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2016/2017 Season


Aitolos1926

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My first post in these forums. It is great to see posters posting on panaitolikos section despite not having many if any fans of the team here. Greatly appreciated to those who have posted. I would like to make my first post about the teams status and form heading into this season. Panetolikos is my life and it is great to find a place to discuss. I post in many panaitolikos blogspots and I would like to share my thoughts to who ever wants to read them. I will give my thoughts on the players on the squad, news, projected standings etc.

Squad:

Goalkeepers

 Kyriakidis: one of the most inconsistent player on the squad in my opinion. Can have an amazing game one week then suck for the next three. Has improved most in the air. From what I have seen he is more decisive coming off his line but still lacks confidence getting to the ball. Lack of competition keeps him in the lineup. Massive upgrade over stefanakos though.

Cristiano: has improved this season but still can't crack the lineup. Seems quicker and stronger. Dissapointment as a signing as he was a promising signing in the wake of losing bracali ( just played olympiakos in europa qualifiers with arouca)

Defence

Mygas: a promising right back that came through our youth ranks. He is energetic moving forward and has vastly improved in defence. He is a mainstay in the greece u21 team but hasn't gotten much playing time. I have read that he was targeted by panathinaikos and a few italian teams in italy sampdoria among one of them although I don't know if this true because agrinio news outlets feed us bs more often then not. He looks like he has taken a step forward this season. He has improved his defensive skills and he has even seen time as a 3rd cb. If he improves this season I'm afraid he won't be with the club next summer.

Koutromanos: not starting material anymore imo. Has lost a step from what I have seen in friendlies. Will be a backup to mygas at rb. Offers very little moving forward and is always out of position in defending. Center of many jokes among panaitolikos fans.

Chantakias: one of my favorite players on the team. He is a cb through our youth system and I believe he is a promising talent that no one has heard of. He is exceptionally well in the air and has the speed to catch up. He has been given time at dm in a friendly against perugia this summer and shines in the limited time he had. Was able to cut out attacks and redistribute the ball forward quickly. Will stay at cb though due to the lack of depth we have there.

Kousas: I as well as most panaitolikos fans have much respect for this player but it is clear that he has lost a step in his game. Of all the goals that we have conceded in our friendlies he was always running back from midfield the time the ball hit the net. Despite this he has played every friendly for the full 90 minutes taking time away from other players who I view as better alternatives. I would still like him to remain on the team for many more years as he is a great leader for this team and mentor but not on the field. I am worried about him against AEK as I believe chantakias will miss the game.

Rodriguez: *new signing* from nacional. I am really excited about This kid. I believe he will be one of the better cb's in the league when this season is done. He is a bit on the smaller side but from what I've seen he makes up for it with his quickness and instincts. He played well against fiorentina and also cleaned up most of kousas' mistakes. Displays exceptional position and man marking skills. Is very good with The ball at his feet as well. The only concern I have with him is his aerial presence. I believe he will be better off as a dm but it seems he will stay at cb. Is currently injured but he will be ready for the opener against aek.

tsokanis: *new signing* lb from asteras. Inconsistent but I think he is out of position as he is our only left back as of right now. He was impressive defensively against Florentine but has dropped since. Looked lost against asteras. Both of the goals came from his side. I do think he is an upgrade though over Kevin and rouboulakou, our backs last season.

Midfield

Papazoglou: a familiar name to most he has been the most consistent player on the squad. Has switched to defensive mid from cb and has really made a name for himself. He seems to always be around the ball and covers for the mistakes made in defence. Has also improved in his vision in moving the ball up the field. Will most likely have him play some cb through the season as we are very thin there but I believe he is a top 5 dm in this league.

Makos: reliable. Hardly ever makes a mistake. Hard worker who gets the job done. Works really well with papazoglou when we play with 2 dm s Was experimented at cb and it was a total disaster. 

Papoutsogiannopoulos: another promising young prospect from our youth system. Has been given more playing time this summer and stepped up for the most part. Still needs to clean up the mistakes. Injured his knee in a friendly in italy and the timetable for his return is unclear. Will provide much needed depth in defensive midfield behind papazoglou and makos.

Malis: I haven't included all the players on the squad because some might not contribute most of which are players that have recently been called up from the k20 but this kid is an exception. Matzourakis has a lot of faith with this kid and it is evident with the playing time he has gotten. Has played really well in defensive midfeild. For a 19 yr old playing his first professional games he has looked very calm and collected. Has not made a mistake and has done his job well. I think he will see more time as the season progresses. Could take over papazoglou's spot if he is not resigned next summer.

Rocha: *new signing* from Grimaraes
Originally signed as a left back but I believe he is best suited as a left winger. He is dangerous moving foward and is more than capable of providing good crosses. Played really well against fiorentina but hasn't seen much playing time as a winger since. I prefer him as a winger as he is very vulnerable at defending as a left back. He is very aggressive which results in missing tackles or unnessary fouls. Given more time I believe he could do some damage during the season.

Clesio: was signed in the winter transfer period and has not seen plenty action during the season. He is the most improved player in my opinion. He has earned his starting position and his speed will turn heads. The little he did play last season he has flashed his ability but was not consistent. From the friendlies he looks like a completely different player. Has learned to control the ball better with his speed. If he performs this season as I think he can, Benfica will come crawling back for him.

Munoz: many have lost faith in this exciting prospect but I believe he has been misused. He came to the team during the winter transfer period and didn't have the time to gel with the team. He has been used exclusively as a rw but I believe he is better suited as a second striker or just behind the striker. Is very good with the ball at his feet and creative with good vision. Although I think he is fast, he doesn't have the necessary speed to be effective as a winger. I believe he will be better this year as we have found a rw in clesio and Munoz can play as a second striker.

Paulo: another player that has been misused. Last season played more as a dm which was a mistake. Wasn't horrible but we didn't utilize his skills. He is better suited as a cm or even a acm. He is strong on the ball with good vision and passing. I believe he will lose some playing time this season with the emergence of other players on the squad which I think Is a shame as he is more than a capable starter in the is league.

Ferreyra: one of the emerging players mentioned above. Its hard to call a 33 yr old an emerging player but he has really elevated his game this summer. He is slated to be our starter as an attacking midfielder. Dramtically improved vision has given him his spot. I doubt he can last the whole season due to his age but he can be very effective when he is on the field. Has also been played as a winger but I don't think he is effective there. News recently serviced of his transfer to a team in Peru but have since died down. Selling him now especially with our thin depth would be a mistake.

Rosa: *new signing* brought in as a winger/ attacking midfeild but I believe he is suited best as a #8. Still needs time to adjust with new team and better conditioning. Very good with the ball at his feet. Haven't seen too much from him but I think he can be effective as a sub in the later stages of a game. Should carve out a role in the starting eleven by the end of the season.

Vasiloudis: another one of my favorite players. Came through the youth ranks and really showed his talent at the end of last season. Resently called up to the youth national team and I think the call up is well deserved. Every energetic and strong when he gets the ball. Controls the ball well but inconsistent with his passing at times. This kid has a bright future ahead of him. I hope he is given a chance this season.

Warda: the superstar of the team. Without him our attack looks lost. Everything goes through him and I believe that will be a problem for our team if he misses time. Carries the team on his back. We will have trouble against decent teams as they will try to shut him down. Is being played as a left winger due to our lack of depth on the wings. I would like to see him more as an attacking mid as I think he can wreck havoc. I think he will most likely be gone during the winter transfer period or the latest next summer as many teams have shown interest in him.

Strikers

Markovski:  don't know how he does it but he seems to always be around the ball. Is more effective when he works with another striker to feed off. When we deployed a 4-4-2 he was at his most dangerous as he fed of our other striker Tomane

Tomane: *new signing* from grimareas. Very strong striker. Prototypical #9. Good with the ball at his feet and great in the air. Can't wait to see him this year. Was considered an up and coming Portuguese star but somehow fell off. I would like to think that talent like that doesn't just disapear. Would have liked to see more of him in friendlies but we mostly played with 1 striker and markovski got the bulk of playing time. I believe that tomane is better than markovski and that will be clear as the season progresses.

I still think that we need to fill in some positions before this transfer period ends. I would like to see at least 1 more cb brought in as well as a winger and attacking mid. I believe talent wise we can compete with atromitos, pas, for the 6th spot but unfortunately our lack of depth will hurt us. I was hoping for a push for a playoff spot but asteras has improved their squad too much for us to get that spot. Games aren't played on paper though so I'm still hopeful. The day panaitolikos gets to play in Europe is the day my heart explodes.

Thank you for reading. Sorry for any spelling errors or all the run on sentences and rambling. I am excited for this new year (if it ever starts) and being a member of these forums. Won't be on as much as I would like too due to work but I will try to be on everyday.

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