The problem with Brignoli was purely competitive and has nothing to do with the new contract that comes into force

Alberto Brignoli’s mistake in the race against Aris, his second serious mistake in 20 days after the one at Riazhon Park in Rennes, suddenly caused a lot of dust and a lot of attention.

Whether the Italian goalkeeper has lost concentration, whether he can concentrate on the new contract and a lot of other things that have been written and said in the last two 24 hours.

This is always the fate of goalkeepers, since one’s own mistake cannot be corrected, but in the end it is at least unfair to confuse other things in the entire process that have nothing to do with the reality and, above all, with the essence of this problem .

It is also unfair to the Italian, because even two serious and costly mistakes for the development of Panathinaikos’ games cannot erase all the great things that the 32-year-old goalkeeper has “written” and signed with his performances on the field.

Just last night (November 27th) he was named the best goalkeeper in the Super League last season and made it into the league’s top eleven. Because he is the best to compete in the Greek stadiums…

The problem with Brignoli in these very difficult 20 days has nothing to do with contracts, extensions, lack of concentration, additional stress about the future, etc. Panathinaikos’ negotiations with its representatives are in full swing, there will be another important appointment before the holidays and everything that needs to be done will be done.

In any case, process very well everything that is filtering through and being said or written right and left about “a long and unbridgeable distance,” possible involvement of other groups, etc.

A negotiation, when it is underway, always goes through many stages on both sides, but as soon as there is a common will to continue this cooperation, in 99 out of 100 cases you are ahead. And Panathinaikos has often shown in recent years that it keeps the players it wants to keep…

In this case the problem lies with Brignoli it is purely competitive. And just… At Rennes it was poor ball trajectory calculation and a cheap goal that most goalkeepers conceded at some point in their careers.

Fallacy of overconfidence

And the mistake in the match with Aris is a mistake of overconfidence, which has to do with the way Brignoli plays. And that didn’t happen now, two weeks ago, a month ago. The 32-year-old goalkeeper’s game has always been at the limit, from his childhood in Serie B and Serie A to the last two and a half years at Panathinaikos.

After Bernard (as exaggerated as it may sound), Brignoli is probably the best “clover” player with the ball at his feet. And that is what sets him apart from all other goalkeepers in the Greek League. And he incorporated this ability into his game Panathinaikou and Ivan Ivanovich.

He wants the ball to go through his feet and for tactical reasons he wants to pull the opposition lines higher so they can go up and create more space behind them. He also wants the Italian goalkeeper to take part in the build-up of the game. And we work on this every day in Koropi.

It is not a question of the stopper’s insecurity in returning the ball with his feet Brignoli, although this can sometimes be a bit exaggerated. The 32-year-old goalkeeper’s involvement in the team’s game is also a question of tactical approach. And he himself is not afraid of all this and wants to take responsibility for the presence and “participation” in the development, especially now that Hordur Magnuson is also absent.

“Balance” and “Lesson”

The question, of course, as with all things in life, is “balance”. And the best “reading” of the data, but also the risks in every phase. And for Brignoli, that “cheap” mistake he made on Moron’s goal was a very big lesson for the future.

So that he doesn’t always take such big risks, so that he doesn’t play on the edge and can better assess when he can make two more moves with the ball at his feet and when he has to remove it, the risk and danger are much more immediate from his area.

Everything in life and therefore also in football is subject to dynamics and development as long as everything is brought into the right “balance”.

The same applies to the way the Panathinaikos organization will manage this from now on. Jovanovic put the matter on the right footing at the press conference, reporting on Brignoli that he was wrong, but that was not the only or the most serious reason for Panathinaikos’ defeat in “Vikelidis”.

Yuriy Lodygin could get a starting jersey in the game on Thursday (November 30th). Maybe not. Whatever Ivan Jovanovic chooses, it will be fair, because the “Greens” have the luxury of having the best goalkeeping duo in Greece for a year and a half.

This does not mean that the Serbian coach has lost his trust in “Brinio”. Anything else… It’s just that sometimes it is preferable to “cleanse” the mind when there is a compressed situation – especially due to the pressure created by the surrounding atmosphere.

And for a player of Brignoli’s level and personality to take a step back and come back even stronger…