RESOLUTE AND EUROPEAN CHASING PANATHINAIKOS OFFER RAYS OF HOPE

RESOLUTE AND EUROPEAN CHASING PANATHINAIKOS OFFER RAYS OF HOPE

By Nick Tsambouniaris

2020 ended on a predictably sour note for Panathinaikos and us long suffering fans, who have been starved of success. The team lost an away derby at PAOK, plus senior players Federico Macheda and Lucas Villafanez had run ins with Laszlo Boloni, in which both players were punished. To add insult to injury, it was revealed in the lead up to the club's first match of 2021 that 4 players had returned to Koropi with COVID-19 after the break over the festive period.

This did not bode well for a team chasing a European spot for the first time in 3 years. On top of this, the team was still reeling from its worst ever start to a season (winless in the opening 5 matches). However, we have seen a remarkable turnaround and early signs indicate that Boloni is on the right track in creating something special.

The team has ridden its luck at different stages in the first four games of 2021, but the signs of clear improvement are there for all to see. Panathinaikos is yet to concede a single goal in 2021 (four clean sheets in a row) and has won three games in a row (collecting 10 points out of a possible 12).

Perhaps the most interesting outcome to take away from these games is the statistic of possession. In matches against Asteras Tripolis, Apollon Smyrni, Larissa and Aris, the team has kept well below 50% possession. With no disrespect to the lesser sides of the League, you would expect the Greens to be dictating terms.

From the outside looking in, there are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, the team is still without key players in the form of captain Dimitris Kourbelis, Lucas Villafanez and Facundo Sanchez (the only natural right back in the squad), so Boloni's hand has been forced to look at younger players and also build a strong foundation down the middle of the park.

Secondly, building this strong foundation creates less of a burden on the attacking players in the final third to create chances and score goals. In essence, the veteran Romanian manager who has now spent a few months at the club, has been able to spot the squad's strengths and weaknesses and with a simple game plan we have seen an upturn in results.

Sokratis Dioudis is the best goalkeeper in the League in my opinion and Bart Schenkeveld is the best centre back. Achilleas Poungouras is now fully fit and picked up from where he left off last season in forging a strong partnership in defence with the Dutchman. Dioudis has his flaws but his ability to consistently pull off top class saves inspires confidence in those ahead of him. Further up the pitch is where things get interesting. Kourbelis, Mauricio and boom rookie Sotiris Alexandropoulos are solid central midfielders who will make life extremely difficult for any team in Greece.

However, Kourbelis has been missing due to injury and this is where Boloni deserves huge credit. He has gotten creative and thought outside the box to get the best out of the squad at his disposal. Converting centre back Fran Velez into a defensive midfielder has proven to be a masterstroke, one of Boloni's best moves in fact. The Spaniard has been a beast in the middle of the park so far in 2021 adding an extra layer of defence ahead of the centre backs, making the team even harder to break down. The club has struggled to find a suitable partner in the middle for Kourbelis but there is now genuine competition in this position.

This strong defensive presence has frustrated sides and bodes well for the big derbies that are yet to be played. The Trifylli have been instructed to sit deep, absorb pressure and hit on the break. Again, Boloni has acknowledged that scoring goals has been a weakness and tailored the game plan in order to bring about results. This game plan was executed brilliantly against Aris - the team only had 30% of the ball, scored off a set piece, maintained a goal scoring threat on the counter through the pace and youthfulness of the new look front three, and relied on the brilliance of Dioudis between the sticks (who was comfortably my man of the match).

There is now also genuine competition in attacking areas given the emergence of youth. Carlitos and Macheda are no longer guaranteed starters and so far in 2021, the trio of younger players have all had their moments. Fotis Ioannidis scored his first goal for the club and it proved to be the match winner against Apollon Smyrni (on his name day), Dimitris Emmanouilidis put the game beyond doubt against Larissa and dedicated the goal to his late mother, and Argyris Kampetsis scored the match winner in the tense win over Aris in a rare start, thus vindicating Boloni's decision to start him.

The club had been tracking Ioannidis from Levadiakos long before signing him, many fans including myself criticised the club for allowing Emmanouilidis to join Panionios on a season-long loan last season as we believed he was ready to make a difference, meanwhile Kampetsis has barely been given a fair chance in the starting side ever since joining two and a half years ago, much to the shock of fans who have long been calling for the former Borussia Dortmund youth product to get a sustained run of matches.

A similar theme has popped up here, with the wily Romanian making the most of what is at his disposal by trusting the youth. Other youngsters Alexandropoulos and Vasilis Zagaritis also burst onto the scene as first team regulars under his watch. Boloni has also gotten creative by entrusting players formerly on the periphery of Giorgos Donis and Dani Poyatos. The classic example here is the enigmatic Frenchman Yohan Mollo. The outcast had no future at the Greens prior to Boloni's arrival but has now emerged as a shock back up right back in the absence of Sanchez and more than holding his own, just like Velez is in an unfamiliar position.

Whilst some may believe that this defensive approach may not work in the long-term, it is breeding the confidence and the fact that Panathinaikos went to Aris, a team currently above them on the ladder, and put in a brave shift should bode well. Kourbelis, Villafanez and Sanchez will return, Ilias Chatzitheodoridis is back after a long injury lay off and is ready to compete with Juankar for a starting berth at left back, and Carlitos and Macheda will not like playing second fiddle to the hungry and energetic kids so they should look to up their respective games.

Boloni will undoubtedly keep a lid on emotions at Koropi, emphasising the idea of taking it one game at a time, but fans can begin to approach games with optimism rather than dread. The next run of fixtures include matches against OFI, Volos, Lamia and Atromitos, where the team will look to bridge the 5-point gap between themselves and Aris. Fans will also have one eye on the Derby of the Eternal Enemies next month.

It is still too early to tell if the club can keep this consistent run of results rolling until season's end but it is refreshing to see the team play for a purpose in the second half of a season, unlike the past where European football was not a possibility. Then there is also the Greek Cup where the team has a bye into the quarterfinal stage of the competition. Let's hope for a packed Leoforos hosting European matches at some point next season.

One wonders whether the likes of Zagaritis and Giorgos Vagiannidis, who departed last season, will be looking at these improved results with a sense of regret for not hanging around and playing regularly, but the club is also at fault there. However, that is a discussion for another day as it is all about the squad riding this current wave of momentum for now.

Hellas Football 

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