Super League: XI of the 2022-23 season

Super League: XI of the 2022-23 season.

The season has offered excitement of a rarely seen kind and finally AEK was able to draw the longest straw. They thus picked up the league title in their first season at the new OPAP Arena Agia Sophia in Nea Filafeldeia. Join us as I summaries the season and single out the players who performed best.

By Andreas Mitsis,

The 2022-23 league season has reached its end point. AEK became champions and on Sunday (14/5) were able to crown their first season at the new magnificent OPAP Arena Agia Sophia with a league gold. 

The club's first since the 2017-18 season and their thirteenth all-time. All AEK needed in advance in the last playoff round at home against Volos was not to lose, which they obviously didn't do. 4-0 the numbers were written against Volos and the whole of Nea Filadelfeia was one big yellow-black sea with a senseless party all day long for all the AEK supporters in and around Agia Sophia.

The season as a whole has brought a bit of a rebirth for the league. AEK's new arena has both brought a boost to the league product but also inspired other clubs. Add to that the fact that we had extreme tension at the top of the league all the way into the tie with almost all the big clubs involved in the fight for the title. Something we are not directly spoiled with. 

There have been full stands in most parts of the playoffs and a derby marathon that finally got the spice we've been missing since the format was introduced a couple of seasons ago. If we ignore, among other things, war of words between clubs/owners, organizational issues, the association's incompetence and referee chaos, there are also positive things to build on. 

AEK largely started from scratch before the season with a new coach in Matías Almeyda and some other rearrangements in the organization around the team. For example, Bruno Alves was hired as sports director. 

The Argentinian's job has been nothing short of outstanding, which the undersigned will come back to when the coach of the season is appointed further down in the article. AEK collected 56 points last year without Almeyda, 83 with him at the helm. In short, it says a lot about the Argentine's work. AEK has emphatically dominated or topped most static aspects like e.g. xGoals, Xgoals against themselves and shortest time to recapture the ball. The fact that they also did not have any assignments in the European cups also of course made it easier because the focus could be directed solely towards the league and the cup. Perhaps the biggest factor apart from Almeyda's entry was the return to Nea Filadelfia with the new arena. The glory around the club is back and on a completely different level than during all the years at OAKA. Agia Sophia has simply brought an invaluable boost to the club and the whole of Nea Filadelfeia. AEK's Mijat Gacinovic was the player who had the honor of scoring the first goal at the arena early last fall.

AEK has undoubtedly performed the best football in the league. Owner Dimitris "Tigris" Melissanidis and the club have had a dream-like season. The possibility of a double remains because the cup final, after many twists and turns, will finally take place at Panthessaliko in Volos in front of empty stands on May 24. In the final, AEK meet the other double-headed eagles from Thessaloniki, PAOK. 

From champions AEK to second placed Panathinaikos. The greens from the capital tripped a little snow-like on the finish line after last winter at the World Cup break they had a rather large lead down to the other competitors. That very lead makes the second place somewhat bitter, even though things continued in the right direction for the team. Already last season, we could conclude that Panathinaikos would in all probability be in the running for the title. Coach Ivan Jovanovic built nicely on the foundation he created in 2021-22 but towards the final sprint the gas in the tank started to run out for the players. 

The collective has been the star for the greens this season, where they also perhaps took a bit more points than they deserved in terms of play, mainly during the winter months. The cruciate ligament injury to an Aitor in the form of his life towards the end of October also left some marks on the team. Like AEK, Panathinaikos will qualify for the Champions League during the summer but in the qualifiers for non-champions. 

The season of last year's champions Olympiakos is truly a chapter in itself. The initial feeling is that the big club from Piraeus completed three seasons wrapped in one. Pedro Martins had to leave the coaching position early in the season and the club fell off course after years of stability. At the same time, the organization lost chief scout Francois Modesto but also general manager Lina Souloukou. The transfer window was messy, the squad became gigantic and there was no beginning, middle and end to the team's performances on the pitch. 

But when Míchel took over the helm, he was able to stabilize the situation a bit and steer the schooner in some form of the right direction again. 

The Spaniard did a relatively good job but then left on his own in a pressured position in the middle of a fiery playoff when Olympiakos hung on AEK and Panathinaikos at the top of the table. 

The team has this season to a certain extent reminded of one of the editions from a couple of seasons into the 2000s under Sokratis Kokkalis' ownership. Lots of really quality players individually (eg James, Fortounis, Pep Biel, Sergi Cános, Bakambu, El-Arabi) but dysfunctional as a unit at large. Important in the near future is that Olympiakos focuses on the right things, i.e. to review its sporting organization and decide on a path to follow in order to come back stronger for next season. 

One of the main questions is who the new coach will be. Third place means EL qualification, but should PAOK take home the cup, it will be ECL qualification instead. Bakambu, El-Arabi) but dysfunctional as a unit at large. Important in the near future is that Olympiakos focuses on the right things, i.e. to review its sporting organization and decide on a path to follow in order to come back stronger for next season. One of the main questions is who the new coach will be.

PAOK hung on relatively well at the top of the table but lost towards the end of the season. Coach Razvan Lucescu has at his disposal a slightly younger edition of therefore more inexperienced PAOK, which became more obvious in the playoffs. PAOK do a fantastic job with their academy which has resulted in us seeing players like Dinos Koulierakis and Giannis Konstantelias released this season. The undersigned delved deeper into the subject a couple of months ago, read the article.

Fourth place means ECL qualification, but in case of victory in the cup final against AEK in a week's time, there will instead be EL qualification this summer. Aris in fifth place clinched the last European Cup ticket. The Thessaloniki club headed by owner Thodoris Karypidis has decided to continue with Tolis Terzis next season. It is the first time he has been given the keys to the team on a permanent basis. Terzis has long been a faithful servant of the club and has stepped in as temporary manager on a number of occasions. One of Karypidi's biggest mistakes in recent years may have been to part ways rather hastily with coach German Burgos last February.

There was no lack of drama in the playout either. In the penultimate round, it was clear that Levadiakos would fall out of the Super League after only one season back in the fine room. In the last round, Ionikos and Lamia met in a directly decisive match about who would accompany Levadiakos down to Super League 2. Ionikos went up to a 2-0 lead, but Lamia would still manage to save themselves. The accomplished and experienced Zoran Tosic followed up an important goal from the penultimate round with another one at an even more important stage when he let his fine left foot do the talking with half an hour left in the match. His masterful free kick made it 2-2 on the scoreboard and saved Lamia's contract. 

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After the summation of the exciting league season, it is high time to dive deeper into which players performed the best during the course of the season. The withdrawals are based on the stakes during the 26 regular rounds plus the playoff/playout. This season is largely dominated by players from the big clubs, containing a starting eleven with 11 different nationalities represented. Come along! We start with formation and the season's coach. 

Formation: 4-3-1-2 

Coach: Matías Almeyda (AEK) 

Comment:The Argentine came to AEK last summer and has quickly made a big success with his fine work. Almeyda was very clear about which players he wanted to bring in. Together with the sporting board of AEK, they joined the player profiles he was looking for. Almost all recruitments have also been successful to a greater or lesser extent. The 49-year-old, whose philosophy has influences from Marcelo Bielsa, among others, had to start from scratch with the team in several ways, but quickly established a clear identity characterized by intensity, dedication, willingness to run and high pressure. 

This has also married nicely with the enthusiasm of the stands at the magnificent new Agia Sophia Stadium. A noteworthy tactic with relatively high risk but at the same time high reward, but also a vulnerability which can show itself against qualitative resistance. There have been clear patterns of play and roles on the pitch in the 4-1-3-2 system he has used most of which, however, can look a little different depending on various factors. Almeyda has motivated the squad well where he has managed to keep everyone happy regardless of role by, among other things, being fair. 

Everyone has felt both involved but also important, which is a credit to the former midfielder and his team. He has also achieved all this during his first season as a coach in Europe. Honorable Almeyda has quickly created a strong bond with AEK and both parties already last winter agreed on a new contract which extends right up to the year 2028. It will be very interesting to see how the whole project progresses. Almeyda has motivated the squad well where he has managed to keep everyone happy regardless of role by, among other things, being fair. Everyone has felt both involved but also important, which is a credit to the former midfielder and his team. He has also achieved all this during his first season as a coach in Europe. 

Honorable Almeyda has quickly created a strong bond with AEK and both parties already last winter agreed on a new contract which extends right up to the year 2028. It will be very interesting to see how the whole project progresses. Almeyda has motivated the squad well where he has managed to keep everyone happy regardless of role by, among other things, being fair. Everyone has felt both involved but also important, which is a credit to the former midfielder and his team. 

He has also achieved all this during his first season as a coach in Europe. Honorable Almeyda has quickly created a strong bond with AEK and both parties already last winter agreed on a new contract which extends right up to the year 2028. It will be very interesting to see how the whole project progresses. 

*** 

Starting XI 

Goalkeeper: Alberto Brignoli (Panathinaikos) 
Matches/Goals: 34/0 

Comment: Was recruited from Italian Serie B for last season without any headlines at all. However, coach Jovanovic knew what he was doing when he insisted on bringing in Brignoli. 

The Italian already had a good season last year but has been even sharper in 2022-23. He has given important points to the greens via qualified saves, especially during a period when the team had a little more difficulty and is also skilled in the game with his feet. Have conceded significantly fewer goals than expected according to the xG statistics. Noted for 18 clean sheets across the entire league season.  

Right back: Wajdi Kechrida (Atromitos) 
Matches/Goals:30/1 

Comment: The World Cup player for Tunisia has been a breath of fresh air on Atromito's right wing. Kechrida won back a place in the Tunisian national team through his fine performances for the Peristeri club and is a fast right-back who constantly offers options in an offensive direction with, for example, overlapping runs. Has been extra good in the playout during the spring. 

Center back: Domagoj Vida (AEK) 
 Matches/Goals: 31/1 

Comment:Vida has been exactly what AEK has lacked in their defense in recent seasons. That is, a leader with the quality to be able to steer up and keep a back line together over time. The WC silver medalist from 2018 and the WC bronze medalist from 2022 with his Croatia have shown class. Experienced Vida has shown, among other things, a winning mentality, determination, understanding of the game and has been steady in his actions on the pitch. Using just his experience, he has proven extremely adept at being able to play on the edge but not step over it too often. 

Has also developed a fine collaboration with Harold Moukoudi who has been his centre-back partner. The newly minted 34-year-old became exactly what AEK's management hoped for when he signed a 2-year contract with "Enosis" ahead of this season. 

Center back: Rodrigo Erramuspe (PAS Giannina)
Matches/Goals: 31/9 

Comment: A huge cliffhanger for his PAS. This year, Nikos Badimas was the assistant coach to the then successful PAS coach Argyris Giannikis and played a decisive role in bringing the centre-back from Argentina to PAS in the summer of 2020. 

Today, a couple of years later, the 32-year-old ball-skilled centre-back Erramuspe is a great leader for the team and has this season like the previous one has been strong in his defensive tasks but also produced almost double-digit number of goals forward which is impossible to ignore.

With his nine league goals, he was the team's top scorer with a three-goal margin down to Claudiu Balan. Erramuspe has been one of the few joys of the Epirus club this season. 

Left back: Ehsan Hajisafi (AEK)

Matches/Goals: 29/0 

Comment: Experienced Hajisafi has had a very high minimum level in his performances for AEK and after the World Cup playoffs he went from strength to strength with, among other things, a very good balance between offensive/defensive seasoned with excellent decision-making on the pitch . 

Iran's national team captain has perhaps never before been as reliable as he has been this season. The new colleagues he got in the back line and in the midfield have also helped him to become an even better version of himself. 

The Iranian was on an expiring contract, but after his fine season, AEK have been keen to keep him and last week, the much-loved Hajisafi signed a contract extension. 

Central Midfielder: Hwang In-beom (Olympiakos) 
Matches/Goals:32/3 

Comment: What a new acquisition. Hwang has emphatically delivered from the first moment since his arrival last summer. 

Over the course of the season, he has grown into a crowd favorite at Karaiskakis. He is a hybrid of a defensive and attacking midfielder which means he can deliver in any role but thrives best in a box-to-box role. 

The 26-year-old is good with both feet, mobile, quick-thinking and reads the game incredibly well. He mixes brilliant passing with functional technique, hard work and is equipped with a fine shot from distance. 

Also had a solid World Cup tournament for his South Korea last winter where he is one of the mainstays of former Olympiakos coach Paulo Bento's team.  

Central Midfielder: Dimitris Kourmpelis (Panathinaikos) 
Matches/Goals:30/1 

Comment: The player who best of all personifies this Panathinaikos. The Greens' captain has shown the way with his self-sacrificing style of play where he has always been ready to do the necessary work for the good of the team. 

Jovanovic has also, unlike last year, given him greater freedom in specific matches to go along with the attacks and fill in the opponent's penalty area, but also made sure that he increased his pace in the passing game. Next to him in the defensive midfield, he has usually had skilled midfield colleague Rubén Pérez. 

The Spaniard has had to take on even greater defensive responsibility this season given a slightly freer Kourmpelis. Has grown into a real leader and has been the soul of the team. Best edition of Kourmpelis we have seen so far in his career. 

Central Midfielder:Orbelín Pineda (AEK) 
Matches/Goals: 36/9 

Comment:Awarded the season's MVP award in fierce competition with mainly a couple of club mates. Handpicked last summer by Almeyda who knows Pineda well from their time together in Guadalajara. 

AEK and Pineda turned out to be a perfect match. He possesses fine technique, ability to carry the ball and change pace with it at his feet. The Mexican national team player has proven to be skilled in the pressing game and has been happy to operate over large areas. Dynamic Pineda is broadly speaking a modern versatile midfielder. 

The fact that Pineda has played in almost every position apart from centre-back and goalkeeper underlines how universal a player he is. Contributed on a regular basis throughout the season and appeared in every game. 

One of the league's absolute best players. Pineda is on loan from Celta de Vigo.

Offensive Central Midfielder: Luis Palma (Aris) 
Matches/Goals: 29/11 

Comment: A very exciting and interesting player. Palma came to Aris last winter from Honduras. The 23-year-old showed glimpses of his qualities last year but there was still a feeling before the season that he would disappear a little in the amount of offensive midfield pieces in the team. 

That has not been the case, but instead he has stood out with his performances and ability to make a difference in matches. Can play in most positions in the attack but is best out on the left. Attracted attention from, among others, Rangers and Man Utd. Nice strike on the ball and has become a much sharper finisher than we saw last year.

Attacker:Cédric Bakambu (Olympiakos) 
Matches/Goals: 32/18 

Comment: Bakambu came to the big club from Piraeus in the middle of September a little overshadowed by other bigger star signings. 

The 32-year-old national team striker for the DR Congo slowly began to introduce himself during the autumn, but the time before the World Cup was more about getting into the team and finding good physical shape. In this calendar year, he has been brilliant, producing goals on a regular basis. 

Bakambu has been the primary striker for Olympiakos while experienced Youssef El-Arabi acted as backup. Became the league's top scorer with his 18 complete hits. 

Bakambu has shown evidence of being sharp in depth and he has a fine sense of goal. 

Striker: Levi García (AEK) 
Matches/Goals: 31/14 

Comment:A bit of the "Enosis" X-factor in the offense seen over the regular season. Almeyda retrained him from a classic winger to a central striker, which was a successful move. 

The 25-year-old has improved in the final moments but still has to grind to be more clinical, which is an important part of the task as a central striker. He possesses a formidable package overall with the combination of his excellent athleticism and technical prowess. Skilled with both feet and it is an upgraded version of García that we got to experience, which has led, among other things, to the majority of Bundesliga clubs showing concrete interest in his services. 

*** 

Substitute 

Goalkeeper: Alexandros Paschalakis (Olympiakos) 
Matches/Goals: 24/0 

Comment:Tomáš Vaclík had a great season for Olympiakos last season. Replacing him in the way Paschalakis did has become another proof of what a skilled goalkeeper he is. Got the chance between the posts at the end of October and with him between the posts, Olympiakos went undefeated in the league until the beginning of April. 

Contributed greatly to providing some form of security to an unstable back line. Also has tough competition from the great goalkeeping talent Konstantinos Tzolakis who performed well when he got playing time between the posts. 

Center back: Hörður Magnússon (Panathinaikos) 
Matches/Goals:24/1 

Comment: Icelandic national team center back and the defender with perhaps the very best playmaking foot in the entire league. 

The 30-year-old left-footed centre-back is a bit sensitive to injuries but when he is healthy he makes a big difference on the pitch. He is strong, skilled in the marking game and very accurate in his actions. In other words, Magnússon instills great calm with his presence. 

Takes the place ahead of a right-back quartet that deserves mention in Spaniard Carles Soria from PAS, AEK's much-improved Lazaros Rota, Olympiakos' fine January signing Rodinei and OFI's Swede Eric Larsson. 

Centre-back: Dinos Koulierakis (PAOK) 
Matches/Goals: 25/2 

Comment:Came to Thessaloniki and PAOK's academy from Chania in 2017. Was moved up from the own ranks to the A squad at the beginning of the season. 

Later took advantage of the trust he received from coach Razvan Lucescu. Cool and reads the game well for his age. Having Sverrir Ingason as a centre-back partner/mentor has also been of great importance. Good in the air but also skilled with the ball at his feet, which is a characteristic with increasing relevance for today's centre-backs. Led a brilliant regular season but slowed down during the playoffs where he was given less playing time by Lucescu. 

Made his A national team debut late last fall and, after his fine breakthrough season, has every opportunity to build on the success either in PAOK or elsewhere because, among others, Benfica caught the eye of him. Wins a place in the team ahead of his teammate Ingason.

Central Midfielder: Vladimir Darida (Aris) 
Matches/Goals: 21/5 

Comment: After 7.5 years in Hertha Berlin, the meritorious former Czech international found Darida to Thessaloniki last winter. The 32-year-old's qualities were immediately apparent. A class midfielder who combined rough work with, among other things, game intelligence, tactical discipline and excellent distance shots. 

A super professional to rely on. It was also perfect for Darida that compatriot Jakub Brabec was there to receive him in Aris, which facilitated the acclimatization for him. Aris should count themselves lucky that they managed to sign him and Darida will be an important piece of the puzzle in next season's team building. 

The main competitor for the place was PAOK's Douglas Augusto but also Tasos Tsokanis who could not follow up his fine autumn for Volos in the second half of the season. 

Attacking Midfielder: Steven Zuber (AEK) 
Matches/Goals:28/8 

Comment:Best when it really mattered. As previously mentioned, Levi García was AEK's offensive X-factor during the regular season, but Zuber was undoubtedly the equivalent when it came to the playoffs. In a critical situation towards the end of the season, the Swiss international stepped up and even got a place in the champions' starting eleven when Sergio Araujo got injured, which opened up for him in the attack. A role he had no major experience with, but it turned out to work perfectly. 

Zuber won the assist league in the last EC finals and chose last autumn to prioritize an operation to get rid of his stomach muscle problems instead of going with Switzerland to the WC in Qatar. A choice he certainly does not regret today. In the competition for the place were clubmate Mijat Gacinovic, Kostas Fortounis and PAOK's Khaled Narey. 

Attacking Midfielder: James Rodríguez (Olympiakos) 
Matches/Goals: 20/5 

Comment: Joined the big club from Piraeus shortly after his good friend Marcelo in mid-September. 

A bit of a prestige signing. James is a luxury player in modern football. 

The 31-year-old Colombian superstar is a classic trequartista and a player whose shortcomings in the defensive/pressing game must be covered for by his teammates. During the season, James showed evidence of his exceptional talent with the football at his feet. 

Extremely constructive in his game with fantastic progressive passes and a decision-making at the absolute highest level. Between October and February, apart from the World Cup break, he was one of the league's top players.

From the month of February, James was pulled with constant injuries/muscle problems and became increasingly sluggish. Olympiakos and James chose to go their separate ways together towards the end of the season. 

Striker: Sergio Araujo (AEK) 
Matches/Goals: 29/7 

Comment:Strikers with the number 11 on their backs evoke in the AEK camp memories of club legends named Demis Nikolaidis and Thomas Mavros. Araujo wears the shirt with that honor. His status has grown enormously over the years, which means that even the Argentine can now call himself a club legend. Has almost formed his own unique role in Almeyda's tactics where he has been a form of "defensive" striker. 

Phenomenal in the game without the ball. The captain has shown incredible lack of prestige, fantastic pressure play, tactical discipline and an unsurpassed willingness to sacrifice. The fact that, from his attacking position, he accounted for the most caused free kicks of anyone in the league says a lot. Has also contributed by being an important point of play in the game, plus a couple of nice assists and heavy goals, although he missed a lot of chances.

Statistically, Araujo has needed just over 12 finishes to score. An inspiration for everyone around AEK. Takes the place ahead of Panetoliko's Nikos Karelis and Panathinaiko's super jumper Fotis Ioannidis.

Hellas Football 

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