Can Gianluca Festa Save AEL Again?

Can Gianluca Festa Save AEL Again?

By Michael Vissini

After the humiliating 5-0 1st leg loss against PAOK at Toumba in the Greek Cup, it was the swansong for Korydallo-free Giannis Tatsis, holding a record of 0 wins, 3 draws, 7 losses, and never changed the image of the team. It was obvious to everyone that the 48 year old does not possess the abilities to coach in the top level of Greece and that is why third division side Kallithea want to rehire him. Fantastic appointment Kougias. Don't forget, he was hired specifically to guide AEL to Europe.

On Thursday, AEL sealed the third coaching change with the appointment of Gianluca Festa, with the 51 year old returning to the club for the second time. The Italian is much loved by AEL fans when he was sworn in during the 2018/19 season and successfully saved our season from dropping down to the second tier with a massive 0-1 away win against AEK, thanks to Slavko Bralic neatly converting the ball into the back of the net. 

Why was he loved by the fans? Many AEL fans witnessed in the 2018/19 season is something we are demanding from the current team this disastrous season - passion! Passion! PASSION!

P-A-S-S-I-O-N

Festa is quite a passionate character and tends to make himself heard by his players at any given moment of the match, winning or losing, he demands 100% until the final whistle is blown. AEL under the stints of Grigoriou and Tatsis never showed not even an ounce of passion from both of these coaches

The presence of Grigoriou on the sidelines offered no inspiration to the team, and always kept the same emotionless face every match. It was freaky, and to be honest, it freaked me out too. Under Tatsis, there are rumours players never wanted to cooperate under his reign, and who wouldn't. When a coach publicy states that the "players never satisfied him" but never took responsibility for his mistakes explains how disjointed and toxic the team is currently, the mentality is at an all time low.

Now, Festa has inherited the team, again, it is not Round 5, this time it is Round 17. So the task of surviving relegation holds greater difficulty. Only a few players recognise the Italian from his reign two seasons ago and I am definitely sure they know the expectations now that he has returned to AEL. What does Festa present as a coach? Well firstly, his record in his first stint at AEL was 10 wins, 10 draws, 11 losses, 38 goals, 37 conceded - for a mid table club, that record is not bad. He is all about simplicity. Play the simple pass, make the run, and position yourself in the box. Gianluca Festa, a former defender himself, possesses good knowledge on setting up the defence by maintaining the shape and coordination, something which has been lacking all season under Grigoriou and Tatsis. The midfield, simple, Milosavjlevic for example, will have the free roaming role with the ability to drive forward but also track back to defend, whereas his partner, say Colombino, will also join the attack but will maintain the holding central and be defensively aware. The six role, Sparv, cut the passing lanes and clean up the scraps, a role the Finnish international fully understands. Lastly, Festa tends to alter around with the 4-2-3-1 and 3-5-2 formations, depending on the match's opponent.

So, I beg the question. Can Gianluca Festa save AEL again?

Unlike last time, Festa has no wingers at his disposal so it looks like for the time being the 3-5-2 is the way forward from here. However, I am in between optimism and pessimism considering the current crop of players have been performing horribly bar Pinakas, Sparv and Milosavljevic, but the Italian is a passionate character and will assure the players will follow his commands and push AEL out of the relegation zone. Let's see if he can turn it around and get the team out of this mess left by the previous two coaches.

Hellas Football

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