The signing of Miguel Madera, known more commonly as Michel, has been confirmed by AEK on the club’s site. The deal is a loan deal (the player was previously part of Birmingham’s squad but failed to make many appearances from what I read) with an option to buy. I can’t say I know very much about him, but he’s said some good things about the club and seems to be happy with moving to AEK.
I believe we are still looking at Georgiadis from Panserraikos and Vellios from Iraklis (I heard we had agreed with the player however a deal has not yet been reached between the clubs). However, there is now Italian interest in not only Gentzoglou, but also Manolas! Gentzoglou I could understand selling, assuming the price was right, but I simply could not accept selling Manolas yet. He has been outstanding for us, clearly loves the club, and is the kind of player we need with us at the moment.
Djebbour has also been picked up by Olympiakos it seems! He will remain with them for six months however he could sign for an additional two years at the end of the season. What a disgusting way to end this whole saga… fantastic player no doubt, but with the wrong attitude. I thought we may have seen a different player after he was cut from the team for a few months but it seems such traits in players will forever be present. It really is a shame we could not manage to at least get some money of a transfer.
So, not sure if you saw the result of the Ira-PAO match today, but Ira were up 2-0 early in the first only to end up blowing it and losing 2-4.
What does this mean? The pressure really is on now for us to take home all three points and nothing less from our trip to Kavala tomorrow. Certainly easier said than done, but we have no other option now! The next match is a home derby against Olympiakos so six points in the next 2 games could really help us out considering after this we would have completed our derbies until the second half of the season.
Some positive news for the team is that Scocco will finally be returning. Djebbour is still recovering from an injury last I heard, and both Manolas and Dellas will be out due to their ridiculous red cards last match, so we could use all the help we could get.
I can honestly say I have no clue what to expect come tomorrow. This team so far under Manolo has shown us great performances (the 0-4 against Aris and 1-5 against Panserraikos) as well as depressing ones (most recently against PAOK as well as the match with Panionios). Having said that, the team will hopefully be looking to prove a point because if we dont turn things around soon any chances for a championships will be slipping out of reach.
Somehow, Sportarena has confirmed our new kit for the upcoming season. There is alot of criticism going around but I still like the striped kit though it is a shame the Eagle will be missing from the right sleeve. The second kit (the blue one) I am not a fan of however. The design is boring and I am not a fan of the colours. The 1st kit hasn’t been revealed yet as far as I can tell.
I assume the official revealing of the kits will be some time near the end of the pre season training in Austria. The shirts can be seen here and here.
The Second kit for the upcoming season
Our next alternate kit
No more signings have been confirmed lately though there have been plenty of rumours thrown around. Last I heard, things were not looking good with Geovanni. Regardless, a number of other players are being looked.
Original21 have announced their support for the Iraklis fans who are being forced to see their team face possible relegation due to large debts. I must say I support the cause one hundred percent. Iraklis are one of the more historic clubs in this championship and are a team capable of giving any other team in this league a run for their money. Hopefully they will manage to stay up another year.
Sorry for the delay for this one. AEKMAN74 posted a good summary of the game which you can check out as well.
Well, my Father and I decided that since I only have half a year left in Greece before I, unfortunately, have to return to North America for university (don’t get me wrong, I love North America, I just don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay away from AEK) we’d go up to Thessaloniki and watch this one so I could experience a proper away game.
In the end it turned out to be a great experience, one which fortunately had little trouble between the AEK and Iraklis supporters. It was very cold up north, with some people even saying it was going to snow, but that did not take anything away from the excitement and the atmosphere that night. Around 1,800 AEK supporters showed up from all over the country (some from Athens, a particularly loud bunch of guys from Serres, some local supporters from Thessaloniki) and they created a rather festive mood, despite our team’s far from spectacular form.
Thanks to the wonderful planning from the guys over at Superleague, the PAOK game (which they won 1-0 against Tripolis) was ending at the same time Iraklis supporters were heading to the stadium. Of course, this resulted in a number of clashes but it thankfully never reached the AEK supporters.
Below are a couple of pictures I took from the game.
Considering there wasn't a huge number of them they made a fair bit of noise.
We made some noise ourselves
A view of the stadium before the match
Now, for the match itself. In the past three years we’ve won in this stadium (all 1-0 wins) but it’s never been easy. I honestly didn’t expect this one to be easy as well. Before the match, if I had known this would have ended in a draw I would have been relieved.
Unfortunately, however, we could have left Thessaloniki with all three points to place ourselves in fifth. Sure, Iraklis also could have done the same but there is little doubt that overall, we were the better team.
We lined up with a lineup similar to that which we fielded against Oly. Arabatzis as ‘keeper, Araujo, Majstorovic, Geraldo Alves, and Georgeas took care of the defense, Kafes and Jahic were the defensive midfielders with Manduca and Scocco taking the offensive midfield roles, and Blanco and Djebbour were upfront. A pretty solid lineup considering what we have to work with.
Our problem last week was our lack of a midfield, due mostly to the exclusion of Kafes (injury) and Jahic (too many yellow cards). Immediately, a difference was seen on Saturday with those two guys, especially Kafes, back in the midfield. They stopped the Iraklis counters early or at least stalled them for our defense, and they helped to drastically improve the transition of the ball from defense to the attackers. Honestly, from where we were sitting the view was terrible, so I don’t know how much of a role these two midfielders actually played, but I do know that were getting the ball up much more effectively than last week.
Arabatzis had a good game but could do little to stop Kone’s (yes, the former AEK player who refused to celebrate out of respect; he says he still has very fond memories of his time at AEK) fantastic shot.I think very few ‘keepers would come close to saving it. Arabatzis did make another save in the dying minutes of the game, just like against Oly, to keep us in it, so he certainly deserves credit.
Our defense was good. They were beaten often on the 1-on-1′s but they were quite solid when it came to stopping the counter attacks which was mandatory with this Iraklis team. Unfortunately, Araujo got a red card for his second yellow late in the match but the boys were forced to play rough or else there would have been no stopping Iraklis.
I already mentioned our defensive midfielders but the more attacking guys, Scocco and Manduca, also did their job. They got the ball up and dangerously close on another of occasions and only a lack of either luck or concentration (or, of course, both) kept us from scoring another goal or two.
Blanco was not the main man in our attack on Saturday. That honor would have to go, without a doubt, to Djebbour. He scored a fantastic goal (which I will post further down) and was dangerous, as we’ve been seeing these past two weeks, when on the ball. It’s a shame he wasn’t here the first half of the season, we really could have used him.
I’m just dreaming of when Nemeth will return and play with us (if he ever does come back). Nemeth and Djebbour, with Blanco ready on the bench, would be deadly for any team. With Pao’s weak defense, these guys could easily do some damage in two weeks.
One thing which many noticed from this game was our playing style. I don’t know what it was, but the whole team was playing with a fantastic fluidity. We were passing the ball nicely, there was alot of one touch passing going on, it was overall a nice style of football we saw. We really did play some good football and only due to luck didn’t come away with a win. As everyone has been saying in the press, AEK was the better team on the pitch that night, even though Iraklis did come very close to scoring on a number of occasions.
Now, some highlights.
As you will notice, Djebbour missed a penalty…with three minutes of time remaining! I really don’t know what he was attempting with that shot, but he really should have done better. He apologized to the fans but that really isn’t enough. He had a solid chance to place us firmly in fifth spot but it was wasted. Hopefully, he learned his lesson and won’t try a stupid shot like that again. By they way, Blanco had already been subbed off by this time which is why he didn’t take the kick.
Well, fortunately, Kavala tied 0-0, once again, with Oly. This is the ideal result for AEK since it now keeps them two points behind us. It also leaves Olympiakos now trailing Pao by seven points, meanwhile they are only ahead of PAOK by three. I’m loving it.
The Oly fans (10,000 of them were allowed to go up to Kavala) caused a bunch of trouble in the city and the stadium, running around like a bunch of hooligans, running on to the pitch numerous times, and clashing with police. Of course, if this was a fair league, they would have been punished for their disgusting hooliganism (that’s all they’ve ever been). At least one home match without fans would have been the norm (that would mean no fans at home when they play PAOK at home next weekend… considering how terrible they played yesterday I would have said a sure win for PAOK there), if not more, and perhaps a heavy fine. Of course, we know this isn’t a fair league, and they will get away with no punishment at all.
Some important comments to mention about yesterday’s match.
Firstly, our to team put on a good performance. Even now more can be improved on. but it was a solid game for the most part with some enjoyable football.
This is definately a good result. On paper, Iraklis are certainly not a pushover this year with some pretty impressive signings being made for them over the summer. At the end of the day though, three points is three points, regardless of who we play.
So, the good aspects of yesterday’s match: Scocco, Kafes, Leonardo, Juanfran, Majstorovic, Geurrero, Alves, Jahic and Makos (who was very good, along with Kafes).
The great: Nemeth, Araujo, Saja.
The bad: Blanco.
The players I said performed good all performed at a very high level, the kind of level we expect. They all gave as much as they could, they played their positions well, and got their job done. The ones who I said were great were fantastic and a joy to watch. The one who played bad, well, I think its kind of obvious. Blanco’s main role has always been to score, not set up goals, not make space. However, he isnt doing that at the moment.
Nemeth was slightly dissapointing actually, but thats only because I was expecting so much of him. Without bearing that in mind, he was fantastic. Saja saved us a few times and made some incredible saves, as usual. Araujo played some fantastic defence. The guy is tough, slide tackles with perfect precision, and is a very intelligent and confident player. Such a relief to see since right back was always a weaker position for us in the past.
Kafes and Makos both played a really good game and contributed much to the match. I must say this was one of, if not the best performance from Makos yet.
Leonardo showed some excellent ball control as well as speed but his passing and his crosses were always very poor. Most of the time he over shot everything. I dont know if we was nervous, but I know this is not the usual Leonardo we were seeing at Levadeiakos. His crosses are normally fantastic.
Blanco missed many chances which he should have scored, including a penalty! I dont know what it is, but he just is not performing well lately. He can’t score goals which he would normally knock in with ease. Ive said it before, and Ill say it again, though. I am sure he will return to his original self soon.
Scocco had a good game. Not fantastic, but he did prove time and time again why he is on the team. Great ball control, helped bring the ball up alot. I still think though that he should be playing as a main striker. Other people believe this as well. He got a red card early in the second for kicking the ball away when he was called over by the ref. Unfortunate way to get sent off, but hopefully he wont be too affected by it. Either way though, he does not seem happy playing where he is playing on the pitch. He’s getting the job done, but I believe, as we saw at the Vaslui game, that he wants to score. I personally don’t see a problem with this because clearly he has no problem with doing that.
The team played a good game of football. Defence was tight for the most part. Juanfran was a little weak on the wings though. We were constantly bombarded along the left wing, not so much on the right though.
Our passing was smooth yesterday and at times it was fantastic to watch.
The fan support at the game yesterday was absolutely fantastic. The singing was fantastic at times, and the support never stopped.
We got a good win tonight at OAKA against a team that could have put up some difficulties. Unfortunately though, its quite late here, so I dont have time to post a review right now. Either I’ll write it tomorrow or perhaps if either AEKMAN74 or AEKBaltimore watched the match they’ll get something.
I’ll say a few things though. Of all the players who played today Araujo, Saja, and Nemeth were all great today. Everyone else played really good as well except Blanco, who is still missing easy chances that he would have scored with ease last year. But overall the team showed a great display of football. Speed, good passing, good defending. All around a solid performance for most of the match.
Bajevic was very enthusiastic after the match and rightfully so. Things are looking good now.
So, our first home game of the season (after the match against Olympiakos was cancelled), and it could prove to be a fairly difficult one. Iraklis have a strong squad and I believe they have the potential to cause trouble to any team in the league.
Nonetheless, our squad is also strong as well now so I believe we can take the win. It will probably be a difficult win but I dont see a repeat of two years ago happening again (when we lost to Iraklis 2-1 at home). Hopefully the fan attendance will high and the support strong.
The squad will be: Arabatzis, Saja, Georgeas, Kafes, Makos, Pavlis, Araujo, Nsaliwa, Geraldo, Juanfran, Majstorovic, Jahic, Guerrero, Scocco, Blanco, Manduca, Leonardo, Iordache, Nemeth, and Yahaya.
The most likely starting lineup will in my opinion be Saja, Araujo, Majstorovic, Jahic (although perhaps Geraldo will play),Juanfran, Kafes, Makos, Scocco, Blanco, Leonardo, and Nemeth. I am not sure if Nemeth will start but I believe he should after the promising performance by him last match.
In other Superleague news, Olympiakos drew 0-0 at Karaiskaki with newly promoted Kavala. Promising news for us, devastating for Olympiakos. Their coach’s future is in more doubt now than ever, and huge pressure is on him for Olympiakos to win their upcoming Champions League match. If this does not happen I would not be surprised to see the coach gone, which would mean either the assistant would take over or they would have to find a replacement only a week before they play us in OAKA.
Olympiakos’ performance yesterday was very poor, and Kavala could have won the game at times.
In other AEK news, a huge clean up took place today at the location of our now none existent stadium in Nea Filadelfia. Hundreds of AEK supporters, as well as myself and my father, went to clean debris and cut away trees and bushes in order to make the location more presentable. There is still alot more work which needs to be done, but we made a little progress.
PAE AEK will make one more attempt for a stadium in Nea Filadelfia. While it may not be the most practical option, I think that if it is possible to make a stadium there with at least 35,000 capacity, it should be done.
Yep, you guessed it, another derby on the first matchday of the season. And AEK will once again be one of the teams playing in the derby, just like last year. And who will our opponent be? Yep, its Olympiakos!
The game is still a while away but Im sure the likes of Bajevic, Blanco, Scocco, and Kyrgiakos are waiting for their revenge after our unfortunate loss in the Greek Cup Final of 2009. This should be an exciting game, as this fixture always proves to be.
The schedule for next season is up on Superleague Greece’s site. Our first fifteen games are as follows:
Match Round 1 AEK-Olympiakos
Match Round 2 Atromitos-AEK
Match Round 3 AEK-Iraklis
Match Round 4 Pas Giannina-AEK
Match Round 5 AEK-PAO
Match Round 6 Skoda Xanthi-AEK
Match Round 7 AEK-Panthrakikos
Match Round 8 Aris-AEK
Match Round 9 Ergotelis-AEK
Match Round 10 AEK-Larissa
Match Round 11 Kavala-AEK
Match Round 12 AEK-PAOK
Match Round 13 Panionios-AEK
Match Round 14 AEK-Levadeiakos
Match Round 15 Asteras Tripolis-AEK
The team written first is home, while the team written second is away. The matches for rounds 16-30 are in the same order but the home team will be away and the opposite way around.
All of our first three derbies (Oly,PAO,PAOK) are at home for the first round, so this should benefit us a little.
Link with information and the other first round fixtures here.
The new teams this year are Atromitos, Pas Giannina, and Kavala.
The only dates released so far are that the first games will be played on the 22nd and 23rd of August.
In other AEK news, Leonardo has been saying that he will quite possibly be playing at AEK next season. Lets just wait and hope that this is in fact true.
Well, after a long sixteen game wait, AEK finally got its first away win of the season, as well as its first back to back wins.
The team’s performance overall was not wonderful, especially not compared to the performance they displayed against PAOK only a week earlier. In fact, the football that the team played brought back memories of when AEK was still under the management of Donis. It was slow, sloppy, football, similar to that played by amateur teams. The midfield was clearly missing Kafes (he was not included, most likely due to cards) and Pelletieri lacked much creativity. The defense was weak at times, and Iraklis managed to penetrate many times. The offence, who didnt have much support from the midfield, couldnt do much. Most of the significant chances for AEK came from set plays.
Overall, there was no rhythm, no smooth passing, no quick paced football that we saw last weekend. The result, nonetheless, is a great one. AEK badly need to get points whenever they can, and to do that against Iraklis, who is a team that can always shock even the biggest opponents (they held PAO to a 2-2 away draw earlier this year), is something that team should be proud of right now. Sure, great football is nice, but the three points are what are needed most at this point. And the results are coming now.
Hopefully, Bajevic will be able to use this weeks Cup game against Kerkyra to fine tune the team before we play Panionios this weekend, and Olympiakos next weekend.
Iraklis were dissalowed a goal, which some could argue was a perectly legite goal. I personally am not an expert, but maybe AEKBaltimore will be able to tell. AEK were also dissalowed a goal late in the second. The ref called Blanco for offsides even though the replays showed that he was perfectly onside.
Blanco promised hed score this game and surely enough he scored. He is tied with Galetti for top scorer now.
Unfortunately, an old Iraklis fan had a heart attack on the pitch when he went to gather his children. He was taken to a hospital in Thessaloniki where he eventually died.
PAO play Aris tonight, while PAOK play Panthrakikos. Olympiakos beat Panserraikos 1-0 last night.
The unconvincing performances under the leadership of Giorgos Donis, which started from this summer when AEK played Omonia, have continued to be displayed by the team. AEK drew 3-3 away against recently promoted Thrasivoulos after playing a game of football which if played against any other team would have led to a much worse result for the away side.
AEK scored early and by the end of the first half were up 3-0 although the high score did not accurately represent the low quality level of football being played by AEK. The football was slow and unorganized. The defence made silly errors which Thrasivoulos were fortunately not able to capitalize on and the offense played with lack of the passion that led to many of the 4-0 games that AEK won last year.
The second half was one of the worst moments in the recent history of AEK. Before the team seemed to had woken up from their half time nap the Thrasivoulos offense had managed to score three goals and level the score at 3-3.
After this the AEK forwards started pressuring again however it was never enough to score that much needed fourth goal.
The only bright side of the match would have be the good performance by Ignacio Scocco.
The main topic of discussion on the radio along with AEK’s poor performance was the future of AEK manager Giorgos Donis. It is now being questioned whether he will remain with AEK for long yet nothing is near certain.
AEK are now 7th with only ten points from seven games. Olympiakos remain first even after loosing 1-0 to Aris and Panathinaikos are now 4th after drawing 2-2 at home with Iraklis.
