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AEK took the lead twice in Toumba but failed to come away with the double, as PAOK found answers and drew an equal number of times, drawing the two teams 2-2 for match 18 of the Interwetten Super League.
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The battle on the field did not produce a winner, but the battle on the benches had a great winner, Manolo Jiménez. The Spanish coach managed to “graft” with toughness, confidence and defensive maturity to a team that until a month ago … was sailing, without having a clear plan.
Obviously, he is not a wizard, nor did he correct all the imperfections of the game. However, he managed, with 2-3 catalytic interventions, to raise the Union’s level and have it in 2nd place, although the distance from champion Olympiakos is great and a reversal is considered unlikely.
MARKOS GIORENTE FROM AEK
We have analyzed in previous texts, with the help of Opta, the wall that Jiménez has created in midfield. At the same time, however, the Spaniard chooses 4-3-3 as a formation, with a trio in the center made up of clear midfielders, with runs, strength and the ability to press high.
With a more exemplary example, Costas Galanopoulos, who was characterized by Himeneth as “Marcos Giorente” from AEK. The 23-year-old midfielder, who suffered a serious injury last season, has returned for good, assuming the leading role under the Spanish manager.
Opta’s chart shows Galanopoulos’s appearance against PAOK:
With a blue triangle are the steals, possession is recovered, with a green diamond the duels won and with a green triangle the successful tackles.
Against Dikefalos, Galanopoulos played even with the left winger (!), As Mandalos played more centrally, supporting Marco Livagia in attack. As a result, Elder López and Galanopoulos take the entire left side. A decision that completely justified Himeneth, since from that point the phase for the goal of the 23-year-old midfielder begins, who took advantage of the wrong pass from Ingason.
Overall, Galanopoulos was AEK’s most threatening player, having three of his team’s seven finals, all within the region, which had a total “value” of 0.57 xGoals and translated into a target. At the same time, however, it was first to win duels (4), first in tackle (4) with 100% success, first in steals (3) and second in recoveries of possession (8), having one less than Simoes and Lopes.
THE EXTREME THAT WAS MISSING FOR YEARS
Of course, it is impossible not to stop at the terrible game of Livai García. The Trinidad and Tobago winger is the most expensive signing at the moment for Dimitris Melissanidis and it turns out that what you pay for … you get. Against PAOK, the 23-year-old midfielder created major problems down the left in Pereira, with the result that Pablo García made a change to him at half-time.
On the Opta chart Garcia’s passes against PAOK:
The yellow passes that made the final, the green the successful passes and the red the unsuccessful passes.
However, even after the entry of Rodrigo Soares who tried to limit it, Garcia didn’t even … link it. It is characteristic that he created five of the seven AEK finals in the match, which is the second best performance by a Union player in the league, behind Mandalos’s eight against Lamia, on Matchday 3. He also had an assist over Yevgeny Sakhof in his team’s 1-0.
It was also first in fouls won (2) together with López and Sakhof and had the only successful dribbling of an AEK player. From your accomplishments, it is obvious that the Union achieved a vein of gold in your case. This is a winger that AEK friends have seen for many years, with impressive stride, excellent one-on-one, but also ready to take the team on his back when needed.
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