The Chase for Top 6

The Chase for Top 6

Written by Michael

 There are just three rounds remaining in the 2019/2020 regular season of the Super League and 7 clubs are in contention of qualifying for the Top 6. Interestingly, they are separated by only 3 points. That’s right, 3 points! Absolutely staggering! We are witnessing a very tight finish at the conclusion of the regular season. The 7 clubs in contention are OFI, Xanthi, Atromitos, Asteras Tripolis, AEL, Volos and Lamia. With Aris currently occupying fifth spot, and certainly will finish comfortably, it is all about the last Championship play-off spot. Whoever cements sixth position is granted qualification to play in Europe next season! This is because fourth place Panathinaikos are currently serving their 3-year European football ban that was handed to them by UEFA in 2017 that lasts until the end of the 2020/2021 season.

Looking at the standings and based on the form column, all the seven clubs have been very inconsistent this season though the surprising package of the bunch during the second round of matches is Asteras Tripolis. The Arcadians have pressed the throttle in the second half of the regular season and find themselves just two points off OFI, therefore the team from Peloponnese are the inform out of the seven teams contending for Top 6.

6th OFI:

Let’s talk about the biggest club in Crete. Currently they are hanging in the balance and with their current form; OFI may be knocked out of sixth position. The Cretans have only recorded just one win in 2020 against rock-bottom Panionios at Nea Smyrni, with the addition of four losses and two draws. They have certainly not brightened up since the New Year turned over though the gaffer remains confident they will cement sixth position and play in Europe next season. It would be nice to see OFI’s Yedi Kule being featured in European football, and it would be the first since appearing in the 2007 edition of the now defunct UEFA Intertoto Cup.

Next 3 games: Atromitos, AEK (away), OFI

7th Xanthi:

The Akrites have been stealing much the headlines in January with the multi-ownership allegations with PAOK. Besides all that controversy, Xanthi started their season under Kiko Ramirez and recorded an astonishing five wins in the first 6 games! Since the 0-1 loss to Aris back on matchday 7 in October, the team from Thrace have shown relegation form. They have gone under a managerial change as they sacked Ramirez mid-season and replaced him with journeyman Giorgos Paraschos, now at the helm for the third time with Xanthi. It all seemed the ship has recovered when they recorded back-to-back victories early January against AEL and Volos. Yet again, they are currently going through dry form with no wins in the past five games. Clearly they lack quality in the offence and it is harming their hopes. Will they recover in the last three matches of the regular season and earn Top 6?

Next 3 games: Lamia, Atromitos (away), PAOK

8th Atromitos:

It has been a tough campaign for Atromitos and they are another team who have gone under a managerial change, when they replaced Giannis Anastasiou with former Aris manager Savvas Pantelidis. Bowing out of European qualifiiers earlier in the season, Atromitos have been inconsistent ever since. The loss of Koulouris and Felipe Bruno, and particularly Austrian manager Damir Canadi in the off-season has undoubtedly proved to be very costly for the Peristeri-based club. They have recorded three wins under Pantelidis but are currently on a four game winless streak. Poor form. Another note to take is they have not scored since matchday 18 in the 0-1 away win against relegation battlers Panetolikos. Top 6 for Atromitos is looking unlikely based on current form and their performances; all they can hope for is some kind of improvement in the remaining games of the regular season.

Next 3 games: OFI (away), Xanthi, Aris (away)

9th Asteras Tripolis:

The Arcadians have also changed their coach mid-season, and seemingly paying off when they sacked Borja Jiminez after poor run of results that found them in contention for relegation, and then hired former Xanthi manager Milan Rastavac. Since the Serbian took over, Asteras have registered four wins, three draws and four losses. But, they picked up on their performances since demolishing Xanthi 5-0 at home before Christmas. Spanish striker Marc Fernandez and Barrales have linked up quite nicely in the offence and certainly the defence has improved significantly under Rastavac, which is helping the Arcadians push for Top 6, which at the start of the season looked impossible. They now find themselves just two points away, and based on current form, Asteras are the favourites to knick sixth spot away from OFI.

Next 3 games: Volos (away), Panathinaikos, AEL (away)

10th AEL: 

Recall my blog I did back in November on the last paragraph, I stated that if AEL don’t show consistency they will become a sinking boat. I was right; they are yet to register their first win in 2020 and are increasingly likely they will not achieve Top 6. The club have undergone yet again another major overhaul in the squad in January. Quite unnecessary. Amr Warda, Kristenson, Moras, Milosavljevic and Kace are the standout players this season, but overall the team for the most part has been relying on individual performances, along with the inept tactics and incompetence by manager Michalis Grigoriou is proving costly. I can tell you right now, as an AEL fan, achieving top 6 is not happening at all, unless AEL wins all the remaining games of the regular season, but the likelihood is very low.

Next 3 games: PAOK, Volos (away), Asteras Tripolis

11th Volos:

The newcomers Volos started off bright but eventually fell down the order of the standings. They hold the worst defensive record out of the seven teams chasing sixth spot, having conceded 37 goals all season. This stat portrays Volos defence as the most vulnerable, and surely will continue to have a negative impact for not only the remaining regular season matches but for the rest of the football season. However, Volos also have changed coaches by replacing Juan Ferrando, who was forced to end his cooperation with the club due to medical reasons as advised by his doctors. Alberto Gallego was hired as his successor, and so far only triumphed against Lamia. Although, in recent matches they have shown glimpses of improvement, but will be enough to ensure the last remaining Championship play-off spot?

Next 3 games: Asteras Tripolis, AEL, Panathinaikos (away)

12th Lamia:

Perhaps the most unlikely of the seven teams to grab sixth position with only five wins tallied so far this season and lack of quality in their offence certainly isn’t helping either. The departure of their Brazilian striker Rogerio Thuram has diminished their form. From matchday 9 to 17of the Super League, Lamia triumphed five times, drew three times and only lost once. During this period, it was the beginning of Akis Mantzios tenure as new manager, who replaced Sotiris Antoniou due to Lamia’s dreadful start to the season. After matchday 17, they are winless in six games and most definitely will continue…for who knows how long, and have barely scored. The loss of Thuram to Turkish club Konyaspor has harmed their hopes of any chance of achieving a Top 6 finish, but they are amazingly 3 points behind OFI!  

Next 3 games: Xanthi (away), Aris, OFI (away)

It was around this time last year; we witnessed a spectacle with seven teams fighting to survive relegation as they were separated by only 10 points. Fast forward to this season, seven teams are chasing Top 6 with sixth place and twelfth place only separated by a small margin of three points! All to play for in the last three rounds of the regular season, to earn that all important Championship play-off and be featured on the European stage next season.

Hellas Football