Mid Season Review - Volos NFC and OFI FC

Mid Season Review - Volos NFC and OFI FC

By Nick Tsambouniaris


VOLOS NFC



Avoiding any signs of second season syndrome would have been the top priority for relative newcomers Volos NFC. The Thessaly-based outfit, with the controversial Achilleas Beos at the helm, have consolidated their top flight presence with a series of impressive performances throughout the 2020-21 season to date. 


The primary aim of avoiding relegation appears to be a formality and a good run of form could even see the three year old club climb into the much-coveted top six. They currently sit in 7th spot on 16 points. 


The likes of Sotiris Ninis, Nicolas Martinez and Amr Warda provide a level of Super League experience, having demonstrated their abilities at bigger clubs in the past. 


Juan Jose Perea and particularly Anastasios Douvikas (who has an impressive 5 goals to his name in 13 appearances so far), enable them to have enough firepower up front to complement their free-flowing style of play. 


Highlights of the season at the midway point include eye-catching draws against heavyweights Panathinaikos (where they scored a last minute equaliser) and AEK.


OFI FC



The Cretans have been a bit of an anomaly during the first half of the 2020-21 season. 


A relatively slow start has since been turned around as they have won three out of their last four matches. 


A poor exit in the early stage of the UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds at the hands of Apollon Limassol, could have been the catalyst for a disaster but young Greek manager Giorgos Simos is a smart operator. 


He guided the club to a European berth in his first season as a head coach, and has used the transfer market relatively well in the summer. 


Former Premier League player Jonathan de Guzman (when fit) can make a huge difference to the team, and Portuguese winger Fabio Sturgeon has hit the ground running, having contributed with 4 goals so far. Consistency will be key for the Cretans in the second half of the season and they will be eyeing maximum points against lowly Panetolikos and Lamia in their first two games of 2021. 


Winning these types of matches are crucial in moving up the ladder and matching last season's great run (along with their top six ambitions). 


They currently sit in 8th spot on 15 points in a congested ladder.


Hellas Football 


Follow @nickredv

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Top 10 Chants in Greek Football

Image
Top 10 Chants in Greek Football By Nick Tsambouniaris, Greek ultras are known around the world for their passionate support. Atmospheres at games are electric to say the least as fans act as the 12 th man for their team. Here are my top 10 chants in Greek football with a hyperlink to the YouTube video of them being belted out in full glory. 10. AEK – RE BIN LADEN This cheeky party starter aimed at Olympiakos from AEK’s Original 21 makes it as number 10. As you can see in the below link, every single fan is jumping and singing along with purpose, making for a great atmosphere. 10. AEK – RE BIN LADEN 9. PAOK – IRTHAME SKASTOI APO TIN KLINIKI Gate 4 of PAOK are notoriously known for creating an intimidating atmosphere wherever they go. This particular chant gets extra points for its climax ending when the fans rise from the ground as one jumping all over the place. The chant itself is also funny and sums up the passion of Greek football fans in general as it says they...
Read more

The Current State Of Football On Greece’s Biggest Island - Crete

Image
The Current State Of Football On Greece’s Biggest Island - Crete By Alexander Koutakos On this journey, we have travelled so far to the Greek provinces of Laconia, Messinia and Western Macedonia.  This week, we continue to journey around Greece on Greece’s biggest island (Crete).  Crete is home to the cities/large towns of Heraklion, Chania, Rethymno, Ierapetra and many others. Historically, Crete has been mass producing footballing talent for the Ethniki Omada and for the global footballing world.  The island of Crete itself has produced the footballing talents of Georgios Samaras, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Nikos Machlas, Michalis Sifakis, Petros Marinakis and many others. The “big 4” teams in Crete at the moment are OFI , Ergotelis, Chania and OF Ierapetra. In this article, I will be going over the current situation for each of the four aforementioned Cretan clubs and I will then be going over the current situation of youth development across the entire region. The Current S...
Read more

The Importance of Being Ange

Image
 The Importance of Being Ange By Stephen Kountourou It was the 26th of March 2023. Antonio Conte had left Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur by mutual consent and, with the club and supporters uncertain of who would be the Italian manager's long-term successor.  Speaking to my dad, a long-time Spurs fan, who was rather bemused with his team's performances and the lack of direction of the club, the first manager that I told him could be a good fit, was Ange Postecoglou.  The Greek-Australian manager was in the middle of a historical treble-winning season with Celtic. Despite my dad's scepticism, I insisted that Ange could be the man to bring an attractive attacking style of football that Lillywhite's fans had been crying out for since the departure of Mauricio Pochetino, which would in turn improve the fortunes of a club that was in decline. Lo and behold, Three months later, on the 9th of June Ange was announced as the new manager of Spurs, becoming the first Austral...
Read more