Lucky 13 for AEK

AGONAsport’s AEK contributor, Greg Gavalas, talks about the Kitrinomavri’s win over Panathinaikos, marking their first derby win in 13 matches.

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It has been a long time coming for AEK. One year, ten months, and 13 derby matches later, the Kitrinomavri from Athens finally recorded a derby win thanks to a 1-0 victory over Panathinaikos at the Olympic Stadium (OAKA) on Sunday evening.

Dimitris Melissanidis must surely be seeing the big picture now – invest well in the team, and you will be rewarded. The loan acquisition of Sergio Araujo is yet another excellent example of that as the 28-year-old striker proved the difference in what was an otherwise lacklustre derby between the two Athenian giants.

What made the Aruajo factor even brighter was the nature of his goal. The goal was almost a carbon copy of his marker against Panathinaikos during AEK’s championship-winning season and their last derby victory. It was the same part of the field, the same corner of the goal, and a similar style shot.

About the game itself, despite a 4-3-3 rumored for much of the week, Masimo Carrera laid out AEK in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Just before kick-off, Ukrainian fullback, Dmytro Chygrynskiy, felt a slight strain and was replaced with Efstratios Svarnas. The 22-year-old Greek defender did a great job in his place and is developing well under Carrera’s leadership. 

Also coming along well under the Italian coach’s eye is Ognjen Vranjes. The Bosnian fullback has turned the corner in terms of form and has become a leader in defence, marshaling his troops. As a result, from a leaky defence, AEK have turned it around and have only conceded six goals in their last 13 matches (Cup games included).

Credit also goes to Michalis Bakakis and Helder Lopez, who played right-back and left-back respectively. They both did exceptionally well in defence and helped out in attack.

AEK started the game strongly and, after going 1-0 up early on, continued to boss the opening parts of the game as Panathinaikos could only threaten with long-range shots.

Nenad Kristicic and Damian Szymanski were exceptional as holding midfielders with excellent pressing on the Prasini’s midfield when they tried to attack. As a result, AEK had a strong wall protecting their goal, and Vasilis Barkas was equally up to the task of any shots that came his way. The Greek international pulled off some great saves.

If I have to be critical, it was AEK’s attacking game after the first 25 minutes. Except for Petros Mantalos, who did well with his distribution and space covered, Marko Livaja and Daniele Verde struggled to put decent attacks together when they had possession. This caused AEK to struggle to maintain the ball with only 35% possession in the first half and 37% possession by game’s end - a good summary of much of the game.

AEK started the second half well but fell off after the first 25 minutes and allowed Panathinaikos most of the possession.  However, the Greens played their worst derby game of the season, which is why I would have liked to see AEK offer more in attack.

The inclusion of Christos Albanis and Victor Klonarids in place of Livaja and Verde made AEK livelier, and they were able to hold the ball up more. Klonaridis also provided some excellent crosses into the box. Before their inclusion, AEK had just 32% ball possession.

AEK now have another big test this weekend away to Aris. Just under a year ago, AEK were convincingly beaten at the Kleanthis Vikelidis 2-0, however, this ‘new’ AEK under Carrera is a much stronger team. The defence should be strong, and it is the attack that will need to improve. With Araujo opening his account, if the midfield can feed him the ball better, AEK can look for their first win at Harilaou in over nine years.

This is the last of AEK’s ‘harder’ games before the playoffs start, and then it will be one derby after another. The good thing is AEK are very strong defensively, and Panathinaikos coach Giorgos Donis played homage to that. 

The work needed is in the attack, and I believe Carrera is looking at what his best options are in this space. With a variety of attacking combination options, what AEK start with in the fixture against Aris is another thing to watch out for.

Image Source: to10.gr

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