Olympiacos: Hames took it personally and scored or provided an assist in almost every game

He arrived in Greece in mid-September and hit the ground running (joined the squad and played against Aris in Thessaloniki) despite not being fully competitive and Olympiacos not in the shape he should have been at the time.

However, James Rodríguez showed a good mood and pulled the red-white back to the surface. Such is the quality of the Colombian midfielder that with this Olympiacos it was more than obvious that he would make the difference straight away.

And he would have made it in Europe too if the Red and Whites had signed him two weeks earlier and put him on the list for Europa League games. But time doesn’t turn back. What the Piraeus team is now interested in is the championship, and that’s where all the weight fell.

He took it personally from the first moment

Hames took it personally from the moment he donned the Olympiakos red and white striped jersey, not because he has something to prove as his rich career has already provided answers, but because at 31 he wanted to combine his return to Europe with something good.

The veteran striker has already recorded two goals and two assists in five games with Olympiacos in the league in just 350 minutes of play. He scores (against PAOK and Lamia) or gives assists (against OFI and Panaitoliko) in every match.

Only Aris eluded him on his debut in the Greek stadiums, but even there he narrowly missed. And all this without being quite finished, or at least to the extent that he himself would like and without having played a full ninety minutes.

The Colombian plays a central role in Mitchell’s plans

James Rodriguez is at the center of Mitchell’s schemes, as are Inbom Huang, Biel, Embilla and Bakabu. And El Arabi is always there to offer solutions in critical moments.

However, the Colombian has the personality and extra weight to take on Olympiacos and that is what the Spanish coach is hoping for as the championship resumes.

After all, this is a footballer who, at 31, has 435 appearances, 117 goals and 143 assists at the collective level. Because he has another 88 games and 25 goals with the Colombia national team.

Hames and his teammates have been focused on the derby for ages

Now Hames and his Olympiakos team-mates are focused on the game against Panathinaikos where the Red and Whites will look to close the points gap to the top.

In any case, the Latin American midfielder has no right to take part on Thursday (3/11) in Karaiskakis against Nantes, as well as Bakabou, Samasekou, Fortounis, who will be training at full speed all week ahead of the Leoforos derby.