First your goat, then the neighbor’s

AEK could not expect anything other than -3 from the top after the two identical draws in Agrinio and Serres, without having the luxury of embodying responsibility (in this case objective) but also not allowing the attention to flow out of their house . Something that applies to everyone.

Photo of the moment that we have learned to hear for many years as an accompanying phrase to each survey. There are no such surveys in football, but photos are offered every ninety minutes. The final racing week of the upcoming year presented the opportunity for a feature-length film made up of equal parts fans and samples, capturing not just the moment but, more importantly, its reality.

All title contenders played three games from Thursday to Thursday. One in Europe, all but one claimed a result and qualification and two more in the Stoiximan Super League. A total of eight for the league, all away.

PAOK, the only one with the absolute and impressive score of 14-3, finished first in their European group, ensuring their continuity since the spring and finishing the year firmly at the top of the league.

Last year’s runners-up Panathinaikos failed to even manage a draw at home to continue the new year in the ConferenceLeague, confirming their strongest judgment of Jovanovic after the loss to Atromitos, but also the inextremis – because that’s how it is , if you solve them are given by footballers who the coach hasn’t “seen” for better or worse – dominance in Volos.

Olympiacos beat Batska Topola and so it goes internationally, but in the 180 minutes that followed in the first half with the new arrival Carlos Carvalhal, he scored just one goal – and that from a volley – to secure a victory in Serres and yesterday he remained in the “buns” in Peristeri in the absence of Fortounis, with the second point, perhaps more indicative of status and future, being that the coach took the ninety minutes by doing everything and only one change was made.

And the champion? She did not deviate from the norm of petals protruding backwards. A clean and fair defeat in Amsterdam – Ajax ended its final 23-week football season with a home draw against Zwolle in the league and a surprise cup elimination defeat last night against amateur club Hercules – and two games after that with the same result. with the same responsibility – completely “yellow-black” – for their result, but two games at all, but not at all… AEK.

Doubt and uncertainty

No AEK from Almeida. And that is the most worrying thing for the Union in view of the continuation. No individual errors. These can end up providing a solution by offering an apology and finding temporary, momentary “victims” and culprits to blame.

In the case of last week and especially the obviously objective game in Serres, this cannot be disputed and in this case it will rightly have the corresponding consequences – as far as the sporting part is concerned. But the “yellow-black” theme can’t just be Athanasiadis? That’s why the solution is simple for every Athanasiadis. And it is being implemented.

But beyond that? AEK have conceded four draws, at a very high cost – which will be more visible in the balance sheet – of eight points against Panserraikos (dis), Kifissia and Panaitolikos.

Not all of them had a print of (any) goalkeeper. A stunned Almeida – for the first time in his presence in Greece – only said after the shock in Serres that there are mistakes that you can work on in training to avoid repeating them, and mistakes that you cannot do anything about.

Absolutely necessary, nothing more is necessary.

The most remarkable thing that comes to mind, when one now has a sufficient and clear picture of the characteristics of Almeydaball, is that these were simply not present in either Agrinio or Serres. Throughout last year’s season, AEK not only won twice in games where they took the lead but also scored first: against Panathinaikos in Leoforos and against Asteras in Tripoli.

So far this year, not even halfway through the season, it has already happened four times in the league. It is not (cannot be) a coincidence, or even if it is, even if there are always excuses, it cannot (and should not) be treated as a coincidence.

Yesterday Union played half an hour with one more player and took the lead. The feeling their play evoked was opportunism. Let the time pass, let the 2-1 be maintained without interruption, close the group of Agrinio and happy holidays. Yes, she also “turned off” other games while Pelado was on her bench. But in a way that leaves no room for doubt either for the opponent on the pitch or for the spectators on the podium and on television.

But last night it didn’t look like it, it didn’t show itself, it wasn’t a “switch off”, but rather a need that came from the concern, the doubt that even with a plus one (goal and player) On the The wrong thing can happen in the field.

And it happened.

Management at all levels is essential

And what now; The trembling is a given. After all, they had started and the group had already felt them internally and competently before the trip to Serres. In the end there is no other way. Championship has this.

During last year’s Christmas break, AEK was -6 below the top (of course I don’t need to remind you of the many previous ones). This year at -3. It is not seen as progress, which was missing, but as an indication of where exactly we are in the league and how easily, how quickly everything can change in a week (or less).

Last year, before the World Cup break, AEK suffered back-to-back operations on a number of its key players. Fortunately for the health of the footballers, there is no such thing this year. Injury problems continue unabated and occur incessantly. But last year they were there too. A total of 52 of them “wrote” the double season. I have now learned from the stones that this is the cost of the training methodology. In red. Always, without exceptions or discounts. As long as the eleven is present to enter the field.

So management. If everything AEK is experiencing represents (even) a crisis, it is its management. If it’s just limited to racing, then here. Wherever management is needed, it is now – and that screams – imperative.

This is also a prerequisite for the championship. Which, for everyone who plays sports, comes primarily from within. The looks at the neighbors, the comparisons with the damage, the tracks, the missteps are human and completely understandable.

But at the end of a season, it doesn’t matter whether all the neighbors’ goats die, but whether your goats live.