Olympiacos need support and football logic

When you consider that Olympiacos were in a similar position in the championship nearly three decades ago (since 1994-95) when it was -11 from the top (it’s -10 now), you realize the difficulty and criticality of the situation, which the The Piraeus Group is now experiencing. However, the red and white have learned to fight, to defend themselves, never to give up and nothing. Especially if we are in mid-October and the spring championship will be decided by the selection process.

But first and foremost, there should be calm within the walls, support and football logic should prevail. Bad mistakes have been made in recent months but Olympiacos need to look ahead. To find the solutions and see it return to normal.

Olympiakos means soul, fighting spirit, passion, suffocating pressure on the opponent and dominant play. Except that it hasn’t existed for a year and a half. It’s impossible for James Rodríguez to run, cut, mark, pass, attack, score and generally put his soul on the pitch, just like Embilla and others don’t even foul an important home game.

Yes, there are big differences in quality from player to player within the Piraeus squad, but it’s the coach who has to find the balance and get it right.

So many different formations in 18 games

It is not possible for a team to continue with a different line-up in every game and try to achieve their goals. In 18 games since the start of the season, 18 different line-ups have competed at Olympiakos. 40 players have been used and the number could increase even more in the coming weeks.

At the same time, three coaches left the bench. At some point, Mitchell will have to come up with a “suitcase” and use it to run to the end of the first round of the Super League.

Someone will say that until today the situation has gone very wrong and due to the many muscle injuries since the beginning of the season, the fact that some transfers have not come out or they have not been given time to participate, while in some cases there has been phased unlucky for the red-whites to score or concede a goal late in their games.

However, it involves organizing some racing stuff. Olympiacos are out of the Champions League and out of the Europa League (they’re still fighting to qualify in the Conference League knockout games), five games to go to the first round of the league and the landscape is it still unclear who is the main goalkeeper Tzolakis or Paschalakis?

Who are the main stoppers, Papastathopoulos – Ba, Cisse – Ba, Papastathopoulos – Doi, Embila – Cisse or Papastathopoulos – Retsos? Who is the main right-back Vrsaliko, Avila or Vrusai?

Who are the main wingers Gary Rodriguez – Masouras, Biel – Masouras or Biel – Gary Rodriguez? The system should be with a fixed midfielder (Hames) or with two central strikers (Bakabou – El Arabi, Ui Joe – Bakabou, Kamara – Bakabou?)

Difficulty managing the roster

At the same time, players are used in different positions from those in which they perform best and have learned to assert themselves. Winger Brusai plays at right-back. Right-back Vrsaliko has played both as a cross and as a stopper. Defensive midfielder Doi was deployed in central defence. Stopper Retsos has played at right-back. Left-back Marcelo has played in midfield but not as a full-back to date. Blocking midfielder Embila played as a stopper. Winger Gary Rodriguez was used as a second center forward.

In a quality, big and deep squad like Olympiakos’s, it’s not possible to have that much trouble managing it. The quality players are there and stand out. It’s not possible for Biel to start a game and not even be on the bench immediately afterwards in such an important home game as this one against PAOK without bad luck with injuries.

Don’t Samaseku and Leidner deserve a chance too? To show even for a half in front of the Olympiakos spectators whether they can bear the weight of the jersey or not. October is almost over, when will they be judged?

It is Mitchell’s and any manager’s right not to count on a few players or want to reduce the squad, but this must be done after there is a clear sample in the competition. Someone will say that they see, judge and decide the players in Rentis every day.

The bottom line is that in addition to Fortunis, Lala, Koutris and Androutsos, the main options for the Spanish coach are not one or two, but five summer transfers, Samaseku, Leidner, Bowler, De la Fuente and Kasami. Aboubakar Kamara is counted on in Europe but he’s not in the plans for the league – he’s played everything and only twenty minutes into the game against Atromitos.