Vieirinha remedies derby angst
AGONAsport’s PAOK contributor, Jonathan Batsanis, analyzes PAOK’s first derby victory of the season and explains how clearing this massive mental hurdle will form the basis for the rest of their title charge.
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It wasn’t pretty, but PAOK finally registered their first derby win of the 2019-20 Super League season. It was a victory that the fans, squad, and manager, Abel Ferreria, so desperately craved. Beyond that, it was a win that was needed to prove to the footballing world that PAOK’s title credentials are real, and this title race (with Olympiacos) will go down to the wire.
As I mentioned in my blog last week, the key to victory would be to keep a clean sheet, and sure enough, the 1-0 win was indeed sufficient to secure the three points against a fellow big-four side. It was also PAOK’s first clean sheet of the season in a derby.
There was some luck involved in getting the victory as PAOK were far from their best on Sunday, and AEK may feel the footballing gods were not on their side. On another day, Petros Mantalos’ shot does not bounce off the crossbar, but it nestles into the back of the net, but that’s football. One may feel that PAOK needed the bounce of the ball to go their way to clinch their first three points of the season against a fellow title contender, and in this case, PAOK were fortunate.
As Ferreira mentioned in his post-game press conference, he is still learning how to approach derby games and how to set up his team in these important matches. We all know Greek football is unique in many ways compared to the rest of Europe. In that sense, it is only logical that Ferreira and his staff are experiencing things for the first time in these derbies, instances they have not experienced in their career.
A good team and a sound system will only get you so far in Greek derbies, but you also need to have an edge about your play plus a strong and resilient mentality. This is something that after Sunday’s victory, Ferreria will now be well aware of and will look for his squad to implement these attributes in derbies moving forward this season.
Something further that can not be discounted is the psychological barrier that PAOK overcame with this victory. Not only did the Dikefalos tou Vorra pick up a crucial three points to stay to just a point behind league leaders Olympiacos, but they also picked up self-belief. There are two derbies ahead for PAOK in the regular season, against Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. Both Olympiacos and AEK are locked into the top-six, and as a result, there will be another four games against Athenian giants in the upcoming playoffs.
Based on current form, Aris and Panathinaikos look likely to qualify for the playoffs, meaning the Thessalonikis have another ten derbies to play before they can think about defending their title and being crowned champions again. The victory over AEK allows PAOK to go into these games with the self-belief that they can win most of these fixtures and that they will push Olympiacos to the finish line.
It’s a derby that will not go down in history as a classic as it was riddled with errors and limited chances for both sides. However, it is a derby that people may look back on and say that was the moment Ferreria’s PAOK began to believe they can go back-to-back. Vieirinha’s composure from the spot may become the season-defining moment PAOK have been looking for.
