Davide Mateo, 23 year old centre back signed on loan by AEK, had his first training session with the team today and nothing but praise has been said about him.
According to team mates and management, he is excellent with the ball at his feet and has an excellent sense of the pitch and positioning. Reports are saying he will be ready to play against PAO this week and it’s up to Manolo to make the choice. I can’t see fitness being an issue at this point, and considering Dellas will be out and Manolas only returned to training today, I wouldn’t mind seeing him play, though with a match as important as this one, it may be a tough decision to make.
After Libe’s fantastic header over the weekend against Xanthi, our beloved striker received the goal of the week award. Good for him, they guy deserves nothing but the best… every week I shudder when I think about where we might be this season without him.
Also, Leonardo received the MVP of the week award. I can’t, unfortunately, comment on his performance (aside from his goal). Both Libe and Leo received about 60% of the votes for their awards.
AEK traveled north on Saturday night,looking to get back on track after last weeks miserable game.And it was all positive for Manolo Jimenez and his team as we came away with the 3 points courtesy of goals from Leonardo and the seemingly never aging Liberopoulos.
Jimenez sprung some major selection surprises in this game with the idea of resting players for the upcoming midweek 2nd leg Greek Cup clash against pao.AEK lined up as follows,Saha
Argyriou,Nasuti,Jahic,Dadomo
Gentzoglou,Michel
Eder Leonardo
Kafes
Liberopoulos
On the bench were Scocco(who was not needded)Papa Boupa,Lagos,Saja,Geriero and a couple of youngsters from the “b” team.No Blanco at all,not sure if he was injured if anyone can clear this up.
Our goal arrived as early as the 3rd minute,Aryiriou’s low hard cross into the box was miskicked defensively by te Xanthi player,the ball falling to Leonardo on the edge of the 6 yd box who couldn’t miss and blasted home.Great start and it seemed to give the boys confidence as we started controlling most of the play and creating the odd 1/2 chance.Michel,in his first game,looked classy.Controlled the game well,nice distribution and with time will become a huge addition for us.Gentzoglou,who has been the target of a couple of Itallian clubs,played solidly,and in truth,formed a good combination with Michel.Kafes was great today,led by example,ran everywhere,looked dangerous with the ball near the box.Libe was Libe,his header from Leonardo’s corner in the 27th minute was world class.Falling backwards,he got his header into the “gamma” of the Xanthi keeper,unstoppable and a typical Libe goal.
Up 2 nil and cruising so AEK now sat back,with Xanthi having plenty of the ball but not really testing Arambatzis and AEK waiting for the counter.
The 2nd half pretty much continued in this manner and Xanthi did have a couple of big chances,but the central defensive patnetrship of Nasutti and Jahic were outstanding.Jahic,who was my Man Of The Match.I counted at least 5 times were his last ditch tackles saved almost certain goals.Dadomo was very average,but Karabellas did need a rest and Argyriou went ok but still very inexperienced.
Eder played his best match for AEK.Looked a threat down the right side,and when Libe was replaced,he went to striker and did a great jon,in fact,he should have had a penalty.Leonardo,supposedly playing for his AEK future,had a goal and an assist,so you can’t really fault that,but he did have some long ‘quiet spells’.Libe was our trooper,in the lone strikers role and played fine until rested.
The fans were awesome tonight,constant singing and a party atmosphere that only the Originals can create.Hopefully we can take this to the OAKA midweek,but i’m sure the fans will be out in numbers.Up 2 nil from the 1st leg,qualification into the last 4,should be a given.With Scocco,Blanco back,i see us winning by 2 again!
By the time you’ve read this AEK will have signed 29 year old,Nabil Baha,a Morrocan who has been plying his trade with Malaga in Spain’s top league.Baha is a striker,who will be coming to Athens on loan till the summer,where we”ll then have an option to buy him outright.In 107 appearances for Malaga he has scored 43 goals.In the 07/08 season,his 10 goals were vital in gaining Malaga promotion to the top division after a 2 year absence.In early 2008 he was the subject of a 2 million Euro offer from Staeua Bucharest,however Baha himself declined the offer as he wanted to stay in Spain.
He has also played 19 games for the Morrocan National Team scorring 4 goals.At 29 Baha is experienced and eager to work with Jimenez.A right footed player,he can play anywhere in the forward line,but prefers central.His C.V. makes Djebbour look third rate.
Nabil,welcome to AEK,we hope to see you celebrating many goals in the near future!!!!!!
That’s right,your eyes are not deceiving you.Our beloved set a new unwanted record on Saturday night.Heaviest defeat at home by a team from outside Athens or Thessaloniki.And this coming days after our massive ‘away’ victory against pao only 3 days earlier.
So what went so wrong????Honestly,i’m not sure.Jimenez had warned about the dangers again and again of a game like this.Did the players take no notice?
What I did see were some inept performances,Dellas had his worst game for a while and his injury could be long term.It was he that lost his man from the corner for their 1st goal,very unDellas like.But you can’t blame him as surely when we signed him,it would have been as backup to Manolas and Majstorovic,and once Daniel left,he found himself starting every game,which is way too many for his ageing legs to handle,with the result being his injury,which could be long term.
Liberopoulos is another in the same boat.How long before he gets a muscle injury through too many games?
Obviously,as Jimenez correctly states,our squad is not only way too small but lacking in quality and depth.Look at our bench for Saturday night.Dadomo(played 3 games)Leonardo(hardly set the world on fire)Argyriou(youngster)Eder(apparently on the outer).If we had Blanco go down injured,who would have played replaced him,dimitriadis was our only striker on the bench,but he’s now team manager and retired 20 years ago.
We need signings and quickly.There’s word that a central defender is nearly signed,who,i havn’t heard any names.Michell will help greatly,is a class player,but he can’t be expected to turn things on his own,and,he’s only here for 6 months.
All we can hope for the rest of the year is that Jimenez somehow manages us into the top 4 for a shot at Champions league qualification,and we can still win the Greek Cup.There was talk of Jimenez wanting out,but hopefully its just that,all talk.If we can get rid of some deadwood and help Jimenez get the players he wants(with no budget im not sure how),then next year can be considered our new starting point.
When I can see that a team like Volou can have up to 5 players that are better than ours in their positions,then something is definitely not right,their budget is smaller than that of AEK’s.
We will rise to the top again,this I have no doubt,it’s just when that’s the question,hopefully soon with a Greek Cup,in which we would take some major scalps on the way.
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.
What a sweet, sweet victory for all of us AEK fans today! A 2-0 victory over PAO in their own stadium, with both goals being scored by Libe.
The match was a fairly even affair throughout with neither side absolutely dominating possession. The match started with a very low pace with neither team looking to risk too much offensively too early in the game. Things started going PAO’s way the final 15 minutes or so of the first however, when they started playing much more effective football inside our box forcing Saja to be on his toes for a while.
The balance of the match changed however soon after Libe scored in the second half. It seemed all life was taken out of PAO as soon as they went down and while they failed to show any attacking intent we were seeming to venture forward with more comfort. Libe’s second goal to put the result of the match almost beyond doubt came after his free kick rebounded off the back of Leto leaving PAO’s keeper helpless.
Despite PAO controlling things for part of the game they failed to create many clear cut chances and while the same could be said for us, we didn’t manage to capitalize when it counted most.
Saja had a fantastic game (though I can’t think of many recent matches where he didn’t) and did exactly what was needed of him. He was confident in net and didn’t risk much.
Our defense also did it’s job today though played much riskier football than Saja. Fortunately playing it risky rather than safe payed off for us as it meant cutting many PAO chances off before they could develop into anything dangerous. I was quite satisfied with Nasuti really and hes pleased me his past few performances. Dellas also had a pretty solid game and, together with the rest of our defense, made sure PAO had a hard time in front of our net. They did look slightly vulnerable at times however.
Makos had another impressive game for me and did a great job at getting himself involved whenever possible. Did great defensively and also managed to hold the ball up and distribute when he could. I wasn’t as happy with Diop however as I feel he could have contributed a bit more but he used his strength well when needed.
Lagos had a good game and became more active offensively in the second half though Scocco was fairly quiet in this match. He did try his luck on goal a few times, once after a lovely touch by Roger inside the box, but he failed to find the target. Roger had a good game as well but his touch and free kick’s were very well taken this match.
Oh, and by the way, I never got a report up but we also beat Tripolis away over the weekend with a score of 3-0.
Things are looking better for us now than they initially did after the new year with two good away results in the championship, a great position in the Cup, and a good offensive record despite recently cutting Djebbour’s contract short. Now all we can hope for is that we build on our momentum to get ourselves a good position in the playoffs and a Cup victory! A few transfers to boost our squad where needed and we can achieve something decent before the season ends.
Tripolis 0-3 AEK
PAO 0-2 AEK!
Such a fantastic win! And once again I ask myself where we would be this season had we not gotten Libe when we did. Huge part of our offense this season and has given us a boost on the pitch despite his legs slowing down considerably. Also recieved much applause from many PAO supporters.. only a guy like Libe would ever recieve such appreciation from both sets of fans.
We NEEDED a win and thankfully that’s just what we got! Now, before we get too confident, this was Panserraikos we played. An AEK team that we the fans want should beat this team EVERY match, home and away, and comfortably, rather than having us threaten the team not to return if they lose. Yes, we got the win, but let’s not forget the fact that we still have many problems which need to be resolved, ASAP.
Ok, back to the game. All I can say is there was definitely an improvement from our last match (and thankfully so considering Kafes and Diop were out). I did miss the first thirty minutes of the match but the rest which I did manage to see showed an AEK who was able to take control of the game and make their point. Alot more confidence to our game today, the players seemed to be playing with more intent (and to be fair, we did manage to create plenty of chances last match but we were lacking elsewhere).
For the players, Ill start from the back and work my way up. Saja had a very fine game today. Was forced to be much more involved than against Kerkyra, and aside from letting in one goal (a fantastic goal, may I add), dealt with everything that came his way in a necessary manner. Dealt with one on one’s, reflex saves, and was collected in front of the goal when required.
Our defense had a little more to deal with than against Kerkyra but they also did they’re job for the most part. We were pretty secure down the wings today from what I noticed (Georgeas on the right and Karabelas on the left) and it seemed that both right back and left back defended a little more aggressively which payed off in the end. Karabelas also had another good game in terms of attacking and was very involved in plays from the left wing and his cross resulted in Libe’s goal to make it 2-0 for AEK. Manolas also defended very well and Im starting to wonder if this guy will ever have a poor game. As hard as I try I can’t remember the last time he wasn’t solid… pretty exceptional when one considers he’s only 19 years old (even I’m gonna be 19 in less than half a year!).
One weakness I did notice however was the Panserraikos came very close to scoring on at least two set pieces. There may have been more which I missed, but for some reason we let them slip by and it resulted in two goal scoring opportunities for the host… fortunately they failed to convert either.
Our midfield was able to control the match pretty well. From what I saw it seemed Makos was looking to play the ball forward whenever he had the chance rather than backwards as he tends to, and while he may not be the next Rivaldo (not that he even plays a similar position) it was certainly nice to see him play with more attacking intent. Scocco was also pretty busy in the middle of the pitch and helped out with distributing the ball and Lagos had a very good game.
Roger was alot tighter in my opinion. Less wasting around with the ball at his feet, more playing for the benefit of the team. He also took some nice free kicks and it was his which Blanco latched on to for the first goal. Still not sure if we’ve seen enough of him, but I’m sure we all know he must be capable of good things. He had some very strong games earlier in the season and a fantastic EURO in 2008 from what I read and heard… surely we can expect more? Not sure if I can say the same for Eder though who was useless the last match and didn’t come on today until very late in the game.
We were pretty sharp up front which nice to see after that dreadful performance against Kerkyra. Blanco, who missed all those chances last match, scored a stunning header, perfectly placed and one of his more memorable goals of recent memory as far as I can remember. Libe scored our second one, a close range, one time volley in front of the net. Nicely shot, down low and with enough power that the keeper had very little he could do to stop it. A great finish to a nice play inside their box.
Panserraikos evened things up before the half with a stunning goal, a perfectly placed volley from outside the box with enough of a downward curve and power that Saja could do little to stop it from the position he was caught in. Libe had a chance later in the match to make it 3-1 after a nice run led to Blanco feeding him inside the box, however he was called offside (and rightfully so in my opinion though it was very close). However, Libe did finally manage to seal the deal after scoring a penalty which was a result of Georgeas being brought down in the box (in my opinion it was a very soft penalty but there was not ball contact at all and it was a tough angle for the ref).
Overall, a much improved performance and a badly needed (and well deserved) three points, even if it was against lowly opposition. Hopefully we build on the momentum now! By the way, Jimenez proudly showed off his Serres Original21 shirt he promised he would wear. Awesome stuff to see, especially from a foreign coach who only started coaching in Greece this season! Let’s not get rid of this guy!
Also, some other news from this weekend. Panionios lost at home! (The quicker we get these guys in 2nd division the better!) and the Original club house in Kerkyra was attacked by about 10 olympiakos supporters. Some of them were caught and apparently charges will be laid.
I was really looking forward to this game today as it was going to be my first AEK match that I’d be seeing live since last season. I’m now sitting here wondering what I was all excited about in the first place!
First match of the new year after a fairly quiet holiday period and we needed a win to keep a good grip on third place. We needed a win to start the new year on a positive note, to get revenge on Kerkyra for beating us in the first round… yet we could not even score a goal!
The Kerkyra team we faced today played football like amateurs. They couldn’t create any decent attacks and their defense had trouble handling even the smallest amounts of pressure. AEK teams of previous seasons would have won this game 3-0 at least and should the AEK team of today! To be fair, we did manage to create a few chances, but never did it look like our team really have what it took. Unfortunately, if this is the best AEK can offer right now we are in for a rough few months.
What is obvious from today’s match is that a) we need to clean up a fair bit (players like Eder specifically must go NOW!) and b) we must find a replacement for Djebbour! First, let’s deal with Eder. To be honest I had high hopes for him during the pre-season. He showed alot of potential and I truly thought he could play an important role within our team. Today however was a different story. No passion at all, he contributed nothing to the match, was absolutely useless when off the ball (he forced Libe to run more than he should have had to to pick up his slack), completely disappeared for long periods of time, and was a huge waste of a spot on the pitch. There is no room for players like him though I suppose Jimenez did need one final performance like his today to confirm his opinion on him. I pray that we never see him play again!
We also need a new striker up front now that Djebbour is gone. Sure, Blanco might be in some good form lately, but he missed some good chances today and him and Libe alone up front simply will not last the rest of the season.
I was pleased with Nasuti and Dellas today. Both did what was required of them today and I feel they complimented each other well… however, things may quite possibly have different had we faced a team with a half decent attack. Karabelas gave a decent performance, but I feel he could be a bit more aggresive when marking players. Also, while his footwork may be alright and he is capable of providing an attacking option down the left, he really must improve his corsses.
Georgeas received the MVP award today and rightfully so in my opinion. The guy is the personification of the word passion and had others on the pitch today showed the passion he did things might have turned out differently. He may have been a bit sloppy at times but he always ran and contributed what he could, when he could.
Kafes and Makos had decent games though Makos will have to give a bit more in my opinion.
Overall we created chances today, managed to get the ball up in their end plenty of times, but things will need to change and improve drastically if we are to expect better results and a chance at getting the cup! Some players need to go, others will need to provide more for the team and in general we will have to tighten up as a unit!
I was terribly disappointed with the atmosphere today. Sure, it may have been cold today, and our attendance may have been terribly low, but the atmosphere I remember just wasn’t there. Plenty of cursing, applause when it was deserved, but no flares, no singing… very little to give the players some added motivation.
It’s not the first time the Algerian international has had problems with the AEK coaching staff.His outburst last year directed at then manager Bajevic was well published and it seems like he’s up to his old tricks again.According to sources at AEK’S Spata training ground,about an hour into the session Jimenez had a go at the players telling them that 4-5 players were not pulling their weight during the last 10 minutes of that training session.It is believed he was at least referring to Djebbour,Scocco and Blanco among 1 or 2 others.Djebbour took offence to this(he had no right) and challenged Jimenez to name names,since all the players were there.Jimenez refused and told Djebbour not to bother turning up to tomorrow’s training session if he keeps questioning his authority,Djebbour then challenged him to sort it out man to man behind the changerooms.Apparently it was Libe and Dellas who calmed the situation.
It’s also been reported that Jimenez and Djebbour did have a meeting in the office for about half an hour.All this while Djebbour remains a free agent.I think it’s fair to say we won’t be seeing Refik in the yellow and Black for too much longer.Stuttgart is 1 club that is closely looking at him.In all honesty,I would not be too unhappy to see the back of him.Lets not forget his troubles with Scocco last year as well.The fact is he’s too disruptive and his return has not been sufficient.
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