Hellas Football

Right Now, No Douvikas? No Problem By Christian Leggas There's a consensus floating around the Ethniki supporter base at the moment that Anastasios Douvikas should be a near-automatic selection in any squad Gus Poyet puts together. It's a point of view I can't understand or agree with, and here's why. Let me start by saying you can't scoff at twenty-two goals and four assists in thirty-eight games in all competitions last season. By any definition, those numbers are elite, and he rightfully earned a move to a superior footballing country where his current record is one you can't label as bad at all. For the national team, and he's not alone in that category by any stretch of the imagination. The same very least similar level of performance has yet to be consistently replicated in his fifteen caps thus far. The games against Kosovo and Sweden, when John can't Schip's tenure started to reach its conclusion, stood out as, at the time, outputs that would...

Official: Fatih Terim takes over at Panathinaikos Panathinaikos has made a surprising change of coach to say the least. The greens from the capital decided to get rid of the popular Ivan Jovanovic after 2.5 years of faithful service to the club. His replacement is the experienced Turkish coach Fatih Terim. The news struck like a bolt from the blue. During Monday morning (26/12), Turkish rumors appeared on social media regarding Fatih Terim taking over at Panathinaikos.  Only a couple of hours later, the rumors were confirmed from several sources, including by Terim himself. In the evening, the announcement was made. The experienced Turkish coach has signed an agreement with Panathinaikos which, according to information, extends over the next 1.5 years. Among other things, he is known for all his stays in Galatasaray, with which he won many titles.  The greens from the capital thus took the controversial decision to get rid of coach Ivan Jovanovic. The Serb is allowed to leave ...

 Greek Clubs in Europe: Performance Review By Stephen Kountourou  Now that all of the group-stage matches are complete, we can look back at the performances of the Greek sides in the Europa League and Conference League. Reflecting on how they performed, whether they stayed in Europe for 2024, or crashed out altogether.   UEFA Europa League  Olympiakos Group A W2 D1 L3 3rd Place   If there was a team that were the makers of their downfall in this campaign, it was Olympiakos. After confidently qualifying for the Europa League under then-manager Diego Martinez, Thrylos first hosted Freiburg, a familiar opponent. This ended in disaster, with two gifted goals, and a late winner and, despite an Ayoub El Kaabi brace, Freiburg ran out 2-3 winners in Piraeus. Thrylos went to Serbia needing a win against TSC Baka Topola. At first, it was routine, with Olympiakos 0-2 after an hour. Minutes later, Baka Topola pulled one back to make it 1-2. Andreas Ndoj was sent o...

Olympiakos vs TSC Baka Topola:  UEFA Europa League Group Stages Preview By Stephen Kountourou Europa League Match Day Six: 14/12/23 Kick-off Time: 22:00 Greek Time Venue: Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium  Where to Watch: Cosmote Sport 5 HD It has certainly been a rollercoaster couple of weeks for Olympiakos. Another manager bit the dust as Diego Martinez was shown the door, with Portuguese manager Carlos Carvalhal becoming Thrylos' sixth coach in 18 months. A new Sporting Director in Pedro Alves, VAR controversy, fans clashing with police, postponed matches and supporters exasperated with how the club is run.  Still, the focus must now be on the matter at hand. That being Olympiakos' final game of the UEFA Europa League group stages. The task is simple on paper, a win or draw will see the Piraeus side reach the UEFA Conference League over TSC Baka Topola, at the Karaiskakis Stadium. But, as we all know, things are complex regarding Olympiakos.  Last Time in the Europa Le...

Who is Carlos Carvalhal? By Stephen Kountourou Another One Bites The Dust  After only 5 months in charge, Diego Martinez has left Olympiakos. Despite the club originally allowing the Spanish coach time to bring in his players, and integrate his style and ethos, with a long-term project that could benefit Thrylos, the administrators have lost their patience.  After two admittedly poor results against PAOK in the league and Freiberg in the Europa League Martinez's days in Piraeus were numbered.  It certainly feels as though, with his departure, that Thrylos is back to square one. The project, which was supposed to be given time to be implemented, has been thrown out of the window in less than half a year. So in the wake of Martinez's departure, Olympiakos has hunted for a new manager on the familiar shores of the Iberian peninsula. In other words, Portugal.  In steps, Carlos Carvalhal, a coach familiar with Greek football, has previously managed Asteras Tripolis from M...