The team presented by Almeida in the OPAP Arena can represent the club’s history with dignity. Regardless of whether she will achieve her competitive goals or not, she had all of the football values, the culture that represents AEK’s football history.

AEK’s historic return to New Philadelphia was exactly what its fans had been dreaming of for years. It goes without saying that the new stadium generates momentum, but additional confidence alone is not enough. To support it and get the energy it can give, there needs to be a well-functioning team.

With the philosophy of the big teams of AEK

Making his AEK debut at OPAP Arena, Almeida presented a set that raises expectations. It showed a real team that deserved to enter this stadium. An AEK from the old days. With the mentality, the philosophy, the football rules that all the great AEK teams that made their history in New Philadelphia historically had.

A blink of an eye

During this 19-year journey away from its natural home, the team somehow lost its footballing identity. With the uprooting, he also lost his footballing soul, his DNA. For many years, AEK was not an attacking team able to offer their world the football they wanted to see.

AEK by Fadrock, Bajevic won titles. But he’s made more friends because of the attractive football these teams play. These memories filled the friends of the team and for many years they were hurt by the image they saw on the field.

In the first game, when they returned to their natural homeland after 19 years, everything was there as if not a day had passed. Time is strange, a course hard during its duration seems like an eternity. At some point you think it’s gone in the blink of an eye. The world of AEK, those who deserved to catch the new stadium but most importantly, the real AEK, they were all there.

Enthusiastic from the first to the last minute

I don’t go into the fact that he won the Ionian. Spanos team is not doing well, they also lost four games against Atromitos and in their last game they lost easily against Volos. I stand by the mentality, the aggression that the Almeida players showed from the first minute to the last.

He presented a team in a state of disarray, ready to run, push all over the field and attack from all lines. An AEK that was strongly reminiscent of Bayevits Union even in its way of playing. Except that there wasn’t the same class in the full-backs.

But there was a lot of speed, quality from the double axis, Pineda, Simanski, from the left midfielder Gacinovic, who used the width of the field and constantly filled the opponent’s space with many footballers.

Convincing answers to Almeida’s decisions

Almeida’s 4-4-2 won the impressions, filled the team’s world and there were moments when footballers gave their answers if this plan can work.

The first answer was given early. Gacinovic has struggled to play down the left flank in previous games. Already in the first game in the new stadium he showed that he had learned the position perfectly. In the first goal he scored, the Serb took advantage of the fact that he plays with the opposite foot and sent the ball into Houtesiotis’ opposite window with an inside cut and made history by scoring the first goal in the OPAP Arena and even put his signature in the history of AEK, with one goal.

Most importantly for the future, he has shown for the first time that he enjoys his new role. He helped the line-up by playing more inside and was a constant third striker, taking advantage of every opportunity in the penalty area.

Full of the Ionian region in every attack

Almeida took distance from Eliasson on the other end and whenever the fast winger had the ball, Araujo, Gasia and Gacinovic moved automatically. In all attacks, the Ionian area was full and the markers did not come out.

This is how the remaining three goals were scored, the two created by Eliasson. On the second goal, Pineda made a wonderful pass to Eliasson’s run – he made a lot of diagonal passes in the game that opened up the opponent’s defense – and the fast AEK winger made a very nice cross for Garcia’s movement, who scored the second goal .

On the fourth goal, Eliasson found Gatsinovit’s movement at the far post with his cross. A common point in both goals, apart from Eliasson’s creation, is the fact that Araujo took both stoppers, which helped Garcia run Gacinovic clean.

Garcia for

Almeida’s second bet is Garcia’s position. The speedy winger pulled into the second goal as a striker, showing that in this position he can use his impressive field to take away space from Araujo and create space for the Argentine. In addition, with his runs he greatly increases the intensity of the pressure on the opponent’s last line of defense.

Gacinovic can definitely score

But back to Gacinovic, who was the star of a game that nobody missed. The Serbian midfielder showed Panathinaikos in the second half of last season that he is a remarkable footballer. Good in the tactical part, with equal participation in the pressure on the opponent and in the creation. Despite playing in his natural field in Panathinaikos and having the means to advance to the final, he hadn’t managed to score.

Of course, he had given Panathinaikos important moments, final passes that turned into goals, characteristic in the derby with Olympiakos at Leoforos and also the penalty won in the final against PAOK. When he joined AEK, I wrote that although he didn’t score in Panathinaikos, that fact shouldn’t worry Union fans.

The footballer has been in the phases, he knows well how to cut into the opponent’s area and it is certain that the goals will come as he has good shots. Jovanovic knew it too and was counting on the goals that will come off his feet for next season, but he reckoned without the move from AEK in mid-July.

Gacinovic was a bit involved on the left flank when he started at AEK. In the first game at the new stadium he was delightful. He played his role in left midfield perfectly, creating a threat and pressure on the ball as an additional striker. He played the perfect game and blocked offensively with his two goals.

A team that can represent the club’s history

Almeida presented a squad capable of representing the club’s history. TThe element that always plays the most important role and ultimately judges the work of every coach is the individual situation of the footballer, it is a given that if the players are good, the results will come.

The Argentina coach presented a team ready to play fast attacking football. All soccer players are ready to run, press and fill their role. Almeida’s AEK runs, presses a lot, attacks from the flanks, fills the space, receives quality transfers from the duo Simanski, Pineda and has two goals with energy, runs and different characteristics.

AEK would most likely beat Ionikos on his return to Nea Filadelia. But what made the difference was the way he won. With aggressive, persuasive football that made those who went to the stadium count down the days until they left.

Not only to enjoy the new stadium, but also to see the Almeida team. There has been stress for so many years. Which team will enter the new stadium? It was important to the club to depict a team on the ornament that could represent the history of the club.

In the first game, Almeida presented such a team that, regardless of whether they achieve their competitive goals, can make the world of AEK proud of the football they are trying to play, which will take many years to come.

Watch the Sportish broadcast from the OPAP Arena: