How the teams score: Olympiacos gallops towards the title with the set phases

Embila’s goal in 84′ didn’t just come to give Olympiakos victory in the derby with AEK. He came to add another link to the red-whites’ chain of success this year.

Because that is the recipe for Martin’s team. Olympiacos wins mainly through goals from set phases. Corners and fouls with crosses or direct.

Embila’s goal was the tenth Olympiakos scored from a corner in this year’s Super League Interwetten. PAOK, AEK and Panathinaikos have 11 all three combined.

The Reds and Whites have another four from fouls, three from crosses and the direct execution of Valbouena in the final of the game with Volos.

Fourteen goals from sets, a whopping 37% of goals this year by the champions of the Super League Interwetten.

This is how teams score

So let’s look at the chart showing the distribution of goals for all the teams that started in the order they are in the table.

Olympiacos has two firsts, one positive and one negative. The Reds and Whites have found 37% of their goals from sets, by far the highest percentage in the league.

The deficit in the open game is caught in the set phases

At the same time, Martins’ team have only scored 50% of their goals in open play, in the normal course of the games. And that’s the lowest percentage in the league.

Olympiacos has 19 goals in open play, as does OFI, even among Volos’ 22, well below the 25 that PAOK and AEK have.

It’s clear that set phasing was the card Olympiacos played to ‘fix’ the fall in attack. The red-whites are less threatening than last year, they have fewer big chances, but the goals that are “missing” from the open game were found in the set phases.

The picture in PAOK, AEK and Panathinaikos

At the same time the PAOK scores 26% of their goals with the white ball, but has also scored 25 goals in open play, the highest tally in the league, along with AEK.

AEK and Panathinaikos are more balanced. Jovanovic’s team has the highest share in the league with 70% of goals in open playalong with Asteras, while Union has the lowest percentage of goals from a white ball with 8%.

The Troubles of Mars

Mars has two negative positions. At 33%, the team that scored the highest percentage of their goals from the penalty spot is one in three. At the same time, 10% is the team with the lowest proportion of goals from set phases.

The Yellows have two goals from corners and none from fouls. Also, only Apollon has scored fewer goals than Aris’ 12 in open play.