paokarag4
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Posts posted by paokarag4
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3 hours ago, Bananas said:
Firstly, congratulations to Olympiacos (ducks head while the crowd throws food at me) on winning the UEFA Conference League. A historic achievement for Olympiacos and for Greek football.
What are the implications for the number teams in Europe next season? Does this mean O Aris gets a spot? Wouldn't that be funny ...
As pash said, it doesn't help or alter anything for the coming seasons (24-25) European places, they are set.
But their win means Greece moves to 15th place in the rankings and for the European season 25-26 we will have 5 teams in Europe. Top 2 will play Champions League qualifiers, 3rd and 4th Conference League qualifying and the cup winner will play in the Europa League qualifiers.
Now this also happened in 2022 when we made the Conference League quarters, Greece ended up ranked 15th and with 2 teams in Champions League qualifying earlier this season (AEK and PAO) but we obviously slid back down the rankings and that's why next season there is only one team in the Champions League. Thankfully that's us.
So hopefully Greek teams (not just us and Olympicos) can go on with this and have runs in Europe and continue to push the nation up the rankings and we can hold onto the 2 UCL spots as well as gain ground in the qualifying rounds and maybe even add an extra European ticket.
Because when you look at the country coefficient, on paper there is really no reason we couldn't be ranked around 10th. Currently Norway, Austria, Switzerland, Scotland and the Czech Republic leagues rank ahead of ours. With the big 4 teams in the shape they are currently in, there is no reason we can't push past these countries in the next few years and end up with much better European tickets than we currently have.
https://www.uefa.com/nationalassociations/uefarankings/country/?year=2024
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I can't believe it, this doesn't feel real.... Considering where we were a month ago I could not have dreamed that we would win 4 derbies in a row to win the league. Congrats to the team, all the players, Savvidis, and especially the greatest coach in our history RAZVAN LUCESCU!
In terms of where it ranks, I maybe a prisoner of the moment but I think this one slightly trumps 18-19. Obviously that one was brilliant, drought breaking and undefeated was really special. But this seasons league had all 4 teams go deep into the title race. All 4 where in the race up to their eyeballs with just 3-4 games to play.
Both are amazing but I still can't believe that we've managed to do it........ PAOKARA EXW TRELAAAAAA MES STO MUALOOOOOOOOOOO
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Due to a satellite issue, Mysat (who has SportsPlus) unlocked their online streaming to not require a login. The issue has been resolved but they seem to still be streaming all their channels without requiring a login, at least that is the case here in Australia.
https://www.mysatgo.com/play/60514/sport-plus
So hopefully that stays that way until after the game and you can watch it on a reliable stream!
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1 hour ago, PaokCT said:
Hey @pash @paokarag4 I’m already a few whiskeys in! PAOK gonna roll 4-0. Hat trick Samatta and a PK by Kotarski in 92nd
Game is over 12 hours away m@laka, you gonna be awake in a booze induced slumber?
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2 hours ago, Tahma said:
if we finish on equal points with AEK does it get determined on W/L ratio or goal difference?
H2H record between the 2 teams, which is level. But AEK has a better goal difference than us in our H2H games so they own the tie-breaker. AEK will win the title if we finish level on points.
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58 minutes ago, Bananas said:
Curious, if we end up on the same points as AEK at the end, what is the tie breaker?
H2H and goal difference in those H2H games.
So we trail AEK because they beat us by 2 goals way back in October. One win each and 2 draws but AEK's 2 goal win means they hold the H2H.
I believe they hold the H2H over all other title contenders too, so that's an advantage they have.
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8 hours ago, Soprano76 said:
Hey, I remember those threads early in the season where there was little hope for this team. They definitely exceed expectations and made some huge European memories.
Definitely on the whole, the run in Europe has been a success.
It is just bitterly disappointing to lose in the manner which we did. No fight or passion shown, no real chances created over 180 minutes of football. The fact that Brugge came with so many starters out and still completely controlled the game speaks volume for how much better they were. Taison (at times), was the only player on the pitch who looked like he could cut it at that level.
Again, you can lose to a better team. It's the way we lost which stings the most.
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Considering how we played, a 1-0 defeat is actually a good result and the tie is well and truly alive. These poor performances are becoming a bit of a habit, the only positive is we seem to bounce back well so hopefully we see an improved performance in Thessaloniki from the boys. Like after the 1st leg vs Dinamo, I don't think we will be that toothless in attack for a 2nd straight game, especially at home.
Brugge completely controlled the tempo of the game, their goal was like a training drill, there was never any pressure on the ball during the whole passage of play. They forced us to play slow when we had the ball, and we were more than happy to oblige and play with no energy or movement. Only times we looked threatening was with Taison on a few occasions. Whenever they wanted to, it seemed they could create a chance.
Again not dissimilar to the Dinamo 1st leg, Brugge are not a defensive juggernaut we simply made them look so. If we put pressure on their defense (which is now missing half of its starters through suspension) we are good for a goal at Toumba.
The week off will do us good, it's been a long season.
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Yeah I dare say it will be Taison at LW. Murg out also solves another potential dilemma for Lucescu, it means Konstantelias will start at the 10 and will probably rotate with Taison throughout the game. I expect Zivkovic to start over Despodov on the right.
Otherwise it will be business as usual with the starting 11. I would expect Schwab to partner Meite and Otto to start over Vieirinha at right back. Not sure if he'll go with Thomas or Samatta up top. Probably Thomas I imagine but wouldn't be surprised either way.
From what I can see, Brugge have plenty of young players who play in their attacking line so expect plenty of pace and energy. Their Brazilian striker Igor Thiago has scored 16 goals in the Belgian league so far and another 4 in Europe. He is moving to the Premier League in the summer to join Brentford for 30 million Euros. One to keep an eye on.
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Tight game, AEK looked a little more dangerous when breaking forward. We had our moments too, got into some okay positions but we lacked the final ball. AEK noticeably sat back once they scored, affording us more space.
Bad game for Taison to be sick, he would be handy right about now. I think we are good for a goal here, our performance has been improved compared to previous visits.
Let's see how the 2nd half goes, I except to see Samatta sooner rather than later, to match it with AEK's physical CBs
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Big fan of Tifo they produce some great stuff!
I remember when the Savvidis one came out I thought it would take something like this for us to graduate to this level of social media😅
As you point out though pash, it doesn't harp too much on the incident and is rather an informative piece on Ivan and his background, as well as highlighting just a few of the issues with Greek football.
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5 hours ago, pash said:
Hopefully Panathinaikos doesn't go on a run now. Was kind of hoping for a draw. Next best option is them tiring themselves out in the Cup, I guess.
PAO isn't a threat IMO for the title. They shot themselves in the foot by sacking Jovanovic. AEK losing was the best result for us.
We now go to the OPAP Arena where a point is good result, a win is an unbelievable result. The issue is, as Blackhawk points out is finding a way to beat AEK. We match-up poorly and their pressing causes us all sorts of problems, especially when we play away.
Lucescu needs to come up with a way in which we can beat their press or give them the ball and press them back. Because us building up from the back is inviting pressure and AEK will feed off our errors.
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Great win! Keeps us in touch with AEK at the top and puts a small gap between us and the 2 chasing teams. Then again with so many tough games, these leads of 5-6 points can vanish real quick. Every game is essentially a 6 point swing.
As for the game itself, while we did invite pressure in the 2nd half and it was nerve racking, I'd say for the most part we defended well and restricted their chances to opportunities outside the box, except for the one header that was nicely saved by Kotarski. We were disciplined and kept a good shape (until we went 3-1 up and then there we were quickly reminded of how much hard work can be done via a lapse in concentration).
I feel for Samatta, it seems written in the stars that he won't score for us again this season😅 He deserved a goal today. Nevertheless, it's good to see he has overcome some of his mental demons and he is now contributing to the team. He definitely has a role to play heading into the final part of the season.
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3 hours ago, ChrisT said:
Kazakhstan were just crap. We bossed them.
How comes Georgia gets to play both their ties at home?
The final was a random draw, it fell Georgia's way.
Their stadium holds 55k, it will be packed and the atmosphere will be electric. Tough road trip for us for sure.
As for today's game, so proud of the lads that was a great performance. Foot down from the start, showed they are a better team and kept going until the game was completely safe.
The team has definitely developed more of a killer edge under Poyet. Credit to him and the players, I don't think there has been one game in his tenure that we lost where we were expected to win. We beat the teams we should, that is how we topped our group in the Nations League, that is how we stayed in touch with France and the Netherlands during qualifying and that is now why we are one win away from our first major tournament in 10 years.
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Still a few days to go but early media reports suggesting Poyet will start with this team
--------------Vlachodimos
Baldock---Mavropanos--Chatzidiakos---Tsimikas
------Siopis/Kourbelis---Mantalos
Masouras--------Bakasetas--------Pelkas
----------------Ioannidis
-Siopis and Kourbelis battling it out for a spot (I wouldn't be surprised to see them both start)
-Pelkas is coming off around a 2-month layoff with injury. He played about 25 mins for his club on the weekend off the bench and managed to grab an assist. He may be deemed not fit enough to start. In that instance apparently one of Konstantelias or Tzolis would start.
-Vlachodimos and Chatzidiakos have not played for their clubs since January. So hopefully they aren't too rusty out of the blocks.
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Yeah they have definitely improved and are a threat. I am sure the team and Poyet wouldn't take them lightly anyway, but us as fans need to expect a tough match. One legged ties can be really tense and cagey, especially with so much riding on it.
Who can forget Italy being knocked out of World Cup qualifying 2 years ago when Skopje absorbed pressure for 90 minutes and struck in stoppage time.
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Ones to avoid are for sure are Aston Villa (4th in England) and Lille (4th in France) IMO.
Fenerbahçe/Plzen/Club Brugge would all be close to 50-50s.
Olympiakos I want to avoid until at least the semis, don't think Greece is ready for an all Greek European tie. I imagine plenty of chaos if we were to be drawn together and UEFA would probably get a proper look at our xalia.
Fiorentina is having an average year in Italy (currently 8th) but you have to respect their name. I put them as close to the 50-50 category, probably 60-40 in their favour.
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Unbelievable come-back and result!!! Huge effort by the boys and hats off to Lucescu, he heard plenty after the last 2 weeks so I hope he gets to enjoy and really soak in the victory/qualification! He and the team can put their feet up and savour the result for a week or so and then get back to work during the international break for the game against PAO!
Bravo PAOKARA!!!
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A goal within 15 minutes would be massive. It would do wonders for our confidence and get the fans right into the game. I think the game will be tight and cagey as the first leg was, hopefully the mistake comes from Dinamo this time and we can capitalize.
For all the criticism he has copped (and of late it has been deserved) I do think Samatta is our best option to start up top in this one. He will at least physically compete with the packed defence and can link up with his teammates. Thomas is invisible against these types of teams, off the bench his energy can give us something, but not from the start.
I am receptive to Tzimas starting over both of them, but I am conscious that he is 18 and it's going to be a tough physical slog for whoever our striker is.
The boys just need to be competitive and create some chances, that would be a massive improvement on our last 2 games. If we do that I am confident we can grab a goal at some stage and put the heat on them.
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I honestly think he won't start either. Mavropanos/Chatzidiakos has been Poyet's preferred CB pairing while he's been at the helm. The only question mark is Chatzidiakos as he hasn't played for around 2 months. I dare say Retsos will start before either Kouilerakis/Tzavellas gets a run.
I do agree though, the Tzavellas saga is strange. They are hell bent on carrying him to Euro 2024 but I thought he would go along as a part of the coaching staff.
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Kouilerakis and Konstantelias called up to the Ethniki for the do or die playoff v Kazakhstan and a potential playoff final vs Georgia or Luxembourg.
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Giannoulis out injured, only one left-back in the squad. Good to see Tzolis back in, deserved call-up.
I don't really understand what is going on with Tzavellas. He apparently played his last game for the Ethniki in November, yet he continues to be a part of the call-ups. It was my understanding he would be a member of the coaching staff/a mentor of sorts. They clearly want to take him to the Euros if we qualify, but again if that is the case then why retire? Or if he is done as a player and is just a part of the coaching staff, then why does he need to be included in the playing squad?
Not a big deal but it doesn't make any sense to me.
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One thing to lose, another thing to lose like that. Awful performance with barely a punch thrown from us. We've had a few awful performances this season sprinkled amongst the good performances and results.
Obviously going to be tough next week, I do give us a chance (albeit a small one) of winning by 2 goals and forcing the game to extra time. I don't think our attack will be that toothless for a 2nd game in a row and while Dinamo defended well, we certainly helped by moving the ball so slowly and with our countless turnovers.
If we put the screws to them and have players run at them and get in behind they will concede goals, they aren't a defensive juggernaut by any means.
I do think they'll score though, so I think we are going to have score at least three to force extra time and based off today's performance you can't say we will be scoring 3 with any confidence.
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I believe I read it was Zivko Zivkovic the keeper, not Andrija with the fever. Clearly something going through the squad, at least A.Zivko and Kotarski have recovered from it and are fit for this game. Hopefully this flu doesn't take down any other key players.
Transfer News and Rumors - Summer 2024
in PAOK FC
Posted
We are being liked with Mady Camara from Olympiacos who will be a free agent at the end of this month. He had a falling out with them, I believe he posted something on social media about wanting to leave or criticising Olympiacos in someway and did not play in the 2nd half of the season at all.
At his best he is a very good box-to-box midfielder who runs all day and can score from midfield. He also adds something our midfield lacks, which is pace. Not sure what sort of Camara we would be getting given he hasn't played for 6 months but on paper it wouldn't be a bad move.
Not sure if Olympiacos would intervene and make it hard for him to come but given it seems he and the club have had a falling out I can't see them being successful in any attempts to dissuade him.