Positive start to the season precedes challenging 2020

AGONAsport’s Olympiacos contributor, Theo Bouras, analyzes the first half of Olympiacos’ season as the club prepares for a long and challenging 2020 both domestically and in Europe.

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As Super League teams take their holiday break and get some rest, Olympiacos will look at the first half of this season with a positive light. Sure, the team is two points behind PAOK in the league standings, but with more than half the games left in the season (not to mention three more clashes with PAOK), the Erythrolefki still control their own fate.

A Strong European Presence

Playing three knockout aggregates to enter the UEFA Champions League group stages is tough, and doing it from the csecond-place seeding is tougher. Olympiacos began their European journey on July 23rd in Plzen, Czech Republic. They ended the qualification phase on August 27th – a total of six matches (five wins, one draw) while scoring 13 goals and only allowing one in those six games. The Erythrolefki recorded a puzzling 0-0 tie in the Czech Republic and trounced Viktoria Plzen 4-0 in Greece.

Things didn’t get much easier for them as Istanbul Basaksehir and Krasnodar FC were both “considered” stronger teams than the Legend. Pedro Martins and the squad proved to be ready as aggregate scores of 3-0 and 6-1 eliminated the Turks and Russians, respectively.

The group stage draw was not kind to Olympiacos as it included Bayern Munich and Tottenham, the team realized that their goal would be to finish third and qualify for the Europa League Round of 32. Things could have gone down differently in England when Olympiacos jumped out to an early 0-2 lead, but individual errors cost the team the game and the chance at second place in the group.

The Piraeus-based club now look forward to a date with Arsenal, where they will need to be on their A-game if they want to continue their European campaign.

Reclaiming Greek Glory

As we have completed 15 games in the Greek Super League, Olympiacos can take comfort that a couple of poor performances haven’t kept them too far behind PAOK in the standings. The Erythrolefki have gifted points in many road games, and their performances away from Karaiskaki Stadium have left a lot to be desired. There are still 11 games left in the regular season and another 10 in the playoffs so that two-point differential can be covered very quickly.

It would be foolish of me not to mention the reckless officiating that the Gavri have been subject to this season. Olympiacos were butchered in Volos with a Hilal Soudani goal called offside even after the replay showed he was clearly onside – the VAR also shockingly got the decision wrong. The team doesn’t do itself any favors with their abysmal play on the road, but that doesn’t mean that they should be denied what they have the right to.

If the team can improve their play on the road and if the referees begin calling the games on a 50-50 basis, Olympiacos will win the league as they are a better team than PAOK. If dubious officiating decisions continue to occur, I can’t see the league ending harmoniously.

Mid-Season Report Card

1. Jose Sa (A-)

The Portuguese keeper has been one of the team’s best players. His two key errors occurred against Panionios, where he had poor positioning on the game-tying goal and on the PAOK goal where a deflection fooled him.

3. Ruben Semedo (A)

The 44-time Greek champions needed a best center-back and this past summer, they acquired one. Semedo is a true backline leader and has been a consistent positive for the Reds.

14. Omar Elabdellaoui (B-)

The Norwegian right-back has shown flashes of brilliance but has also gone AWOL on numerous occasions. With his contract expiring, he has shown interest in remaining in Piraeus but his future remains unclear.

20. Yassine Meriah (F)

Hopes were high for Meriah last summer when he was one of Copa Africa’s best players. The Tunisian center-back is a talented player but his errors this season have burned Olympiacos. He was reckless against Tottenham at home and on the road, while costing the team victory against Panathinaikos with a clumsy challenge that resulted in the game-tying penalty. Meriah is not a bad player but he needs a change of scenery.

21. Konstantinos Tsimikas (A+)

What can you say about Tsimikas’ play this season? The 23-year-old left back has been the team’s most consistent player. His outstanding play has left coach Pedro Martins no choice but to keep playing him and excluding Leonardo Koutris.

23. Leonardo Koutris (N/A)

Koutris has barely played this season (see reason above). He is a good player but Martins has called him out on his work ethic.

24. Ousseynou Ba (B)

The Olympiacos scouting department deserves a lot of credit for once again finding a diamond in the rough. Ba has been a consistent player and will only get better with time.

34. Avraam Papadopoulos (B)

Papadopoulos came to the team last season to end his career. Because of injuries and poor play he has been called upon to play big minutes and has delivered.

35. Vasilis Torosidis (N/A)

The Greek right-back hasn’t seen much playing time but his presence in the locker room is indispensable. He is a true locker room leader.

66. Pape Abou Cissé (N/A)

Cissé has been on the injured list since the summer but will be able to help the team come late January.

76. Bruno Gaspar (C)

Gaspar hasn’t played much but with negotiations starting with Omar Ellabdelloui, Gaspar might be incorporated into the Starting XI a lot more frequently.

4. Mady Camara (B-)

Camara has continued his solid play. A hard-worker who continues to improve.

5. Andreas Bouchalakis (B+)

The Greek midfielder has been subject to a lot of criticism but his play has been consistent. His passing is elite and he is a hard worker who often leads the team in kilometers ran during games.

6. Yassine Benzia (D)

Benzia hasn’t played many minutes but his reckless play in Serbia all but cost the team the chance at the Champions League Round of 16.

7. Kostas Fortounis (N/A)

The team captain has been dearly missed and will be a massive boost to the entire team when he comes back in January.

8. Guilherme (B+)

Guilherme continues to be one of the team’s key players. He will be an integral part of this team if they are to reach their goals in the second half of the season.

10. Daniel Podence (B+)

Podence is a catalyst offensively who is just lacking a finish touch. If he improves this aspect of his game, he will be the Greek Super League’s best player by a mile.

18. Bruno (C+)

The winger showed some good traits in Volos last week but unfortunately got injured and will not be returning until late February.

19. Giorgos Masouras (B-)

The hard-working Greek winger does not take any days off and works hard. He has shown glimpses of improving his finish as well which will make him a complete player.

22. Maximiliano Lovera (C)

The Argentinian attacking midfielder is a talented player but lacks some substance in his game. With the upcoming congestion of games, he will be getting more playing time but needs to show us more.

28. Mathieu Valbuena (B)

The French legend gave the team a boost with Fortounis out of action. His constant injuries have slowed him down and I don’t know how much gas he has left in his tank.

77. Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (N/A)

Christodoulopoulos played a total of 20 minutes in Volos but will help this team down the stretch. As of this time, he is the only Olympiacos winger that is able to walk into the opposing attacking zone with ease and put the ball away. He has been out of action for over ten months so his pace and quality of play remains to be seen.

97. Lazar Randjelovic (C+)

The young Serbian winger was the talk of the town this past summer with his play but hasn’t shown anything spectacular since.

2. Hilal Soudani (B)

Soudani was left off the European roster but performed well in the Super League. He has been one of Olympiacos most dangerous offensive threats.

9. Miguel Angel Guerrero (C+)

The Spanish striker is a battler and creates havoc when playing up top. He isn’t a natural goal scorer and has often been the back-up to El-Arabi.

11. Youssef El-Arabi (B+)

The Moroccan striker has been Olympiacos’ most dangerous threat up top. He has a knack for scoring and positioning himself properly. The inclusion of Fortounis in the Starting XI will only help El Arabi get even better looks at goal.

by Theo Bouras

Image Source: to10.gr

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