Panathinaikos drank all the ‘poisons’ and had no antidote

The disheartening image of Panathinaikos in the match that was supposed to be his “final”, the justified shouts about the penalty that Delazo did not give to Kotsiras and Terim’s responsibility for the plan B that he did not find even though it seemed that he would not he has Bernard at his disposal. Written by Kostas Goulis.

While the AEK players entered the OPAP Arena grass with… false teeth, ready mentally and spiritually to play a “final”, the Panathinaikos players stayed in the… locker room and did not “go out” on the field in either half.

The battle was lost with… good morning! Ponce lost it in the 6th minute, Eliasson put it in the 7th minute, in the second – pretty bad – reaction of the entire defensive transition of the “greens”.

This time, in contrast to the 3 out of 4 times that Panathinaikos’ opponent was ahead in this run of the playoffs, there was no reaction. Except for the disheartening image of a team that was unable to follow the pace and intensity that its opponent purposefully imposed from the first minute. And therefore he had no luck.

Panathinaikos spent too many “rules” at the end of the season (4 lost points in Leoforos with Lamia and Kifisia and another 2 in Heraklion with OFI), putting the noose around his neck by himself. He was forced to live with the feeling of “running and chasing” from the start of the playoffs and even after the home defeat by PAOK, he managed to regain his chance as a “contender” with the streak he made.

And in the match that was now his first “final”, he didn’t even come down to fight, offering everything on AEK’s plate: Aura, psychology, a distance of 4+1 (thanks to a tie) points, a feeling of superiority. ..

Let him give it and let the stadium “respond”.

Fatih Terim (and all of Panathinaikos) is right to complain about the penalty that was not given to Kotsiras when Araucho was scored in the 27th minute. Huge mistake by French referee Willy Delazo, even bigger than his compatriot in VAR, Alexandre Castro who had set the stage and didn’t even call him on the monitor to see that there was a clear violation.

In the January 14 match, VAR Ivan Bebek disallowed Pineda’s penalty to Verbic with the score at 1-1. The famous “details” and the lack of refereeing accuracy, which always play a (very) big role in these matches and Panathinaikos did not have them with him in two pivotal matches.

It might not have changed anything in the flow and image of the match, if the penalty was awarded and Panathinaikos hit the spot to bring the match to 1-1 at halftime. It is possible that AEK’s momentum remained the same and the extent of the “green” defeat simply changed. We will never know of course… Let him give it, however, so that there are no “ifs”. Let him list it and give the pitch after the “answers”.

He didn’t deal with plan B properly

In addition to the big mistake of the French referee, the conversation fatally returns to the degree of (un)preparedness of Panathinaikos in a match where it should be treated as a “final”, but his image was far inferior to the circumstances as he readily admitted honesty and Fotis Ioannidis after the match.

Terim knew from Sunday afternoon (21/4) that there was a very serious possibility of not having Bernard in this game. In the two days that followed, however, the whole organization of Panathinaikos was more concerned with whether the (crucial) Brazilian midfielder would be ready to play and not so much with plan B. Because as it proved on the field in the specific part of the game of the “greens” no… there was no plan B.

Yes, “Bernie” is pivotal and almost irreplaceable in what Panathinaikos plays in the last quarter, because there is no other player with his competitive characteristics. However, given that the most likely scenario was that he wouldn’t be able to compete (we don’t talk about the “greens” in this part), something different and clearly more “solid” should be sought as an alternative.

Limnius could not serve this

The choice with Limnios on the left simply did not come out from the first… minute of the match. And the child should certainly not focus all the nagging on himself. He clearly wanted to give his best, but he was “shouting” from afar the fact that he has no rhythm in his legs. And in a “final” where the opponent comes in with the intention of “nutting” you, a player who has only played 90 minutes with Lamia and another 20 minutes as a substitute with AEK in Leoforos cannot start.

And also, at some point, an answer should be given by Terim as to what football “crime” exactly Daniel Mancini has committed and has “disappeared” even from the team’s intermediate rotation…

Probably with Bernard present, Panathinaikos would have lost based on the overall picture of the match. But it was clear that an extra “pole” was needed in holding the ball and trying to relieve the pressure that AEK exerted on the “greens” from the first minute. And Limnios could not, based on his characteristics, serve this.

No “answer” to the tension put by AEK

Apart from the mental deficiency that the “clover” brought out, a different approach was also needed, which Panathinaikos did not get on the field from its coach. AEK constantly set “traps” all over the field, creating tremendous tension and pressure, even towards the end of the match, when the “greens” (with the exception of Arao) seemed mentally “surrendered”.

And in this tension, pressure and impetuosity of AEK, Panathinaikos not only did not find an antidote, but drank all the “poisons”. And what his opponents gave him and what the referees gave him in between. Bad spacing of the lines, lost 90% of the duels (as well as the second balls), serious mistakes culminating in the “gela”-knife of Akaidin in the 38th minute. Where the match actually ended…

As long as he still has hope, he must fight it

Now the situation is not in the hands of Panathinaikos. AEK, after the losses suffered by PAOK and Olympiacos, seems to have the absolute advantage for the title and many combinations of things will have to be done in the 3 remaining matches (plus the postponed PAOK-Olympiacos) in order not to reach the title.

The disappointment is naturally great after such a defeat at a pivotal point in the playoffs, but above all after such a disheartening and sad performance on the part of Panathinaikos. But he needs to get back together and he needs to do it fast. To chase with all the strength and psychology he has the three victories in the remaining matches and to wait to see if two missteps can be made on the part of AEK in Toumba and “G. Karaiskakis”.

He has to do it, so he doesn’t end up banging his head against the wall again. He already hit it three times with his gels in the regular season finish. As long as it still has mathematical hopes, Panathinaikos must fight for it. And of course on Sunday night it will be seen if there is still hope…