What Has Gone Wrong at Panathinaikos?

What Has Gone Wrong at Panathinaikos?

By Antonios Theodosis



Well, it’s been a couple of hours since the big derby and the emotions are still riding high after the 1-0 loss to arch-rivals Olympiakos. One thing is growing increasingly concerning, and that is the fact that the team is on track to experience its worst season in the Alafouzos era if things continue the way they are going.

 

What are the problems? It is a question that comes to my mind and one that is simple yet also complex. After watching all of the matches this season it is apparent that there are chemistry issues looming large within the Panathinaikos locker room. Players are not passing to each other on simple plays, ignoring calls for passes, and throwing fits when being subbed out of games as seen today by Xatziovanis and Federico Macheda a couple of weeks ago. When compared to the dynamic of the team under Donis it is glaringly obvious that this is a team that is not united. When players miss huge chances to level the score or go ahead the frustrations and annoyance on their teammates faces says it all.

 

Although this issue of division is one that I find to be particularly alarming I would argue that the quality of the players at hand is also another major culprit. Despite what some Panathinaikos fans think, Federico Macheda is not the striker the team needs going forward. He has struggled a lot this season and has missed several chances that are inexcusable, especially the chance he shot over the bar against Olympiakos today. Facundo Sanchez is another player that should not be seeing the starting lineup either. The experienced Right-Back often seems lost and is a liability on the defensive end.

 

The project focused on bringing in supposed foreign talent has failed. The foreign players brought in this summer do not seem to understand the significance of playing for a team like Panathinaikos. We saw today that the young Greeks in the squad, Zagaritis, Alexandropoulos, and Poungouras played with a lot more passion and grit. Zagaritis and Alexandropoulos were not afraid to make daring tackles and play risky passes forward to advance the ball. It should be noted that these youngsters could not do any worse than the third rate players the club brought in this season. Historically Panathinaikos’ most dominant sides have consisted mainly of academy prospects.

 

Going forward the only way the club will see some improvements on the pitch is if we trust our youth players more. Players like Lucas Villafanez, Shevkenfeld, Xavier, Mauricio and Carlitos have shown their quality and should remain in the team, but the other players have shown that they do not bring anything of value to the team compared to the youngsters who are willing to bleed for the shirt.

 

Panathinaikos has lost its identity and we have seen it first hand in today’s derby. Afraid and not willing to pounce on an Olympiakos side that was undermanned. The ones willing to go forward and initiate any sort of attacking threats were the youngsters who grew up in the academy and understand what these types of games mean and what Panathinaikos represents.

 

Time will tell where we will end up, but as a fan that loves this team I suggest that the only way we see some improved performances out there is if we give those that deserve to be out there a chance and not just rely on the players signed under a project that has so far been an utter failure.


Hellas Football 


Follow @antoniostheo on Instagram 

 

(image borrowed from Wikipedia)

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