Anderlecht 4-1 AEK

Yep. Not looking good for us.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting much at all from this match. However, after seeing our players give it their all for much of the first half, I almost felt like we had a chance for the three points. But sadly fatigue, and terrible goaltending (if it can even be called that?) meant that any hard work we may have put in during the first half was soon forgotten.

Quite a few points can be taken from the match, the first of our Europa League Group Stage campaign:

1. Our supporters are simply the best. In a stadium of that size, during a financial crisis like the one they’re experiencing right now back in Greece, they still managed to get enough out to Brussells to easily outsing the home fans.

2. Konstantopoulos MUST NOT play for AEK. Ever. Again. I never had a problem with him, seems like a great guy, and might be a decent keeper for a second division side. But he’s terrible. And he easily could have kept us in this game today had he been bothered to try and make some saves.

I really hope this is the last we see of him for a while. There is no reason Arabatzis should be on the bench. I am confident the score would have been even going into half time had he been between the posts.

3. We can’t keep up with teams like these. The pressure we applied during the first half was great, but when you have players like Dellas, Libe, and Eidur all on the same starting XI, there is no way they can last the entire 90 minutes. Beleck should have started in Eidur’s place today with Jose Carlos starting in Libe’s place. As much as I respect both players (Libe more so than Eidur), they do not have what it takes any longer to keep up.

4. We desperately need Makos and Kafes back. Gentz was not good enough today, and failed to gain any control in the midfield. Thankfully Leo and Vargas were able to handle the ball distribution, but Lagos and Gentz could not compete with Anderlect’s midfield. And that was where we ended up losing most of the game.

5. WHAT A GOAL BY LEO! I’ll be forgetting about this game quickly, but our only goal today, scored by Leonardo, was a beauty. One of the best Ive seen all week (and that’s saying something considering the Benfica-Man U game yesterday itself had two beauties scored).

So. Poor start. Terrible start, rather. But what really hurts with this loss is that, with better goalkeeping, the match could have gone in a completely different direction. It was obvious, however, that we’re lacking in quality, simple as that. We’ll see what the other games bring us. Sure, its early. And things could get better… but I dont see it happening.

And to make things worse,  Manolas (our best player today along with Leonardo) picked up a silly and unnecessary red card today. Yep, we’ll be without him and Makos for the next match. Lovely.

And a slightly off topic note, but I was very pleased to finally hear an English speaking commentator on my stream who A) actually knew AEK and B) could actually pronounce the names correctly. Definitely the first time Ive ever heard an English commentator pronounce “Georgeas” correctly.

Half Time Dundee 0-1 AEK!!

Djebbour scored an early goal ten minutes into the first half to put us up 1-0. First subsitution for AEK, Nathan Burns coming on for Leonardo. Fantastic support from the AEK fans despite being largely outnumbered by Scottish supporters.

Some Unfortunate Events This Week

We lost 2-1 to Benfica yesterday in a game which made no difference to either side (Bate beat Everton 1-0 away). The funny thing here, however, is despite this match meaning nothing to AEK (except a little pride) we saw some pleasing football from our players.

Benfica hit the post on a penalty early on which kept us in the game for quite a while but our luck didn’t last too long as Benfica scored two goals (the first one took a nasty bounce though Saja still should have been able to save it) without response from AEK. However, we kept the pressure on and at times we had total control of the match. This led to many chances including an agonizing post by Hersi and a missed one on one with Kafes. Eventually, one of our chances did make it in the net, with Blanco scoring the goal. It wasn’t anything special but at least it was a sing of the old Blanco we know (the one that would get the ball in the back of the net no matter what).

So, we got nothing from this game, but at least we saw some promising football. Whether we will keep up this football, however, is another question.

So, now for the worse news. Firstly, Goumas, one of the shareholders of AEK, gave up his shares to the Amateurs, which now means they have 44%! He also gave them 1.5 million euros to ensure that the players get paid.

Thanopoulos was insulted in the lack of trust they were showing towards him and has now resigned.

The players were all sick with a stomach virus (Makos was throwing up in the locker rooms at half time yesterday) and now it looks like many of them wont be able to play on Sunday against Tripolis. AEK is trying to get the match postpned so we will have to wait and see what happens there.

So, a pretty terrible week is coming to an end right before the holidays. Let’s see if things get any worse in the upcoming days.

AEK 2-2 BATE

So, one point from a game where it won’t really do much to help us. In reality though, we could have come away with all three points had we managed to score one more of our chances, or had Saja not made a terrible mistake that the goalkeeper on my own amateur team would likely avoid.

Well, AEKBaltimore will watch the match on TV soon, since I believe he recorded it, and I’m not sure if AEKMAN74 watched as well. I watched from the stadium and have yet to see a highlights show so I can only comment on what I saw from my seats.

We got off to a dream start, literally. Actually, I didn’t imagine we would get a better start, I thought it was too good to be true. We scored the opener in the 15th second. Yes, thats rights, 15th second, not minute! A record for a Greek team in European competitions, and perhaps a record in the new Europa League.

We got off to a great start, but the game was quickly back in the balance with both teams having a few chances if I remember correctly. Unfortunately, we conceded next, after a mistake from Nsaliwa I believe (remember, we had Majstorovic out for this one), and we were again next to conceed after a poor clearance from Saja was controlled by a BATE player who scored an open net shot from 45 meters out.

The Originals starting singing chants against the players, but I was glad to see the rest of the stadium boo them, telling them to get out. Our players were trying, and Saja’s mistake was one that could happen to any keeper. We had no coach for this one, players were out, they were still holding in.

Second half came on and it was clear our players were going for nothing less than three points. By full time we had three posts but no goals from them.

Manduca scored before the half time mark. Other than that, I cant remember any other facts, hopefully one of our other two posters will have some more news to say, but I cant remember much else. My heart was going crazy with all the chances we missed, I couldnt keep track of what was happening.

BATE 2-1 AEK

Well, our night went from good to about as bad as it could get. As you can see from the post below we were up 1-0 at half time.

The second half started and early on Majstorovic gets his second yellow and is sent off and Bate tie the game. So, one of our key players is sent off, the pitch condition is deteriorating (and it was disgusting to begin with) and we were loosing the control over the game we had before.

We managed to continue fighting (at this point one point really wouldn’t have been bad at all) however we also continued to concede corners. Bate started pressuring and we couldn’t get good control over the game. Blanco was taken off and replaced with Makos. Makos had to cover right back as Jahic had to move to the center to cover the void left by Majstorovic.

Nemeth was left up front and had chance after chance, however the ref seemed determined to call him offside any time he had the ball (fine some of the calls were fair, but there were a few where there was no offsides at all) and refused to call any of the many fouls committed against him.

Eventually, Juanfran had to come off due to injury and was replaced by Karabelas.

As for the game in general, we saw some good things but lost control of the game as it went on, especially with Majstorovic being expelled. The team was clearly being frustrated by the ref, as well as Bajevic, who was eventually sent off.

We saw some good things from our players, especially Nsaliwa, but this is still not the AEK we all want. Bate were an average team at best. At one point in our beautiful history AEK was a team that was able to come back from 2-0 down, in Madrid and end up tying the game 2-2 (becoming the first team to ever do so), now we are struggling to beat poor quality sides from Belarus. Some things must change, especially our luck. Week in, week out, every year, luck does all it can to go against us. I dont exactly believe very much in luck and superstitions, but anyone who has been following AEK at all these past years would notice it must somehow play a part. To illustrate this point, consider the following:

-Had Everton won today, AEK would have still had decent chances of advancing. Instead, Benfica beat Everton 5-0, leaving us further behind.

-Our two centre backs today both got red cards, meaning they are suspended for one match. Our other centre backs are injured (Geraldo) or have just recovered from injury (Alexopoulos) and will not be ready to play anytime soon.

-Araujo is still suspended for a match, Georgeas is injured, and Koutromanos is severely injured and is out for the entire season. So, all three of our main right backs are unavailable for the next match.

-Juanfran received an injury today and might not be able to play next match.

Sp, essentially, we have no defence to field and will instead have to rely on other players from other positions. Of course, add to this the fact that nothing but wins will leave us with any chance of advancing and our future in Europa League this year looks grim. Not good news considering we already have no chance of winning the championship, or at least finishing high.

Not much else I can say right now, I just can’t believe what has happened to our club. I guess all we can do is continue supporting AEK and hope management (this new owner couldn’t come at a better time if he does) and the players do what they can.

Half Time BATE 0-1 AEK !!!!

45 minutes in and we’re leading this one 1-0! Blanco scored a penalty (certainly the correct call) to put us up and we now are in a great position and the win is definately possible.

Conditions are terrible in Minsk. It is extremely cold (near zero degrees celcius) and the pitch is extremely wet. Our players are sliding all over the place, which doesnt help players like Scocco.

We’re playing a very good game, compared to what we saw over the weekend. Our players are fighting hard, winning every ball, and are clearly in this for the win and nothing less. We’re working well together as a whole with pretty much everyone playing a role.

Our starting lineup was Saja, Jahic, Arce, Majstorovic, Juanfran, Kafes, Nsaliwa, Scocco, Nemeth, Blanco, and Manduca. Everyone is playing quite well, including Juanfran, but I really must point out Nsaliwa in particular. He hasn’t played in a while but he is playing extremely well at the moment. His tackles are incredible, ball control, through balls, he’s playing great generally. Nemeth is also playing well and had some great chances.

We are dominating possession and had many good chances. We have been caught on the counter attacks a couple of times and have given up some dangerous free kicks at times, but we’re holding on.

Now, time for the second half!

AEK 1-0 Benfica!!! Yep, thats right.

A huge win for us, absolutely incredible! So many good things to say, its going to take a while. I believe AEKBaltimore recorded the game since it was on in the US as well, so hopefully he will have some more comments as well.

First off, let me just repeat that once more. AEK 1-0 Benfica. Who would have thought we would have won this game. Apparently, not the Benfica coach, who said he was quite surprised by the result. However, after watching the tapes from the Olympiakos and PAO matches, he did say in his pre-match conference that AEK were a good team. I believe we proved him right.

Alright, it must be said that Benfica were a pretty good team, especially in terms of attacking. Lets not forget that they have the highest scoring offense in Europe right now. However, Saja saved us today and kept us in the game on numerous occasions. His saves were incredible, whether from one on one shots or fast free kicks. His reflexes were absolutely perfect and he made saves with his finger tips or his feet. He was perfect today. Not much more can be said. He timed the runs well, and his positioning was great.

Our defence we solid. Majstorovic and Arce were a great combo at the back and managed to deal with the free kicks and corners well, something we havent seen in a while. Overall, our defence was just solid. We couldn’t stop Benfica all the time (but hey, thats why we have Saja), and that was expected from such strong players such as Saviola. But for the most part they formed a wall nobody could pass. Georgeas also played a fantastic game and played with passion that I hadn’t seen from an AEK player in a long time. His defending was solid, though he left the left wing open at times. Noenetheless, we worked none stop all game and created some great runs which unfortunately never lead to any goals. Juanfran had an alright game. Not great, but he defended as well as he could, kept his stupidity to a minimum, and actually seemed to be trying his hardest out there. And lets face it, unless your trying your hardest when defending this Benfica team, you will be in trouble.

Jahic was absolutely incredible. His defending was great. He managed to make many critical tackles and stop them advancing before they could create too much danger. His ball control was also great and he kept calm and composed with the ball at his feet. Hersi was also great, and him along with Georgeas were a force to reckon with down the right flank. He made great runs and showed some great technical ability. Hopefully we will see more great things to come from him. The only thing which dissapointed me about Hersi was the fact that he never seemed to want to shoot. He was always looking for the pass when he could have had a clear shot on goal.

Manduca was in from today. I was really impresses with his speed at times, and it was his corner which led to out goal. He wasnt fantastic but he was certainly good enough.

Scocco had a decent game, but could have done more. He had many great break aways but could not score even one of them, break aways he would have normally scored without hesitation. Hopefully with time he will start gaining some more of the form we saw against Vaslui.

Blanco, once again, had some great opportunities to score (and I mean really great) but couldn’t get them in the net. The good news is he looks to be getting closer, and he was definately in the game. Bajevic’s specific instructions were for him to stay in the box rather than running around and getting tired. He seemed to do that today and hopefully he will continue to do that. The goals will start coming for him, it will just take time. He has had to get used to three different teams now in just as many years.

Our passing overall was superb today. It was smooth, with little hesitation, effective, upfield (rather than the back passes we had gotten used to), and overall just a joy to watch. With this kind of passing we should have no problem with any team in the Superleague and we should be able to get by almost any opponent in the Europa League.

As Im still so excited Im finding it hard to concentrate. Hopefully AEKBaltimore or AEKMAN74 will fill in everything that I missed. I will try to post a video of highlights once I find one.

And a couple more things to note about the game which I forgot. Majstorovic scored our goal from a corner, a beautiful header rising over the Benfica centre backs. Also, Georgeas recieved a red, which means he will be out for a game, so Koutromanos is the last option we have available for right back for our next match. Hopefully he will be up to the task.

AEK Drawn in Group I

AEK have been drawn in group I for the Europa League Group Stage along with Benfica, Everton, and BATE. Not a bad group I must say. We could have gotten a much more difficult but I believe we have a pretty good chance of advancing to the next round.

Benfica should be a tough opponent but they have not been at their best in recent years. I also see Everton giving us a hard time but I think if we continue with the form we have now plus a few more experienced signings, we could get past Everton as well. It will be no easy task though.

Panathinaikos will be playing Dinamo Bucuresti, Sturm, and Galatasaray. The Galatasaray against Pao fixture will definately be one of the highlights of the Group Stages.

AEK 3-0 Vaslui

First off, enjoy the video.

Well I posted my review in the comments section of the previous post by AEKBaltimore, but here it is again.

I was nervous about this one before it started but still I had the feeling we would get the win. And we did.

Firstly, as for the game, the team played wonderful football, especially compared to what we were seeing just last week. Things really turned around.

Our defence did a fine job, and our centre backs had no trouble even without Kyrgiakos. Their defending was almost solid throughout the match.
Our newest right back, Araujo, played fantastic football. His defending capabilities are incredible, and hardly anyone could get past him. He won every challenge. His ball control was also good and he managed to carry the ball up quite far.
Juanfran played fine. Not fantastic, but it was not a poor display at all. He was solid, but a little reluctant to move the ball up at times.

I was not pleased at how our defence kept playing the ball back. However, Vaslui were playing with almost every player playing back before AEK scored making it almost impossible for us to penetrate deeper into their territory.

From our midfield, Leonardo stood out most. He chased the ball and had a decent game, but at times he lost the ball and wasted some passes. None the less, he didnt give up and was dangerous throughout.

Kafes juts got back from an injury and so was not in top form. Makos was also not in top form and in fact he still hasnt shown very much yet. However, they both still played an alright game and were not dissapointing. I just hope Makos shows more and contributes more to the game as he begins playing more with us.

Scocco was incredible. There is nothing else that can be said. And this was just after coming back from an injury. He was so dangerous with the ball, nobody could stop him when he wanted to move up. He was always running, always moving the ball around and he scored two goals.
We must hold on to Scocco, no matter what. He will be one of the best players in the superleague this season.

Manduca also had a fantastic game. He made many strong and fast runs, scored the opening goal, and was overall a threat to the opposition. Hopefully we will continue to see good things from him.

Blanco could have played better, and still hasnt shown much so far this summer. Hopefully things will start to turn around for him. I must say that overall he was the most dissapointing player today. He played alright but I always expect more from him, at least a goal. He tends to pass too much rather than taking a chance every now and then. Im not saying hold the ball like Djebbour until you loose it, but its alright to take some shots or threaten a bit rather than pass all the time. Despite that though, he set up some nice chances for Scocco and Manduca.

Tachtsidis was one of out substitutes. He played well and showed how his huge form gives him a huge advantage. He also made some nice passes. I really think we should hold on to him, but use him as a sub, rather than a starter.

Nsaliwa came on as a sub and also played a good game, especially defensively. Karabelas was our third sub and played midfield, just to add more defensive security once we had three goals.

I was glad to see that Bajevic didnt wait untill the 89th minute to make changes.

Saja saved us a couple of times, and as for almost every game he’s played, he was solid.

Overall, we played some nice football. Now bearing this in mind, I can only imagine how strong we will be once we get a few more singings. Roger Guerreiro has singed for us officially. Unfortunately though, since he played for his previous team already in Europe this season he cannot play for us in Europa League. Nonetheless, he is a great player who should offer alot to our club.

We are looking at a couple more signings, including Oleguer, who would be a fantastic singing. We are also looking at Jonas. If these two last signings happen we will be looking at a very strong team. And with Bajevic at the helm, the future is bright.

20,000 attendance tonight. Not bad for a week night, and still many people are away on holidays. I believe we will see some good home attendances this season, definately an improvement over last season.

For now, I dont know what else to say. I’m still really happy and pleased. I know it was only a qualifier for Europa League but still, this is a huge win for us and we all needed it desperately.

The players at the end of the match went to throw their shirts to the fans today. The fan support really was fantastic.

I must say that Vaslui played dirty football. They tackled and hacked at our players throughout the entire match. I just hope we dont read the news tomorrow and find out someone valuable is injured.

If I think of more to say (and Im sure there is more) I will pst it in the comments section. As for now, I think thats all.

Over all a great win allowing AEK fans to sleep well and relaxed tonight. Now, our first Superleague game this weekend, against Atromitos. Hopefully our good form will continue and we will get a strong result against Donis’ team.

First match review available here.

AEK Updates

Some news to report about our team. First, the good news. Ismael Blanco has signed an extension to his contract which will keep him at AEK until 2013. The new contract will also include a 100,000 euro raise, which means he will ne making 500,000 euros a year now. Good to see we’ll be keeping our best striker at the club for a few more years.

We are interested in Siboniso Gaxa, the South African defender who played at the Confederations Cup earlier this summer and played a great tournament for South African National Team. He plays right back and would be a great addition to the squad seeing as right back is where we’ve been struggling in recent years (and left back unfortunately). Details of his contract are supposedly going to be completed as early as tonight. Good news to hear and hopefully he’ll sign quickly if he is actually going to sign since our squads need to be registered soon for our upcoming Europa League matches. One more thing to mention about Gaxa: he can score.

It is being said that Djebbour will not be sold unless we recieve an offer higher than 2.5 million Euros. Some Italian teams are said to be interested including Fiorentina, while Hamburg have apparently dropped out and will not be showing anymore interest in the Algerian striker.

Karabellas will be out for the match against Vaslui due to injuries, and Juanfran will also be out due to cards picked up last season. Georgeas and Geraldo Alves will cover their positions.

Kafes will also be out for the match against Vaslui due to an injury but he might be back for the match against Olympiakos, so fingers crossed. Nsaliwa will miss the Olympiakos match due to cards.