Steaua entered in order not to lose, threw a lot of wood, Olympiacos did not give up and responded in straight lines, but in the final stretch of the match, with one player more, they could not grab the three points and there was a reason for that. Pantelis Diamantopoulos writes.
The game in Bucharest was very tough. Certainly, playing at home and celebrating a draw at the end is not the most common. But Steaua reached 10 points and they certainly have every reason to be happy.
Their image was clear: They did not enter to win, they entered not to lose. Olympiacos, for its part, came from the big match with AEK and has Heraklion in front of it. And for him the draw is considered a good result. At the end he had the chance to do the double, playing with a player more, but there was no freshness in the footballers who have consumed a lot of kilometers lately (they are justified and what can you say to them?)
However, once again footballers who came from Mendiliber to go the extra mile, failed to do so. Willian nothing, Oliveira nothing and Velde (he had a header to score, but more than pushed) nothing. They didn’t change the pace and didn’t run any longer than those who came out. This is an issue, but the Basque coach now knows it. Can you give a solution? Maybe with others from the arsenal…
In terms of gameplay, what you just read was the only negative of the team for me. The most positive of all, I break it down for you below. Great resistance to harsh conditions. Football is both simple and difficult at the same time. One group hangs on the other. And in this game, we saw more claims than creations. Steaua struggled not to let Olympiacos build something. The Greek team, for its part, wanted – and succeeded – to avoid what PAOK suffered in Toumba.
No holding back…
Some certainly felt that Mediliber came down low. I don’t agree so much. In the end, if we accept this, what should we say about Charalambous. The Romanians at home followed a way of playing that, yes, this expresses them, but it is certainly not a picture of a whole that shows that they are going to win.
More to… fight than to play. And of course they paid for it with a miscarriage. Here, of course, you have every right to ask me “and who told you that he wanted to win?” Accepted. Because even the draw was not a bad result for Steaua, which in the end is much better in terms of points than they calculated (let PAOK be well for that too, but that’s another discussion).
So, Medilibar is not considered restrained for me. Besides, the man left Ese and Tsiquinios out of the initial selection. Yes, they had injuries, but from the moment they got on the plane, the reports were rightfully calling them starters. And if not both, certainly one.
Their coach, however, went with the Garcia-Mouzakitis duo, Kostoula in a classic role “run everywhere my boy” and Masoura with Rodinei on the wings. The Romanians, gathered at the back, managed to defend strongly, to be heavy in the cold, to create an image of a small and medium team of the Super League, which until now has been difficult for the “red and whites”. It was this main reason that the first half of this match, you all have already forgotten. And for those of you who haven’t seen it, don’t bother. But what I have to emphasize is that Olympiacos didn’t get stuck in the “wood” either and this kept them comfortable until they got the numerical advantage.
Danny doesn’t chew!
Steaua’s shot, ok, wasn’t bad come to think of it. Charalambous certainly wasn’t counting on the sending off, but otherwise, he wanted his home players to go hard on every ball. And through strong play they could prevail. There were many moments in fact, e.g
In the midfield, the home team looked outnumbered. Until the changes are made and Mendiliber brings three central midfielders. But even with a looming numerical disadvantage in the ball, Olympiacos did not give up, because in addition to Vasko on the bench, they have an even more “belligerent” player on the field. Danny Garcia, after first going through the… torture that once went through the Fusters, Orbaith from the “undertaker” of the internet, imposed on everyone the uniqueness he has in an element very important in modern football. Endurance!
When I say “endurance” I don’t just mean the lungs. Resistance to movement, to tactics, to reading the opponent and to the guidance of Mouzakitis who, however we do it, needs advice. And after he gave everything and didn’t chew, in the 77th minute he and Kostoula were substituted. There is also OFI…
They entered as if they did not enter!
With one more player, Olympiacos could win the match. Beyond circulation, beyond superiority, it also had phases. But those who were called to change the pace and hum, did not. And this Yaremchuk also proved with the bullet, that he also carries a lot of personal pride. Seven minutes played!!! He came in to help, missed a good chance but bled badly, came out and never came back in.
As I wrote to you in the preface, the bench did not provide anything. Nothing Because a better team like Olympiacos certainly is, if they took advantage of the freshness of their changes in the last 25 minutes with one more player, they could definitely find a goal and get a victory that would put a seal on the qualification and open wings for the eight. Regardless, the situation in Europa for the Piraeus remains good. They have matches to find points and go directly to the “16” phase of the competition…
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