Elabdellaoui shines in superb Olympiacos start
Elabdellaoui shines in superb Olympiacos start
For long periods this year, it seemed certain that right-back Omar Elabdellaoui was on his way out of Olympiacos, but in a dramatic transformation, the Norwegian has made himself one of the first names on Pedro Martins’ team sheet. AGONAsport investigates further.
Just like the majority of Thrylos players, Elabdellaoui struggled hugely in a dire 2017/2018 campaign, often criticized for his apparent lack of effort and poor performances on the right side of defence. Reports in the media suggested the 26-year old was on the verge of being shifted out of Piraeus, however he’s proving the doubters wrong by starting the new season in impressive fashion.
During the summer, the Norwegian international received praise for his hard work at the training camps, something which was rewarded by Martins allowing him more freedom on the right flank. Martins, who has created a productive, family-like atmosphere within a previously disjointed Olympiacos group, understands how to get the best out of Elabdellaoui and his faith in the player is bearing fruit.
So far this season, Elabdellaoui has remained on the pitch for every single minute of Olympiacos’ five competitive matches, playing a leading role in the UEFA Europa League victories against FC Luzern and Burnley while scoring a clever goal against PAS Giannina. With the score locked at 0:0, he intelligently cut inside towards the penalty area, escaped his marker and nodded the ball past the opposing goalkeeper after Mohamed Camara dished out a superb pass:
Watch at 01:12:
Did anyone see such a turnaround coming? After signing for Olympiacos back in July 2014, he has shown glimpses of the potential which he possesses, but he was never consistent enough and the previous season was a complete nightmare. Nevertheless, with Martins bringing the Thrylos players together, Elabdellaoui is competing with confidence again and the new, calm mentality in Piraeus is paying dividends. It isn’t just Elabdellaoui excelling either - the likes of Konstantinos Fortounis, Lazaros Christodoulopoulos, Miguel Angel Guerrero and Konstantinos Tsimikas are also firing on all cylinders.
Assuming Elabdellaoui continues in the same vein, a call-up to the Norwegian national team should surely be around the corner, especially taking into consideration that he already boasts 29 caps to his name since making his debut against Sweden in a friendly in August 2013. Yes, we’re barely in September and the season has a long way to go, but the signs are positive.
by Shaun Nicolaides
Image Source: to10.gr
Thank you for visiting AGONAsport.com, the only English based website for Greek sports fans across the world! Like us on Facebook , follow us on Instagram, and Twitter for all the latest news in Greek Sports!