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The Olympic delegation left this morning for Manchester, where they will try to cause … an earthquake in the City stadium, as happened last year in London against Arsenal. The names that will travel to the Island today do not include Costas Fortounis, the player who, in other circumstances, would be the owner of the starting lineup …
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It is not an exaggeration that this absence was discussed more among the fans, but also in the press offices, even since the return of Mandi Camaras, whose participation against Pep Guardiola’s team can be a catalyst.
IT “PHOTOGRAPHED”
It is important that Pedro Martins decided to publicly place Costas Fortounis before his responsibilities. He asks the most gifted Greek footballer of his generation for more and he did not keep it within the four walls of the Renti sports center. In his words, after the end of the match with Apollo, he actually photographed “Fortou”.
He said he expected more in the first half from players who had pace. With so many new faces in the starting eleven, those who had rhythm from previous games were Bouchalakis, Cisse, Sa and Fortounis. If we think about what the coach said and did with “Bouhas” in the previous days, we understand very well that he did not mean by saying “I expected more” the Cretan midfielder. Not, of course, Cisse, not the goalkeeper’s compatriot.
When asked later about the reasons why he replaced Fortunis at halftime, he could easily have “covered” him by saying he was upset about the hit he took shortly before the break, but again he didn’t, stating that “The Fortounis change had nothing to do with the injury. It was a decision.”
FROM THE FIRST LEADER, FOURTH
It is clear that the Portuguese coach has complaints from the 27-year-old. The entanglement began to develop last year, when, following complaints from the leader in Toumba’s party, he took off the bracelet and put it in the fridge for a while. Now if you take a look at the match schedule for the “Karaiskakis” games, you will see that Fortounis is now the fourth “captain”, behind Abraham, Bouhalaki, Valbouena, while El Arabi is the fifth.
Another decision that shows the discontent on the part of the technical leadership and a clear message for the footballer. Most important of all, of course, is that Fortounis is no longer a key player for Olympiacos. Either he comes off the bench or starts in games like Saturday against less capable opponents.
You could say that Martins wants to wake up Fortunis, fuck him, definitely put him in the socket. He is not the first to ask for more from the international wild card. And his compatriot Marco Silva did several things to find Trikala’s buttons, “press” him with the presence of Chori Domínguez, to keep him “warm” and take him to his best season with the red and white shirt (39 games, 21 goals, 17 assists) .
Fortounis ‘last season was also excellent, however, Pedro Martins’ first on the bench (37 games, 11 goals, 14 assists). It seems that something has changed since then. The coach asks for more, probably Costas too. He obviously considers himself wronged and that he deserves better treatment, not only because he is who he is, but also because he deserves as much as he deserves.
TO ENTER “JURY”
Let’s not forget that there was also a very serious injury that kept “Fortou” in his prime. Another was his performance and his relationship with his coach before suffering the injury at the cross and another after. My feeling is that the coach did not become a different person than last year until now. The evolution of the team shows that it remains firm and hard-working.
What he asks of a player like Fortunis is to work harder, give more, not do what he does only with the ball at his feet. And Fortounis, on the other hand, is a character who wants to feel necessary to act, to give something more. When he enters the “sworn” field, there is no second. This, however, doesn’t always happen and when Martins sees laxity or indifference, he pulls out his nails!
REACTIVATION
In top-level football, emotions don’t match. Fortounis is the capital of Olympiakos, the highest paid Greek footballer, with a contract of one and a half million euros a year. On any other team in the league, I’d play with one eye tied! Without exaggerating. So for the good of everyone and especially the club, he himself should better understand what the coach and Martins are asking for, the right formula to reactivate one of their greatest weapons.
For now, the heart of Olympiacos and its people beats in Manchester, where the team will pursue another European conquest. Everything else there is time to clarify. There are many solutions in the quiver, the teams are more than expensive and the ‘rojiblancos’ have shown in recent years that nothing is impossible.
It is up to them to qualify for the next phase of this year’s Champions League and with a point or more in the two games with Pep Guardiola’s Ciudadanos, the way will be wide open. If a path is found on this route, Costas Fortounis should be used as much as it should and as much as it can (and) even better. He and Pedro Martins know it even better …
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