AEK seems to be the most mentally unstable team for the title

In a game that wasn’t exactly a matter of life and death, AEK looked as upset as they had been all season. He didn’t play a bad game against Panathinaikos yesterday to feel like he’s far from winning, but he didn’t have the performance that could have given him either.

As everything is decided in detail, Union appear to be more mentally confused than the other championship contenders.

Her psyche was visibly shaken after the home loss to Olympiakos in the regular-season final, not because it happened by that particular team, but because she understood for the first time that she can lose at her stadium. Something that also included data against Panathinaikos.

Matias Almeida’s decision to field the team with the formation beaten by Olympiacos had the logic of rewarding his image in that game, regardless of the final result.

For the coach’s decision, he was apparently happy with what he saw. The game didn’t do him justice, although even in the first half, AEK was the team that had many moments to score and the most classic opportunity with Rota’s poor finish.

Admittedly, Levi Garcia’s absence is such that it can be described as a wound that cannot be healed by alchemy. It’s also somewhat questionable why the manager wouldn’t choose the only pure forward in the side’s squad, without necessarily implying that Van Weert would be the answer to all problems.

Zuber certainly didn’t manage to become dangerous for even a moment against a team that played so closely together with a central defensive duo that didn’t allow much.

AEK’s problem in goal becomes apparent when they don’t have their top scorer. Not just for the goals he could have scored, but for all the conditions he can create for those around him with his exuberant play.

This was clearly their Achilles heel in the last two games they failed to win at home. That could prove the answer in the next nine games remaining in the league race if he returns to his former form.

But primarily their problem seems to be psychological. It is a team that has lost points that it could have scored against the other contenders, and at the same time the one that is being asked to win more against them to win the title. It’s also evident that she lacks the freshness she had throughout the league to serve so effectively that high-pressure football that Matias Almeida demands.

In summary, nothing is lost, after all, AEK was the team coming back from -8 to make the playoffs and claim the championship. But she now has two weeks to convince Toumba that she can do the job. It won’t be the easiest thing in the world, but the way things have turned out, it has something to show for it.

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