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The truth is, Olympiacos managed against tougher rivals in the recent past. So, traveling to Cyprus for a rematch with Omonia, having Faliro’s match 2-0 in his luggage, he simply had to protect his advantage. He did it with relative ease. The less he risked, the more he missed the opportunity to double his victories, as he failed to score at least one of the 28 finals (10 goals) recorded in his statistics in the 90th minute of the GSP.
In essence, the basis of the classification was zero liabilities, something that Olympiacos have achieved in the five official matches they have played in September! In the Cup final with AEK, in the matches with Asteras and Panetolikos in the championship, in the two matches with Omonia. From the moment he did not concede a goal from the Cypriots in 180 minutes, it was natural for him to get the ticket for the 2020-2021 Champions League groups.
He waited to see if the draw turned a blind eye to him or threw him into … very difficult. The fact is that a team in the measures of Omonia will not be found. Manchester City, Porto and Marseille proved the truth. In a draw … cunning, which allows him to dream up to qualifying at number 16 of the highest interclub organization but at the same time calls into question even the 3rd place in the Europa League.
So, in the 24 hours left until the end of the transfer period, Olympiacos will seek to form the final image of the roster in the best possible way. At the point we have reached, probably the ‘best possible’ is in the effort not to lose any of their important players, such as Sa, Kamara, Semedo …
The last three … (?)
Vinagre, Bruma and Thiago Silva. The last three additions to the list, the two are essential, the third in the role of … update. Obviously, Cholebas could not finish the season alone. In addition, the usefulness of acquiring him had a lot to do with the start of the season, where Olympiakos needed experience and a player who would not need time to adjust to fill the gap for Tsimikas. That was done, but now the landscape is changing. After the break, there will be a two-month period with ongoing play obligations, where the 36-year-old full-back will be called in to help Vinagre’s smooth transition to team 11, with the backup role now …
The truth is that there could be serious excuses, but Piraeus was late for both the left back and the winger. With the Vinagre and Bruma elections, this delay is probably justified. The former in a “normal” soccer world should never make it to Greece, the latter has all the package (quality, speed, age, resale value) that Olympiacos are looking for.
We already knew the third member of the company. It’s Thiago Silva, in an exchange with Cafu. Between Nottingham Forest and Olympiakos, with the ‘rojiblancos’ probably favored (because it remains to be tested on the grass). Kafu is a good footballer, Thiago Silva is better, at least in theory. And it will be interesting to see in what role exactly Pedro Martins intends to use it.
Under certain conditions … five
Could transfers go to five? Yes, but under certain conditions. Benfica after the sale of Ruben Dias to Manchester City has all the funds and greater comfort to transfer the transfer. He can still have at least … 3.5 blocks that can be played by key players (Otamendi, Vertonghen, Ferro, Lema), with defensive midfielder Weigl capable of providing solutions as a central defender, however the Portuguese insists that Jorge Zezus does not It is forgets about Rubén Semedo. The latter has made some very good appearances in September, but I wasn’t … sure I wanted to stay.
Martins turned his back on the point to affirm that the player is not in the mood to leave, on the contrary, he wants to renew and stay at Olympiakos. And he did it at a time when the place was abuzz that this is not the way things are. Semedo does have a proposal for a new contract in his hands, with a significantly higher annual salary compared to the 700,000 euros that is his current salary. However, he did not handle it well in terms of communication, since a few days after his coach’s statements, he publicly stated that he does not know what he will do, doubts about his future and will discuss with his mother if it is better for him to continue in Greece. or to return to their homeland … The latest news wants Benfica to offer 12 million euros and Olympiakos to ask for 20 million euros, to discourage the ‘eagles’, or to …! Now they increase the chances of the stay of the Portuguese plug. Obviously, if there is a rollback, Olympiakos will proceed with another transfer to replace it on the list.
Beyond that, there is the scenario of acquiring a second extreme, but what the justification is remains to be seen. And this year Pedro Martins will rely a lot on the 4-3-3. In this arrangement, both Valbouena and Fortunis have a role to play on the wings of the attack. Where already Massouras, Rangelovic, Lover, the evolving Brusai and under certain conditions Bruno are, the Brazilian was recently praised by Martins for his usefulness on the list. Besides, of course, the ‘anti-Pontense’, Bruma. Even if we go to the easy case, which wants Brusai – Bruno off the roster and on loan, with the scenario of acquiring two wingers, Olympiacos will have seven players for two positions at 4-3-3 and 4-4-2. And seven players for three places as many times as they line up 4-2-3-1. Which means that in many games there will be at least two of them left … Unless the reasoning (for a second winger) refers to a player with a future perspective, who will play on loan this year.
Play your chances
Sa, Kamara and El Arabi still have a following abroad. At the point we have reached, it seems very difficult for Olympiacos to agree to their concession, but before the transfers whistle, nothing can be ruled out. Martins certainly doesn’t want to hear about such a development … The reason is obvious. The same is obvious, p. Eg Fabiano de Omonia left good impressions on the ‘rojiblancos’, but with Sa in the squad he does not seem to have a logical move to acquire it, especially because in addition to the experienced Christinson there is the right Tzolakis in whom the coach trusts a lot.
For Kamaras there was always the ‘fear’ of his departure, the last thing Piraeus needed was the strong start of the Qatari team for El Arabi, offering the player a mythical contract with much more money (almost three times) than what he receives in Olympic annually. However, the ‘rojiblancos’ assured this Wednesday that it is not about selling the Moroccan striker, who in fact is going for a new two-year contract with better salaries.
After the match with PAS Giannina, there is a stoppage and until then the Olympiacos squad will be closed. Martins will have two scouts at his disposal (after missing a few international matches) weeks to have his team ready for the start of the Champions group stage. Where, depending on the draw, Olympiacos will have the opportunity to claim their classification at ’16’ or even 3rd place leading to the Europa League. And the 24 hours between October 5 will play a decisive role in this effort, configuring favorably or ominously the possibilities of distinguishing it in the event. And in his general European presence for the rest of this season …
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