The King is Back!

AGONAsport’s Olympiacos contributor, Theo Bouras, talks about the Erythrolefki’s big win over PAOK on Sunday and looks ahead to Thursday’s clash against Arsenal in the UEFA Europa League.

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It’s been long – way too long. The last time Olympiacos held a five-point lead at the top of Greek Super League standings was way at the end of the 2016-2017 season. The Legend’s 0-1 victory against PAOK last Sunday not only showed the difference in quality between the two teams, but it also was a night of pure vindication.

What Goes Around Comes Around

Since Christmas, there was a certain movement that was sweeping the internet. Media from Thessaloniki and the inner circles of PAOK were referring to “23/2” as the day PAOK would have their triumph over Olympiacos. Heading into the game, PAOK had the scheduling gods on their side. While the Erythrolefki had a physically and mentally taxing clash against Arsenal on Thursday, PAOK had an entire seven days where they were able to rest and prepare for the derby.

Instead of PAOK looking like the fresh side, it was Olympiacos that dictated the pace and did not feel threatened by the Dikefalos tou Vorra. Mathieu Valbuena continues to defy the odds, and his running in the first half hardly showed his age. In football, what goes around usually comes around, and that could not be any more accurate this past Sunday.

Pedro Martins has been criticized by many for not being able to defeat PAOK during his tenure in Piraeus. He outcoached PAOK boss Abel Ferreira and set up the team perfectly. By using Bouchalakis, Camara, and Guilherme in the central part of the midfield, Martins neutralized PAOK’s play from the middle part of the pitch. 

The home side attempted to play from the wings but were shut down. Dimitris Limnios and Adre Vieirinha had very average games from the right side and were swallowed by Kostas Tsimikas. On the left side, Diego Biseswar continued his mediocre performances this season, and Dimitris Giannoulis wasn’t an offensive threat. Martins deserves credit for inserting Lazar Randjelovic in the Starting XI. Not only was the Serbian winger a catalyst for the game’s only goal, but Randjelovic’s speed also had Giannoulis hesitant of over-committing offensively and then getting beat by Randjelovic’s speed.

There was a bit of irony at the way the goal was scored and the timing of it. Last year in Olympiacos’ 0-1 loss to PAOK in Piraeus, Jagos Vukovic scored a silly own goal in the 49th minute of the game. This year, Giannoulis scored a goal at the exact same minute in the same fashion, an own goal. The only difference, of course, is that Olympiacos had enough chances to win that game 4-1 last year while PAOK did not have a clear-cut scoring chance this past Sunday.

Looking Ahead

The celebrations need to be limited as Olympiacos’ rollercoaster schedule resumes this Thursday. The Legend will travel to England, where they will attempt to come back from a 0-1 deficit in the UEFA Europa League Round of 32. Kostas Fortounis was not included in the squad selection, and there is talk that the explosive attacking midfielder is still in pain from his injury. With the win, Olympiacos travel to London with a lot less pressure as they attempt a small miracle to qualify.

In Greece, the regular season ends this coming Sunday, and Panetolikos will be traveling to the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. The following Wednesday, the 44-time Greek champions travel to Thessaloniki again, where they will square off against PAOK in the first leg of the Greek Cup semi-finals.

As of this time, Olympiacos are still in a European competition, have a commanding lead in the Greek Super League heading into the first-ever championship playoffs, and are in the final four of the Greek Cup. It’s safe to say that the King is back, and that spells trouble for the rest of the Super League teams.

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