May 16, 2024

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The AEK Challenge is available to anyone who wants to pick it up

The AEK Challenge is available to anyone who wants to pick it up

Vangelis Arnautoglou writes about AEK's missed opportunity to get top spot and also about the two big battles to get into the playoffs.

The two goals AEK scored away from home against small and medium-sized teams in this category bring back memories. Unpleasant… 0-2 very early in the game against Panaytolkos which became 2-2, and 2-2 in Serres with the blunder by Athanasiadis which will be remembered as a title lost if the Union eventually loses the championship like this The result. Small margin, not easily forgotten.

However, against Lamia, AEK scored three goals, enough to give them victory on a very difficult ground – without worrying when the opponent loses – and against a team who in the previous round had only drawn 2-2 against PAO, playing the semi-final. Four goals in the match by one player.

And since she cannot change the reality – which has shaped her – at the expense of not being in front by at least 4 points greater than the current difference that separates her from each of her three pursuers, she at least does what she does that could be best until the end of the regular season: to cause… They have additional pressure about the gap that increased on Saturday and which will logically be reduced by everyone (?) again on Sunday. Although you never know…

However, in the final stage before the playoffs, AEK faced the toughest schedule in order to stay at the top of the standings with even a slight lead over everyone chasing them and forgot how to beat them in the end. He walks!

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If the match against “Fikilides” is played next Sunday, Al-Ittihad will have to defeat for a whole year against Olympiacos, PAOK, and Ari in a match related to the championship, and Al-Ittihad will not meet such an achievement in a similar number of matches between the teams. Five specific.

Absence is never a problem

During this (almost) two-year period with Matias Almeida on the bench, we never heard the Argentine coach talk about losses. Besides being rare, it's also shocking when you think about everything the team went through in that time. This year alone, Levi Garcia has suffered 5 muscle injuries and Jasinovic 4 more. Two of the most valuable players won doubles last year.

Something happened; no! Did anyone complain? no! Was he seen on the field? Yes, we saw that in the European Wanted, but it never happened during domestic events, and certainly not yesterday against Lamia.

Conversely, we saw Eliasson on the left having a goal and four other big moments to score again, as well as Amrabat once again shocking with his presence on the right. I would say he should be given a contract again, regardless of whether there was a better contract before him. Like the athlete football player, you keep him until he tells you he can't do it anymore. Who wouldn't say it…

Finally, tongues have also been waggled over the work Almeyda did or did not do on set-pieces, because there were intense discussions last year about the fact that AEK did not capitalize on corner kicks and fouls around their opponent's goal.

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This one also entered the repertoire, like many others since this coach took over AEK. Let's move on to the next match, where Peleus, who is excellent for another match, welcomes his former team, PAS. Two more will enter Union as the playoff leader. The gauntlet is there, thrown down…