Rotation leads to second derby loss of the season

AGONAsport's Panathinaikos contributor, Nick Tsambouniaris, discusses Panathinaikos' loss to AEK and looks ahead to the fascinating second leg tie of the Greek Cup quarter-finals against PAOK.

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Panathinaikos have enjoyed a strong record in derby fixtures this season. Prior to Sunday's clash against AEK, the Greens had only lost one derby against a fellow 'Big 4' team, and that came controversially against Olympiacos.

Sunday's loss did not have the same controversy as the Enosi emerged victorious thanks to a wonderful strike from Sergio Araujo in the eighth minute of proceedings. The game ebbed and flowed nicely in the first half, but chances were at a premium in the second half. Giannis Bouzoukis spurned a golden opportunity in the first half when one on one with Vasilis Barkas. A last-ditch tackle denied Federico Macheda in the second half, and Tasos Chatzigiovanis failed to find the target in the follow-up.

It was not a bad loss by any means. The effort was there, and the backline can take comfort that it took a brilliant strike from distance to be breached for the first time in six league matches. Sokratis Dioudis could not have done much more. Possibly, the defenders should have been more aware of the threat Araujo possesses and tried to close him down quicker or not afford him the time he had.

The loss comes at a pivotal time in the season for the Trifylli, with a huge Greek Cup fixture on the horizon against PAOK. Hopefully, it is a reality check the team needed heading into this clash and the play-offs that are to follow after the regular season ends. The strong mentality, effort, and application must be there for the big matches.

Giorgos Donis opted to rotate his relatively small squad to have key first-team players ready for the second leg of the quarter-finals against PAOK, where the Greens must overturn a two-goal deficit. As a result, the starting side on Sunday saw the likes of Macheda, Dimitris Kourbelis, Dominik Nagy, Ghayas Zahid, and Emanuel Insua (suspension) miss out. It would be interesting to see what the outcome would have been had these players featured from the beginning. Donis took a big gamble resting these players, and time will tell if it was the right decision.

Should the team lose to PAOK, questions will need to be asked. Was it possibly better for Donis to start resting players earlier and rotating the squad in previous matches (instead of a derby against AEK where fans want to see a win)? A classic case in point is Argiris Kampetsis, who has not been given a proper opportunity in the starting team over a consistent period. He started in a match at Larissa a few weeks ago in a one-off, but it is hard for any player to hit the ground running if chances are limited, especially for a young striker in a derby. Juan Jose Perea is another option up front, but Donis sees him as more of an impact player off the bench. On top of this, the team severely missed the attacking qualities of Zahid in the final third and Kourbelis' leadership.

A fascinating, high-stakes match against PAOK awaits Panathinaikos on Wednesday. The team will fancy their chances of winning the second leg considering they have taken four points off their opponents in the league, but should they concede a goal, it might be a bridge too far. The team must attack from the opening whistle in a bid to score at least twice, and grabbing an early goal to calm the nerves will help. 

At the same time, the defence must be wary of the goal-scoring threat PAOK carry, especially on the counter. This means the backline and Dioudis must be alert and keep mistakes at a minimum. The team will have to be clever when they attack, as it might not be wise to commit too many bodies forward. One goal for the visitors would mean Panathinaikos have to score four times to win the tie. 

 The team previously overcame a deficit in the Greek Cup this season in the round of 16 against PAS Giannina. They will have to bring that "fighting soul" associated with Panathinaikos and more, to pull off a comeback and progress to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

Image Source: sportime.gr

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