First loss of the season. It was a good game with Aris dominating for most of the game. Panathinaikos managed some good ball possession and play in the first half up until the equalizer by Boumsong, but after that they had no solutions against Aris' incredible hustle to get to the end of every loose ball. Overall, Aris looked like they had one extra gear above Panathinaikos and the final score reflects that, as well as the countless individual errors on easy passes that PAO players had.
We were not going to win every single game in the season, and losing against a better opponent is part of the game. I hope everyone doesn't overreact and that the team finds a way to put this behind them and move forward. There is a long road until the end of the season and the road bumps will be many. Ultimately, the club need to keep their eyes on the prize and to find a way to overcome bad games like today.
Congratulations to Aris for playing an excellent game. I have no problems with the players or the coach. They tried and didn't seem for a moment that they didn't care.
Last note: I enjoyed both teams getting into a dance after their goals. Boumsong had a nice vintage "swing" kind of knee dance, and the Aris players had their own fun little dance.
Just watching that, at the end of the game I could not help wondering how nice of a game soccer is, if it weren't for all the idiots who think they must win at all cost, and all the idiots who work behind the scenes to make sure no one else wins.
We were not going to win every single game in the season, and losing against a better opponent is part of the game. I hope everyone doesn't overreact and that the team finds a way to put this behind them and move forward. There is a long road until the end of the season and the road bumps will be many. Ultimately, the club need to keep their eyes on the prize and to find a way to overcome bad games like today.
Congratulations to Aris for playing an excellent game. I have no problems with the players or the coach. They tried and didn't seem for a moment that they didn't care.
Last note: I enjoyed both teams getting into a dance after their goals. Boumsong had a nice vintage "swing" kind of knee dance, and the Aris players had their own fun little dance.
Just watching that, at the end of the game I could not help wondering how nice of a game soccer is, if it weren't for all the idiots who think they must win at all cost, and all the idiots who work behind the scenes to make sure no one else wins.
2 comments:
Aris deserved the victory. There should be no question about it. However I couldn't help but notice that this year the success of Panathinaikos depends on the stability of its defense. So far, when the defense plays well we win, when it doesn't (like last week) we lose.
I agree to a degree, but I think our offensive production is more of the barometer this year. It seems to me that our defensive work and reaction is exactly the same this year as last year (and before that). The big difference has been the crisp direct football they put together over a series of games and the 2+ goals we score almost every game. Keeping the ball away with passing in midfield has provided relief for our defense, and scoring quickly and often has put other teams on their hills. We do need some work on pressing the other team high. Against Aris, there were constantly three and four Aris players and the ball behind our midfielders and that can improve with more hustle in midfield and improved games from Simao/Katsourani/Zeka. All three were not on top of their game at Aris and our defense was constantly under pressure. At least that's how it seems to me so far...
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