El–GS-R5: Chelsea FC - PAOK (29-Nov-18, 22:00 EET)

[BostonThanatos]

10 hours ago, Yiankos said:

I understand your frustration and I agree, PAOK is Europe, and there has to be respect to the fans and to the team's history.

However, we are fighting against Olympiakos in the league and they are very strong. I am not talking about their on-the-field team. To me, if we didn't have foreign referees for the derbies, we would be at least -3 points behind Olympiakos. If we would have foreign referees and VAR in all games of the league, we would be at least +10 points ahead and pretty much have sealed the title. We only played a little above one third of the season. If Olympiakos makes the rules, it is very easy for them to steal the title from us. The +6 is nothing for the magicians of Pireaus. Unfortunately, Lucescu has to make decisions like these. I don't like them, but again, I am not going to blame him because he has to bring the title in April.

I dont' agree 100%.  I think we had more than a few calls go our way early on in the season.  Also...this team should be able to play its strongest lineup in Europe, and use rotations in the league (ESPECIALLY ON NON DERBY WEEKS).  

We use a crappy lineup in Europe to rest players for LAMIA??!?!?!? APOLLON SMYRNIS??????  PANETOLIKOS???????????

Come on, man.  Lets get serious.  Lucescu crapped his pants in Europe and it IS a slap in the face to the fans who travel, because the only thing that's Championship quality in PAOK is THE FANS.  

Who ever thinks the Championship is a guarantee has a short memory....This is PAOK, we are our own worst enemy, and we can make any ξεφτιλα possible. 

[pash]

Damn right. Lamia can have 12 players and their coach pulling double duty as a referee, we should still be able to crush them. I paid to watch a game, not a tactical retreat into cowardice.

Regarding Warda - yeah, he gave away possession once. And yet, we looked 50x better with him on the field than in the first half, where we gave away possession with literally every. Single. Pass. The team was sh1tting itself so badly it's a wonder those stupid orange shorts didn't change color.

But whatever. We need to crush Lamia on Monday, and BATE as well. I can forgive this if we end up (somehow) qualifying to the next stage.

[BostonThanatos]

Warda is great player surrounded by losers.   Prijovic-Warda-Biseswar-Jaba Should be starting the majority of games.  I honestly would rather have Vieirinha in for Jaba and Tosca to play LB.

The other thing that is annoying is the PAOK "fans" in Facebook and Instagram who cannot take ANY criticism about the team.  All they know to say is "PAOK STA DISKOLA!!!!" or to change teams if you don't like it, or that "WE WERE PLAYING CHELSEA!!! WHAT DO YOU EXPECT??"  Such a loser mentality.... If I'm going to fight Mike Tyson, my trainer would expect me to lose....but he wouldn't blindfold me and tie my hands behind my back and send me in to fight.  That's essentially what Lucescu did.  The fact that evey is ALSO spewing out "HE ONLY WANTS THE CHAMPIONSHIP>... NOT EUROPE" . .. even more loser mentality.

Edited November 30, 2018 by BostonThanatos

[pash]

What's the point of having this much depth if you refuse to use it? Like you said, rotate for that other game. If these players aren't good enough for that, then why did you hire them in the first place?

Regarding Varela - Lucescu was adamant at his first press conference that every one who traveled with the team, was fully fit and ready to play. If Varela wasn't, then there was no reason to bring him, at all. That's why we still have Malezas. That's why Tosca can play as CB. Sad, pointless moves by the coach.

[Yiankos]

2 hours ago, BostonThanatos said:

I dont' agree 100%.  I think we had more than a few calls go our way early on in the season.  Also...this team should be able to play its strongest lineup in Europe, and use rotations in the league (ESPECIALLY ON NON DERBY WEEKS).  

We use a crappy lineup in Europe to rest players for LAMIA??!?!?!? APOLLON SMYRNIS??????  PANETOLIKOS???????????

What calls Boston? Did you watch the games? The only call we got was the penalty in the first game. But in the same game Asteras should have gotten a red card in the first half. In all other games the referees had major bad calls against us. Panionios, Akpom goal was called offside, three or four players were covering him. OFI game, the goalkeeper does a penalty to Jaba, Apollon Smirnis the goalkeeper does a penalty to Mauricio I think, and not to mention offsides, Xanthi game, red card for Lisgaras not given. Because we didn't lose points you are going to forget what happened?

On the other hand, Atromitos-OSFP, Cisse kicks Koulouris and gets nothing. That should be a straight red card and the score was 1-0 at the moment. Finally the goal that gave Olympiakos the win was offside. Difficult to catch, but hey, for an offside player who didn't touch the ball (Vukovic scored the goal) we lost a championship. To my eyes, Atromitos should have beaten OSFP and we would have been +9. OSFP played well yes, but they didn't score their chances, why should I care?

Another example, OSFP-Apollon. You were laughing at Apollon. OSFP won 1-0 at the 89'. A few minutes before that, the assistant referee called offside an Apollon player who begun behind the middle of the field and was going straight for a goal. Yes, this Apollon you laugh could have taken point or points from the team that can easily win the title this year.

Panaitolikos? They won AEK 2-1 and let's see what they will succeed against Olympiakos, too.

Anyway, there is no point to continue, I always get too long. Mark my words. If we didn't have foreign referees for the derbies we would be at least -3 right now. If we would have foreign referees in every damn game we would be at least +10 right now. What PAOK is doing this year (10 wins, 1 tie) is something we have never done and I know we all expect easy wins against the mediocre mid-table teams in Greece, but it's not as easy as you think. All our enemies are waiting in the corner for us to lose a game and will do everything they can for this to happen. I am not going to shoot the team or the coach, no matter what, not this year, even if we lose from BATE.

Now, do you want to blame Michel or Lucescu or Savvidis for not bringing appropriate players? I am with you. We brought a super expensive defender to be a starter theoretically and the guy have ruined almost every match he played. We expect Crespo and Varela to play 50 games. If one suffers a big injury we will have to play Tosca who came as a LB or we put Malezas (similar to Khacheridi, but honestly better). And we have to use Kitsiou as LB. That's a messed up plan. Similarly, the midfielder we spent so much money last year that now is loaned to a Turkish team. There are many issues in our roster. What's important is the title. I don't like losing European games, I hate it, but the team has to stay together. Morale has to be high. Why the heck Akpom didn't play a minute against Chelsea? I have no idea. I would prefer for him to start over Prijovic. Why Khacheridi started? Don't know. Why the plan was to be defending the whole game? Not sure. Are these coach' mistakes? Hell, yes. Am I going to criticize the coach? No f@@@king way. If I would be in Greece right now, I would be shouting for 90' ΠΑΟΚ ολέ, Ράζβαν Λουτσέσκου οεοεοέ and everything else I could to make the team win the title.

Does the team need a new plan? Hell, yes. Will this Branco guy be able to bring players in January and next summer to make a smooth transition for the next year? I have no idea. 

[BostonThanatos]

I'm not going to lie, Yianko....you're long winded responses and my short attention span are a bad combo.  I don't disagree that with Greek refs we'd be behind.  Olympiakos should have beat us, and with Greek ref's we probably would have lost 5-0.... Anyways, that's neither here nor there at this point.

Now, to play Devil's Advocate, on the flip side maybe Lucescu saw the VIDI - BATE result and knew that our progress would be determined against BATE and saved the players for the League game.  Who knows.  Time will tell. That still doesn't excuse the facts that Warda and Biseswar underutilized, ESPECIALLY in European competition.  

[Yiankos]

I agree with you Boston. It's just me. I was brought up in difficult PAOK times. I remember myself losing by Atromitos 0-3 at Toumba and still dancing and screaming like crazy for 90'. I would criticize everyone after the game, but during the game I was shouting like crazy. Now, I am not going to the stadium, so I shout here instead...

[Athens4]

I think it is pretty clear that players like Shakhov, Matos and Hatseridis are not for European games. These are your players who play against the weaker league teams as well as in the cup. In Europe you need speed. The modern wing backs do the whole length of the pitch and while Matos may be able to do that in the Greek league, he certainly cannot do that against teams like Chelsea.

I am not saying we would have beaten Chelsea with the correct line up but we would have certainly had better chances with Warda, Biseswar and (perhaps) Pelkas starting. El Khaddouri over Limnios as well wasn't exactly the best option.

Unfortunately Lucescu chooses not to explain his actions and leaves everyone to believe that he is not interested in progressing.