See ya, next year!
AGONAsport’s Olympiacos contributor, Theo Bouras, talks about the Reds’ big win over PAOK over the weekend, which practically gives the Piraeus giants the 2020 Super League title.
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Leading up to the first Greek Super League playoff game between PAOK and Olympiacos, it was the Dikefalos tou Vorra that was making all the pre-game noise. Club President Ivan Savvidis mentioned how proud he would be if the team would close the seven-point gap and how he would crown them as the moral, on the pitch champions. Oftentimes, the team that makes the most noise right before a derby clash usually is trying to hide some deficiency.
The Standard Line-Up
Pedro Martins lined up the 44-time Greek champions with his usual 4-3-2-1 formation. Martins has relied on the work of Andreas Bouchalakis, Guilherme, and Mady Camara in the midfield, and it has paid massive dividends throughout the course of the season. Offensively, Bouchalakis and Guilherme are two of the team’s best passers – it’s often their ball distribution that spreads the opposing “closed” defenses. Though Camara isn’t nearly the crisp passer that his two co-midfielders are, he makes up for this with his pace and good long shots. Defensively, the trio disabled PAOK from reaching the Olympiacos defensive line. Their positioning frustrated the Thessaloniki squad, who were continuously and predictably trying to create their offense from the flanks.
The defensive line consisted of Ousseynou Ba, who beat Pape Abou Cisse for a starter’s position, along with Ruben Semedo. Reports indicated that Semedo lost his godmother (who was responsible for raising him) this past weekend. Coach Martins couldn’t say enough about Semedo and his composure on the pitch this past Sunday after receiving the tragic news.
Unsurprisingly, Omar Elabdellaoui and Kostas Tsimikas were the wing-backs for the match. Both Tsimikas and Elabdellaoui continued their timely overlaps; this leads to either them receiving the ball in a prime position for a cross or it creates space for the ball-carrier should he elect not to pass. Though the defensive line wasn’t pressured often, they came up big when they were called into action. On the few occasions the PAOK players broke loose, the Thrylos defenders stripped them off the ball with ease.
The Super League’s most dangerous striker, Youssef El Arabi, opened the scoring for Olympiacos with his 25th goal of the season. The Moroccan always finds space and is a clinical finisher. On the wings, Mathieu Valbuena and Giannis Masouras have been two mainstays in Martins’ Starting XI. Masouras continues to work hard and has begun believing in his shooting as the season has continued. Valbuena is Olympiacos’ offensive catalyst, and his 22nd assist of the season is a clear demonstration of the French veteran’s playmaking skills.
Road Warriors
Olympiacos haven’t lost in the Greek Super League since February 2019 against PAOK. Equally as impressive is the fact that they have only allowed three goals in their last 14 league visits.
Pedro Martins has molded this team to run like a well-oiled machine. Everyone expected all the teams to come slowly out of the gate. A 90-day break is longer than even the summer break that players usually get, and while Olympiacos showed some rust in their game, PAOK looked unrecognizable. Last year’s Greek champions were hardly in fine form when the season came to a standstill, but they looked borderline anemic this past Sunday. Abel Ferreira’s players looked out of sync, sluggish, but most of all, this PAOK team looks old.
Heading into Sunday, PAOK were behind in the standings by seven (or 14 points), and they needed a victory to believe again. I was expecting Ferreira’s players to come out with an onslaught, a clear-cut dominant approach to beating Olympiacos. Instead, it was Olympiacos who set the tempo of the game early, with El Arabi’s disallowed goal in the sixth minute. Even if the Moroccan’s goal was rightfully called back (the PAOK TV camera sure didn’t give us a long and clear look to judge for ourselves), you could tell the PAOK players were rocked, and it was the Reds who would control play for the rest of the half.
Aside from a late scoring opportunity, PAOK didn’t have a sniff of Jose’s Sa net. Olympiacos, on the other hand, could have scored at least one more goal if they had kept the gas on the pedal.
When PAOK beat Olympiacos last year in Toumba, it was the unofficial crowning of their championship reign. Moreover, PAOK fans felt it would be the beginning of their dynasty. Fast-forward a little over 15 months later, and it was the spark that Olympiacos needed. Since then, the Erythrolefki haven’t lost a single derby match and have handed the keys to Pedro Martins for at least another two years. The club looks in prime positioning for the present and the future. That 3-1 PAOK victory last year was the evening a dynasty was born – an Olympiacos one!
