AEK 1-1 Panathinaikos

The 4th of March was the last time we were able to watch an AEK game… who would have thought then that it wouldn’t be until the 7th of June, over 3 months later, when we would next get the chance to watch AEK play. Needless to say, it was somewhat reassuring to have a game to look forward to again, even if the stadium was empty and the substitutes and staff on the bench were sitting a considerable distance apart from each other.

The result was somewhat of a disappointment if I’m being honest, as was the performance itself. Earlier in the day, PAOK had lost at home to Olympiakos by a score of 1-0, a result which as a result of the point deduction handed to PAOK would have given AEK the opportunity to move up to 2nd place in the standings with a win. Instead, it was Panathinaikos who were looking more likely to get away with the win at times.

It was clear the three month break from playing had taken its toll on the players; for most of the first half, we struggled to make many significant moves forward and only managed one opportunity on target. The second half was a slight improvement but again it was Panathinaikos who looked more convincing as they had one goal called back for a foul but then managed to go ahead in the 65th minute.

Thankfully we were able to find a response 10 minutes later when Livaja managed to finish from a tough angle but ultimately we were forced to settle for the 1 point. There was considerable discussion today regarding Carrera’s hesitation to make substitutions earlier on the match when it was clear something wasn’t working. Eventually Oliveira was brought on in the 67th minute but it wasn’t until the 87th when Araujo got put in the match for a chance to make a difference with just a few minutes left – Oliveira’s introduction made the impact we were looking for has he provided the assist on Livaja’s goal, but it makes me wonder if he could have had an even bigger impact if he was introduced to match earlier on.

As a result of the 1 point we received following yesterday’s draw, we now find ourselves level in 2nd place with PAOK on 52 points. Panathinaikos are further behind on 45 points and are less of a threat, though its whether we can find a way to clinch 2nd place which worries me – being able to do so would guarantee us the chance to try to qualify for Champions League next season, something which would naturally be a huge boost for the club.

 

Despite fans not being allowed in the stadium as part of measures put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19, a number of supporters still gathered outside the stadium in Nea Filadelfeia and watched the match on a projector screen:

Speaking of the stadium, there’s been some more progress on its construction since my last post – most noticeably, the preparations are being in put place for the exterior facade to be mounted. It will be exciting to see some of the panels start to go up so we can start to really get a sense of what the completed stadium will look like from the outside.

Panionios 1-0 AEK

A disappointing end to what has been a very disappointing bunch of playoff games for AEK. I knew going into it all that we’d be pretty tired and worn out, but I was hoping for better than 4th place but what can you do? Honestly I can’t complain, I’d rather see us win the Cup and finish 4th rather than finish 2nd but not win the Cup.

I didn’t get to watch the match but it didn’t sound like I missed all that much anyways. We did have a few chances, notably yet another post by Aravidis, but the commentary I was following gave me the impression that it was Panionios who were having more success going forward.

Despite the unfortunate result, it was nice to see Zuculini in the starting XI. I know he had mentioned a few times that he wanted to play for the team again and it was great to see him get a chance. Not sure if theres any chance he’ll be with us next season but I think its worth considering our options if we can keep him. We didn’t get to see all that much from him so I would like to see what he could after a whole pre-season with the team.

Aside from Zuculini, we also brought some other players with us who have yet to feature all that much for us this season including Vouras, Svarnas, Vasilantonopoulos, Vlahomitros, Galanopoulos, and Kyriazis. To be honest I don’t remember seeing all that much at all of any of these players aside from Svarnas and Vasilantonopoulos, but it was nice to see them included. Only Galanopoulos, Vasilantonopoulos and Vlahomitros ended up playing as subs and I’m not really sure how well they played or what contributions they made to the team.

 

Today’s match was the last time we’d see Nikos Pantazis on the bench with the team. Niko, who has been part of AEK’s physiotherapy team since 1972, has been arguably the most loyal member of the team through all these years. He grew up as an AEK fan and never once left the team. When I was back in Greece he was one of those people I always just associated with AEK. Players left, coaches left as often as management did, but Niko was always there. I just wanted to take a moment to thank him for his dedication to the club, even through all that the team has been through. It will be weird seeing shots of the team bench on TV without him on it.

Nikos celebrating the club (photo courtesy of http://www.gazzetta.gr)

 

Shortly after our game today, various news outlets started posting articles in which they said we were very close to singing a new manager. The manager they all mention is Philippe Montanier, most recently the manager of Rennes. He has also managed Real Sociedad and was assistant manager to the Ivory Coast. He’s not too old, but not too young that he lacks experience, and he seems like a fairly serious manager. I don’t all that much about him and while there were other managers out there I would have liked to see with the team, I’d be pretty satisfied if we ended up singing Montanier. Regardless of who do end up singing, I would just like to see it finalized as soon as possible so we can start building our squad right away.

AEK 3-1 Panathinaikos

Huge win for the team today, a win that puts us back in with a shot of getting first in the playoffs. A loss today would have essentially ended all hope for us, but the win now means that if we win both of our upcoming matches, we finish top. I’m feeling pretty confident at this point and if it wasn’t for the fatigue really getting to the players, I would be certain that we could win both games. We play PAOK at home first and as we all know, our home form for the derbies has been pretty solid. The final game of the season is away against Panionios, a game which is never easy but I fancy our chances now given the fact that Panionios has been so poor during these playoffs.

So how did we win today? To be honest, a little bit of luck helped. PAO had two goals called back (though both were the right calls from what I’ve read… still looking for replays though) and they also got a straight red which was supposedly a bit controversial though I have yet to see the replay for that either. Aside from that though, we did everything we needed to get away with the win: taking advantage of set plays and counter attacks. For much of the game PAO controlled possesion but it sounded like they had a harder time breaking through today compared to when we played them on Monday. We were lucky that Leto didn’t get the start since his presence was noticed afterwards when he scored the only goal for PAO.

The two key players for us today in my opinion have got to be Mantalos and Barbosa. Mantalos directly set up our first and third goal while he was also the one to start the counter attack on our second goal. As for Barbosa, well its pretty obvious why I consider his impact on the game today to be so important. Two of today’s three goals were scored by him and both were finished so perfectly that they left Steele with no chance of making the save.

I haven’t really found any decent quality highlights on youtube but you can check out the goals at the following link: http://www.novasports.gr/match-center/match-center-agonas/match/1021/aek-panathinaikos/#.V0ewlTdrhD8 You’ll just need to go down to the live goals section down the page, and watch each goal individually. The third by Barbosa is especially worth taking a look at.

So where does today’s result leave us? Well PAOK are still first in the playoffs with 10 points, followed by AEK with 8 points and Panathinaikos with 7 (Panionios have only managed to pick up one point until now). Really, its still very open at the top with two games left to play so anything could happen.

Panathinaikos 3-0 AEK

Three games in six days, I’m really not sure whose bright idea that was. Regardless, the effects were apparent today and there was little the team could do to hold off PAO. I’m not trying to make excuses for the team, but who can expect better when they play a Cup final, followed by a game against Panionios three days later and then an away derby three days after that.

We were poor today in every way possible. We couldn’t string together more than two passes without giving the ball away far too easily, we were beaten to every lose ball by a PAO player, and our defense simply couldn’t handle the pace and strength of their opponents. I’m sure the team tried, but they couldn’t get anything going. It was only once Leto was subbed off that PAO’s attack became less efficient and we finally had a couple chances to move forward.

Of course it doesn’t help that Manolas still hasn’t returned as manager, and both Vargas and Simoes but either way, this was one game that we’ll want to put behind us as soon as possible. The sooner we can put the game behind us the better since just three days from now, on Friday the 26th, we play PAO again but this time at OAKA. Thats right, that’s another game within three days, followed by the game against PAOK three days after that, and the game against Panionios two days later.

The more I look at this schedule, the less I can understand it. Once all is over and done with, AEK would have played six games in less than two weeks. And why? Because EPO and the Superleague are two of the most incompetent organizations ever to have been involved in the sport of football. This could have all been avoided had EPO just stuck with the referees that they had agreed to use for the Cup final but instead, Gritzikis and his entourage decided to act like a bunch of children so that he could have things his way.

We’ve all known this for years, but this year’s playoffs have once again proven how much of a joke this whole system is. The fact that the Superleague continues to apply it and somehow believes it is good for the sport is beyond me.

Anyways, thats enough for my little rant (for now). You can see the highlights below but there isn’t much to take from it all. All I can hope for is that we can turn things around for the next three games since we still have a shot of getting 2nd. Having two home derbies in a row is the best shot we’ll have of getting maximum points. All I can hope for is that we get a decent crowd at OAKA for these games.

http://aek365.novasports.gr

PAOK 2-1 AEK

Possibly the worst start to the playoffs that we could have hoped for, dropping all three points as well as falling to third in the standings. We got lucky in considering Panathinaikos only managed to draw 1-1 with Panionios, but yesterday’s result certainly puts the pressure on us from an early stage.

I didn’t get to watch the match but I was able to follow the live commentary for much of it and sounded like a very uninspired performance for the most part. At one point we had barely over 25 percent of the possesion and while we managed to create a few decent chances, it seems like only a draw would have been a fair result. I have to give credit to PAOK for scoring two fantastic goals but its really too bad we couldn’t at least come away with the point. We went up first after Johansson tucked away a dropped ball by PAOK’s keeper just before half time, but I was never confident that we would hold on to the lead if what people were saying online was anything to go by. Its a shame really that we couldn’t put in a better performance considering the game was played behind closed doors. If we struggled this much in an empty stadium, I imagine we’re not going to be much better off when we’re playing in front of Panionios and Panathinaikos supporters.

A couple things worth noting from the game: You’ll notice if you watch the highlights below that we were originally awarded a penalty for a hand ball fairly early on, but it was unfortunately called back due to offsides. I have to admit, it seems like it was the right call. Also worth noting that both Barbosa and PAOK’s Katse got red cards after the match due to the standoff the two had which eventually led to an all out brawl between the two sides. The scene that transpired afterwards seems to sum up much of the game really, a game that was played with a lot of nerves and tension almost from the start.

 

If you’ve been wondering when the Cup final will be played, I unfortunately no concrete news to report. EPO came out and said that the final will take place on the 17th but at the moment that still can’t really happen. First of all, EPO has not yet agreed to either use foreign refs, or at least use Sidiropoulos’ usual team of assistants. In addition, NovaSports and all the teams involved would have to agree on some sort of change to the playoff schedule. As it stands, AEK would have to play a playoff game on the 15th, the Cup final on the 17th, and another playoff game on the 18th, something that for obvious reasons simply could not happen. Even if a change to the schedule were to happen, it would mean an almost unreasonable amount of games within such a short period of time for AEK, something that the team has said they are not on board with at the moment (and I can’t say I blame them).

In case you were wondering why the final couldn’t just happen in June once the playoffs have ended, you’ll have to keep in mind that with the Euro coming up, all league and cup play must be over by the end of May. As of now, the only way the final could be played after May would be if a exception were to be made by FIFA and UEFA, something which seems highly unlikely.

Playoff Schedule Announced

So the draw for the playoffs took place today and overall I can’t complain all that much. Take a look below to see who we’ll be playing and when. Its worth noting that our first game against PAOK in Toumba will be played without fans.

1st Matchday (May 11th): PAOK – AEK, Toumba, Thessaloniki

2nd Matchday (May 15th): Panionios – AEK, Nea Smyrni, Athens

3rd Matchday (May 18th): Panathinaikos – AEK, Leoforos, Athens

4th Matchday (May 22nd): AEK – Panathinaikos, OAKA, Athens

5th Matchday (May 25th): AEK – PAOK, OAKA, Athens

6th Matchday (May 29th): AEK – Panionios, OAKA, Athens

Its a bit strange that all of our first three games are away but the way I see it is, if we can come out strong and get some results in the first three matches, then we have a good chance of finishing the playoffs in a good way. We seemed to have some luck with derbies at home this season so theres no reason for us to not be able to get all nine points from the last three games at least.

 

Panaitolikos 1-0 AEK

For what I believe was the first time in Panaitolikos’ history, the small team from Agrinio managed a well deserved victory against AEK. I hate to say it, but at times we were actually outclassed today and even though we weren’t exactly the worst team on the pitch, we certainly didn’t deserve a win with only a draw or a loss being the fair results.

If our performance today is any indication of whats to come during the playoffs, then we won’t have any easy time at all when our time to play PAOK and Panathinaikos comes around. Its still early at this point and I’m hoping what we saw today was just a fluke, but I am a bit worried considering we also had a hard time to make anything happen when we played Tripolis two games back.

Today’s match wasn’t one of those games where just a few key players were having an off day. Instead it seemed like the whole team just couldn’t make anything happen. We had a few half chances but we never really managed to take control, get any sort of a rhythm going and every attack seemed unorganized, as if our players had never played together before. We still managed to create a couple decent opportunities and came very close to scoring once or twice, but even when we looked like scoring the play was wasted through what seemed like a lack of concentration really.

Our offense was not the only part of our team that was having a hard time as our defense also struggled to handle almost everything Panaitolikos threw at us today. Thankfully Baroja had a pretty solid game because he was the only who seemed capable of preventing Panaitolikos from scoring.

Not a good game at all, but its not the end of the road for us quite yet. We still have a decent five point lead ahead of Panathinaikos, although they looked pretty good in their 4-0 win yesterday. Our lead over PAOK is also pretty much untouchable from this point on, but what worries me more than anything is the fact that both PAOK and Panathinaikos seem to be finding some form. If this keeps up, we’ll definitely have to see better from AEK in the remaining three games with our match against Panionios likely being our best indicator of where we stand going into the playoffs.

Highlights:

http://aek365.novasports.gr

AEK 3-0 Panthrakikos

Such a disappointing finish to a game which started so well. I have no complaints about the score, of course, but when you score three goals within the first twenty minutes I can’t help but build up a sense of expectation. I wasn’t surprised to see the first half end at 3-0, but I was certainly expecting another goal at least.

To be fair to the players though, it wasn’t exactly their fault. The fact that we had two injuries and were forced to make two substitutions very early in the game affected our rhythm from what I read and that’s definitely understandable. We also have to keep in mind the fact that the weather in Athens was dreadful today (cold and wet) as well as knowing that the team probably so no reason in wearing themselves out when we have some important playoff games to get ready for.

MVP of the match I believe was Buonanotte and I can’t help but be happy for him. He’s been given very few chances this season, and he’s hardly ever started a match. Despite this, he always manages to give Poyet a reason or two to trust that he can contribute when we need him. His goal so early on showed exactly the kind of ball movement we need in front of the goal. We have players who can hold on to the ball well in the centre of the pitch and players who can play well down the wings, but very few of our players can draw out defenders while working the ball into the 18 yard box the way Buonanotte can.

Aside from Buonanotte, another player well worth mentioning from today was Mantalos. As is often the case, he showed yet again how desperately we miss his presence when hes not playing. The way he can so confidently keep the ball at his feet until the right moment to make a pass is a huge factor in so many of our plays and when hes in form, he is easily our main player in attack.

The two injuries we picked up today were pretty unfortunate, especially for Soiledis since he had a great start to the game. Aside from Soiledis, Kolovetsios was also injured early on but thankfully for us, both Cordero and Buonanotte managed to play the whole game without injuring themselves.

Today’s win puts eight points ahead of PAO and a comfortable thirteen points ahead of fifth placed Panionios. What this means for us is that if the playoffs were to start today, we would start with three points, Panathinaikos with one, and both PAOK and Panionios with none. At this point I really can’t see us dropping many points and I’m pretty confident we’ll be starting the playoffs with three points. Considering we might have to have our fans banned from some of the home games during the playoffs, any point advantage we can get could potentially go a long way.

Highlights as usual at the NovaSport page below:

http://aek365.novasports.gr

Dellas For Another Year

Big news yesterday following a meeting with Bajevic, Mellisanidis, and Dellas, news that I’m quite relieved to hear. I know its a bit early to make significant judgments on Dellas’ ability as a coach considering we’ve yet to consistently face tough opposition, but he really deserves the chance to prove himself as far as I’m concerned. He’s done well with the team and budget hes had until now and I can’t help but appreciate his dedication to the team. Not only did he come in at a time when not many people were willing to, but he also stuck with the team through what have been the two most difficult years since AEK was formed ninety one years ago.

It wont be easy for him next year when he will face more difficult opposition both on and off the pitch, but I think its important we not have our expectations too high. Do I want us to win the championship? Of course I do, but I have to remember that we’re still building the team and as of now, we certainly don’t have a team that is ready to win it all yet. Perhaps that could change as the summer goes on, but that all depends on what kind of players we go for, and how much management is willing to spend.

As most of you will by now have learned, the playoffs are now officially over, and it didn’t really end as well as we all would have liked. Our final two results were a 1-1 draw against Larissa and a 1-0 loss to Oly Volou and while I’m not exactly happy about the scores, at this point all I want to do is forget the past two years even happened. From here on things can only get better, and they certainly will.

Transfer talk has been the usual throwing around of names, but we are apparently close to singing Ronald Vargas (I believe its just a matter of receiving the signed contract, but I really couldn’t say for sure). I haven’t seen Vargas play personally but judging from youtube clips, I think he would definitely be a great addition to the team. We’ve also signed Stavros Vasilantonopoulos, a 23 year old from Apollon Smyrnis. I haven’t seen much of him either but he was apparently Apollon’s best player this season, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do during the preseason.

Apollon Smyrnis 3-3 AEK

Not an easy game for AEK, as we fell behind three times throughout. Luckily our players managed to show some determination to come back from behind each time, but the result still is not the most encouraging when we’re just about to enter the top division once again.

To be fair, Dellas did go with a lineup consisting mostly of bench players for the second game in a row so I guess there’s only so much we can tell from the result and performance. Plus, I have to constantly remind myself that it has been a very long season for much of the team considering we have been playing competitive games since late August. That doesn’t excuse the team giving less than their best, though I suppose in a way I can kind of understand it.

The ratings for the game from AEK365 were horrible, particularly in terms of goalkeeping and defense. In fact they were probably the worst ratings I recall seeing for an AEK game. Karagiolidis once again had a pretty bad performance, and its pretty safe to say at this point that he wont be playing any role in the first team next season. I feel bad for the guy considering hes had pretty much no time at all playing competitively and the only games he does play are horrible performances, but with his lack of meaningful experience with the team, nobody can be surprised.

Thankfully it was not all bad news from the game yesterday as Chrisantus managed to have another promising performance. I’m not quite sure yet if I see a spot for him on the team next season since it really comes down to what singings we make during the summer, but hes definitely been taking advantage of these last few games to prove hes at least worth considering. I’m definitely willing to give him the benefit of the doubt since he only joined the team in January and rarely had the chance to get some game time until well into his time at the team.

Theres been a lot of talk regarding singings for the summer, and as of yet I don’t believe a word of it. It seems like this summer will be more of the same, with three different names being thrown around each day. Latest I just read was Maxi Rodriguez, though theres also been talk of Volkan Demirel for keeper. I remember seeing some impressive performances from Volkan so I don’t think I’d mind him (I remember we had an AEK fan from Turkey posting on the blog a couple weeks ago… If you happen to read this, do you have any thoughts regarding Volkan?), but I’m starting to get tired of names like Maxi Rodriguez. Sure, he had a pretty respectable career, but I’m really starting to wish we’d see less 34 or 35 year olds being mentioned. I would love some experience in defense and midfield, but really I’d rather spend the money on two or more solid younger talents rather than picking up another 34 year old just because of his name. If they’ve been playing particularly well and have a couple good years ahead of them then sure, but really if that were the case would other teams with deeper pockets than AEK be looking to pick up the players too?

Anyways, not sure what names will be mentioned tomorrow morning when I wake up, but I’m really hoping one way or another that management shows some urgency and makes some quality singings. Its already June, and the pre-season is really not too far away at this point…