things in perspective and not get carried away. The start has been outstanding and rumours have already surfaced of young guns such as Tasos Chatzigiovannis attracting the interest of Bundesliga and Serie A clubs. He has 2 goals and 4 assists in his last 4 League games but is only 21 years old and needs to be given some breathing space to keep playing his natura game, rather than having to deal with extra, unnecessary attention.

The man in the dugout, nicknamed the “Train” by Panathinaikos fans during his time as a player at the club, has undoubtedly been the catalyst for this remarkable start. Here are the areas in which the Trifylli has excelled:

Efficiency

Thea team has had 55 shots so far and has registered 12 goals. This averages out to 1 goal in every 4.6 attempts. A very handy return that wins matches. The most pleasing aspect with the ruthlessness in front of goal is that the team does not rely on one single player to put the ball in the back of the net. This is very important as one can pick up the slack if the other is having an off day.

Federico Macheda is quickly turning into a fan favourite after endearing himself to the fans with a couple of heart warming performances. The apprehension is now gone and his 2 delightful finishes have directly resulted in Panathinaikos wins. Argiris Kampetsis has also played without fear and hunted down opposition defences.

The statistic that best highlights the turnaround is that last season’s team under Marinos Ouzounidis only mustered 1 goal in every 10 attempts. More than double of the shots compared to the current crop.

Teamwork and Development

As previously mentioned, there is no over-reliance on any player to deliver each game. Instead everyone pulls their weight collectively. Giannis Bouzoukis was immense in the first few games of the season but has since had a couple of games to forget, however, others have stepped in for instance.

The calmness and maturity this young side possesses is another reason for the early success. They continue to remain diligent and push each other. They are a tight group that also get along off the field which is important for the morale. The fact that many have risen through the ranks at the club together also helps as their understanding of each others’ games is high and the chemistry is already present.

These traits of maturity and perseverance were particularly evident in the last 2 games against PAS Giannina and Panetolikos. In the former, the team fell behind from a poor goal to concede for the first time this season, however, stayed calm and fought for the win. In the latter, the game was in the balance until the very end when Macheda scored but the fringe players dug deep.

The team has 8 assists in the opening 5 League games, meaning that only 4 goals were not assisted (that is 2 penalties, Bouzoukis’ long range goal at Xanthi and Johansson’s goal at Larissa). This illustrates the easy on the eye playing style Donis has implemented.

“Clutch” Plays at the Right Time

Every player gives 100% but the execution in the big moments has matched the effort. There are several game breakers in the squad such as Chatzigiovannis, Kourbelis, Mounier, Dioudis and Kolovetsios, but other younger players who were unknowns a few weeks ago have also delivered when it has mattered. Emmanouilidis, Kampetsis and Bouzoukis have all won matches for the Trifylli at different points. Bouzoukis’ beautiful match winning goal at Xanthi in the opening game, being a case in point.

It is no coincidence that Panathinaikos already has 8 different goal scorers. Furthermore, the substitutions of Donis have been critical. Making the right substitution at the right time has paid dividends as substitutes have directly won the Greens points. The Cup game against Panetolikos is only one example of a match-winning substitution with Macheda coming on to score. Emmanouilidis also did this in the home win over Lamia. His 70th minute goal when the scores were locked at 1-1 was vital.

Donis deserves huge credit for this as this was something levelled at his predecessor Ouzounidis, who often cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines when things did not go to plan. Instead Donis has a clear “Plan B” and is not afraid to influence a game by a substitution or a change in formation.

Defensive Stability

The goals grab the headlines but ask any purist and they will say the cornerstone of any successful team is keeping the defence tight. This is something Panathinaikos has done extremely well, granted they are yet to face a big team. The attitude as a collective has been key but individuals have also caught the eye. Kolovetsios has been called up into the Ethniki Omada set up following his impressive performances and Poungouras has been a good signing from PAOK.

The well-organised defence does not leave much space and is very consistent. This is something that Donis worked on in the summer - the transition when the ball is won and lost. Donis had trialled a back 3 for most of the summer, but again showcased his flexibility as a manager by making the switch at different times when needed. For instance in the come-from-behind win over PAS Giannina, Donis reverted to a back 3 to see the game out at the end when the away side searched for a late equaliser.

Last season the Greens conceded exactly 1 goal per game, however, so far this season they have conceded an average of 0.6 goals per game. A significant improvement. Only 3 goals have been conceded to date and it has worked out to conceding just 1 goal in every 11.7 attempts.

Additionally, the form of Sokratis Dioudis between the sticks deserves a mention. Replacing the talented Odisseas Vlachodimos he had big shoes to fill and the question marks were out. However, he has taken the opportunity with open arms and has already attracted interest from a few European clubs after producing an array of fine saves.

by Nick Tsambouniaris

Image Source: to10.gr

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