Let This Be A Lesson

AGONAsport’s Olympiacos contributor, Theo Bouras, looks back at the Erythrolefki’s 1-0 loss to PAOK in the Super League at the Karaiskakis Stadium.

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What many of us had feared in these last couple of weeks became a reality. Olympiacos, looking unmotivated and playing without a purpose, lost their first game of the 2019/2020 Super League season against PAOK and are now looking to right the ship moving forward.

Better Now Than Later

Prior to the season, if I would have asked you fellow Gavroi if you preferred to win the Greek Double or just the Super League undefeated, the answer would have unequivocally been the former. Sure, being unbeaten is a nice footnote for the season, but you don’t win any silverware for that achievement.

What is a bigger concern than the Legend suffering their first season loss is that the style of play has been getting worse. 

It all started in the second leg of the Greek Cup semi-final against PAOK. The Dikefalos tou Vorra came into Georgios Karaiskakis with a slim 3-2 lead and were looking to reach the final for the fourth straight year. Olympiacos, having not won a Greek Cup since 2015, had immense pressure of turning the tie around. A 2-0 victory put Pedro Martins’ team through, but it wasn’t a routine win at all.

However, fast forward four days, and the 45-time Greek champions appeared unstoppable in the first half against AEK at OAKA Spyros Louis. They took a 2-0 lead in the first half, but relaxation in the second stanza consequently resulted in a nervy end to the match. Once again, this performance was somewhat excused because of their high tempo of play in the first half, and pundits argued that the team might have been slightly complacent.

A week later at the same stadium, a lethargic 0-0 draw against Panathinaikos showcased a real lack of desire and flow from Olympiacos. The squad looked almost comfortable hoping to come away with a tie to preserve that undefeated streak with the hope that someone inevitably would do something to get a goal.

This past Sunday, the same movie was shown, but with a slightly different ending. PAOK, despite all of their issues this season, are a better team than Panathinaikos and made Olympiacos pay. Last year’s Greek champions have regressed but continue to be a solid side. Up to this game, Olympiacos had played 10 derbies against Panathinaikos, AEK and PAOK with a record of six wins and four draws Beating the same team consistently is far from being an easy feat and, although the loss shouldn’t come as a complete shock, the performance was disheartening.

The old saying that some teams “peak” at the wrong time of the season is looming. Throughout the course of a season, sides are expected to have their peaks and valleys.

They’re Onto Us

Another troubling trend has been Olympiacos’ lack of scoring chances. Since Massimo Carrera added a third center-back to play against the Erythrolefki, Giorgos Donis and Abel Ferreira have followed suit and have stifled the Reds. Youssef El Arabi has looked non-existent and the 4-3-2-1 formation that has been such a success this season is now somewhat bleak. When facing a team that has lined up three center-backs, Martins will certainly look to add Ahmed Hassan while removing Guilherme or Andreas Bouchalakis.

After an underwhelming season, PAOK fans can rejoice that they ended Olympiacos’ undefeated streak. Meanwhile, the Erythrolefki will look to add to more silverware in the Greek Cup final when they meet AEK. A serious Olympiacos should conquer the cup and make a play for a historic run in Europe. Moving forward, it’s up to Pedro Martins to make sure his squad stays motivated and leaves everything they have on the pitch.

If you guys ever want to get an additional fix of Olympiacos, check out my podcast @ThryleOLE or search “Thryle Ole Podcast” on Facebook.

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