By: Chris Paraskevas
For Giorgios Donis, AEK Athens’ latest victory over Iraklis will raise more questions than answers, as the former Larissa manager saw his side stutter their way to an unconvincing 1-0 victory at the OAKA Spiros Louis Stadium. Statistically of course, there is no doubt the evening was a successful one for the Kitrinomavri - Naccho Scocco’s 14th minute striker giving AEK a 1-0 win, three points and a shared second placing on the Greek Super League ladder.
On the surface, two derbies and a match that harboured painful memories have yielded seven points for Donis’ fledgling outfit. Not a bad return by any stretch of the imagination.
Deeper analysis of the performances however, suggests the former Greece international and Blackburn Rovers player has much work to do ahead of a difficult away trip to the Nea Smyrni and a crucial derby match against Olympiakos at the Giorgios Karaiskakis the following weekend.
AEK’s overall performance against Iraklis probably wasn’t deserving of victory but the home side did play some excellent football for the best part of 20 minutes of the match.
Donis’ team appeared transformed after a disjointed display against PAOK, starting the match with a clear sense of direction and attacking purpose. They should have taken the lead after just two minutes when Ismael Blanco headed home from close-range after Rafik Djebbour glanced an Angelos Basinas header across goal. It was incorrectly ruled offside but the Dikefalos Aetos took a deserved - and official - lead after 14’ minutes, when Nacho Scocco produced a superb leap and headed the ball across Kowalewski and into the back of the net.
Where fans might have expected the Athenians to kick-on and swallow their opponents with a cavalier style of play, Donis’ side began to lose control of the match. Instead, Serge Die became increasingly influential for Iraklis in midfield, making the pairing of Angelos Basinas and Agustin Pelletieri virtually obsolete in the center of the park.
Daniel Majstorovic - again wearing the captain’s armband - was exposed for his lack of pace throughout the encounter, as well as being plagued by some simple errors that almost cost his side. Though the Swede grew in confidence as the game progressed - making one particularly crucial challenge on Agritis before the striker could enter the penalty area unopposed in the second-half - he was a shadow of the colossus that inspired his team-mates to a 2-1 win over Panathinaikos on the opening day of the season.
Simply an off day for the international stopper, or a worrying sign of the potential calamity that lurks around the corner of his more assured performances?
Donis was quizzed by media in his post-match press conference, where it was pointed out that Giorgios Alexopoulos was warming up on the touch-line during the second-half. The manager dismissed the suggestion that he was about to replace the former Basel man, instead claiming that it was a precaution for a slightly injured Sotiris Kyrgiakos.
That response in itself brings up another issue, in which the depth of the AEK squad is called into question. Assuming Kyrgiakos were to pick up an injury and miss a game, or two, or three even, would a central defensive pairing of Majstorovic and Alexopoulos be sufficient? The suggestion appears to be that the latter would provide the perfect foil for the imposing Kyrgiakos, whilst the former appears to be struggling to adapt against an increasingly mobile style of striker across the league.
Perhaps the biggest factor in Donis’ future decision on a central defensive partnership is the fact that he has handed Majstorovic the captain’s armband. To drop the Swede now would perhaps suggest the manager had made an error in judgement and logic suggests it wouldn’t be beneficial for the player’s confidence. On the other hand, Donis has the option of dropping him despite his captain status, sending a message out to his squad that there are no favourites.
Another focus of the local media in build-up to the match - and indeed, throughout the entire pre-season and start to the league campaign - has been Donis’ preference for a 4-3-3 formation, a style that the former Larissa manager was forced to defend initially.
On Sunday, however, he finally reverted to a 4-4-2 shape - one that he claimed to have been working toward - and it appeared to have galvanized his side as they exploded into life early on against the Gireos. Perhaps the sudden burst of energy was more a result of the actual change in formation, rather than the merits and strengths of the tactical philosophy itself. Were the players only given a momentary psychological boost as a result of the formation change? It certainly didn’t seem to have a particular impact on their football after the 20’ minute mark.
Perhaps where Donis’ biggest challenge - and problem - lies, is in moulding together an essentially new and unprepared squad in the face of two of the most difficult matches AEK will play this season. The manager was fixated on the idea that he was happy only with his side’s performance for the first twenty minutes of the match. Was the reason for a lack of continuity linked to their fitness levels?
Certainly, it is a squad that was assembled particularly late in the transfer window. The likes of Kyrgiakos and Basinas virtually missed pre-season with their clubs abroad and took some time to settle in at AEK. Meanwhile, Djebbour and Pelletieri both joined at the very end of the summer. Donis has in fact alluded to this issue in a previous press conference, stating that his side would be ready in - about 3-4 weeks.
But with a street-smart Panionios and rampant Olympiakos just around the corner, the question is whether the 38 year-old can afford that much time.
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