It's 4-4-2

I am always amazed reading or hearing Greek reporters writing really strange things about Panathinaikos, exposing either ignorance on their part, or the fact that they don't watch the games, or that they don't know what to watch for when they watch.

I read and hear over and over that Panathinaikos plays without strikers. This reporter here even says about Ferreira and the win in Touba:

 "Νίκησε την αδυναμία της έλλειψης επιθετικών παίζοντας ένα ακατανόητο σύστημα, κάτι σαν το 4-6-0 του Σπαλέτι με τον Τότι στη Ρόμα, γεμίζοντας το κέντρο και μπερδεύοντας τον αντίπαλο." (He beat the weakness of the lack of strikers playing an incomprehensible system, something like the 4-6-0 of Spaleti with Toti in Roma, stuffing the midfield and confusing the opponent. - my translation)

Don't get confused and don't read what these reporters say. Panathinaikos didn't play anything remotely close to 4-6-0. Against PAOK, Panathinaikos played a very nimble 4-4-2 with Simao often in front of the stoppers, with Zeka, Katsourani, Clayton in midfield from right to left, and with Quincy-Leto the two forwards.

There is nothing fancy, nothing unusual, and nothing confusing in the system Ferreira is using, and this is the big secret. Simple football can be beautiful.

I think it's a case where reporters get confused. They expect something to happen (a team must have a "heavy" center forward) and if it doesn't, they get all confused and they assume that something unusual is going on.

If you watched the game, you would notice that Panathinaikos moved the ball masterfully from all angles  towards PAOK's box, and when the time came for the final cross or pass, there were always more than two or three players waiting to score.

Several players get to fill the Center Forward role at different times. If Leto is out wide, then Quincy or Cleyton, or Katsouranis (less often) wait in the box. If the ball is wide, Leto is in the box, but he is rarely alone.

Zeka is more active running down the entire right wing with Marino overlapping (nicely today), and Quincy or Leto usually run down the left wing with Spyropoulo staying put on defense, but with Cleyton providing support.

The myth that Panathinaikos plays without forwards is just a myth. Don't get fooled. Watch the game and see the clearly delineated lines of the 4-4-2. It's more noticeable when PAOK tries to move the ball, and less evident when we attack because Panathinaikos players move around like bees over a flower garden.

Update:
I wrote my blog yesterday, and today I found another misleading article (complete with a very wrong formation chart) on a "serious" media outlet by someone who is probably getting paid to write what he writes. They probably read the other article about 3-6-0 and thought they should jump on the bandwagon.

Both articles write that Panathinaikos plays without "επιθετικούς" and that's their big mistake. Leto and Quincy play as the "forwards" they don't play as midfielders in our 4-4-2. The fact that they don't fit the body mold the reporters consider "forwards" doesn't mean that Panathinaikos plays with 6 midfieders and no forwards.

For the last time: Panathinaikos played a very clean 4-4-2 in the last two games. It looks like this:

---------------------Kapino-------------------
Marinos--Boumsong--Sariegi--Spyropoulos
---------------------Simao--------------------
-------Zeka----Katsouranis---Cleyton-----
------------------Leto----------Quincy-------