Ben-ARGHHHH!
By: Peter Katsiris |
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After weeks of speculation over the possible signing of Hatem Ben Arfa from Marseille, an official press release by Olympiacos on Monday night has confirmed the withdrawal of the Greek Champions interest in the Frenchman.
Ben Arfa was seen as the top candidate to fill the void left on the left side of the midfield, but little or no response from Marseille has foiled the move for both parties.
A much tighter title race (or The Piraeus Diaries): Part 3
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In the final part of the review featuring a breakdown of Olympiacos’ season thus far in the Greek Super League, we continue where we left off after part two: matchday ten in the Greek top flight. In part two we carried on the summarization, with Olympiacos boasting an 8-2-0 record, with Kavala and Iraklis being the only clubs to earn a point against the Greek Champions.
Part two also took a look at the Greek Cup picture, but unfortunately for Olympiacos their quest to earn another title and potential domestic double was purged by Panserraikos in the fourth round; needless to say that was a shocking result. And in Europe, which will bear a review post all on its own, Olympiacos’ Champions League campaign continued to be the main talking point for the club.
But let’s get back to business and continue the review of Olympiacos’ domestic duties. We resume our review in Giannina as Olympiacos, on the heels of a criminal 1-1 draw at home to Iraklis, traveled to face PAS Giannina at the Zosimades Stadium…
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Olympiacos wants to sing the LuaLua song, again
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It is Lomana LuaLua’s one and only hit single, and Olympiacos management are humming the tune once again. The Democratic Republic of Congo international hit-man is back in Greece training with Olympiacos, the same club he left just under two seasons ago after a bust-up with management (Takis Lemonis and his eventual custodial staff featuring Jose Segura). Now, with his contract with UAE club Al-Arabi given a go through the shredder in Dubai, the Congolese striker is ready to rejoin the club he never should have left.
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Category: Europe, Greece, Greek Super League, Olympiacos Team News, Transfers, UEFA Champions LeagueMoulin Rouge: Olympiacos out to get Marseille’s Hatem Ben Arfa
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Moulin Rouge might not have included Greece in the plot-line, but Olympiacos’ remake of the Golden Globe winning film this winter certainly features Greece and a debate over the beauty of Greece. It all starts with finding the answer to Olympiacos’ offensive woes, which now looks to be none other than Olympique de Marseille left winger Hatem Ben Arfa. Previously, it was thought manager Zico would use his Brazilian influence to lure a compatriot (namely Adriano) to the Limani (Greek for port city), but reports emanating from France this week – which have set off sirens in Piraeus – are linking the Greek Champions with a move for Ben Arfa.
Category: Europe, Greece, Greek Super League, Olympiacos Team News, Transfers, UEFA Champions LeagueA much tighter title race (or The Piraeus Diaries): Part 2
By: Peter Katsiris | Add Comments
In part one of this series I reviewed Olympiacos’ performances in the Greek Super League through the first five fixtures of the Greek schedule. The club posted a 4-1-0 record with the only blip coming at home to Kavala. In part two we continue the review with a look at the result from matchday six through to matchday ten.
A much tighter title race (or The Piraeus Diaries): Part 1
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I would like to say this year’s title race in the Greek Super League is collectively a much more competitive battle, but considering the massive gap between second (Panathinaikos) and third (PAOK) that would not be an accurate statement. For what it’s worth, heading into fifteenth round of play, there is just one point separating first (Olympiacos, of course) and second.
On that note, that statistic allows for the conclusion that the reality of finishing runners-up to their Piraeus rivals is finally getting under the skin of Panathinaikos supporters – so much so, that no make of anti-itch lotion can provide soothing relief.
The funny side of all this is that Olympiacos’ lead should be much larger, and that’s not meant to sound like “well, if they did this” or “if he took a shot instead of passing.” No it’s to sound more like “we should have won that game, Mitroglou wasn’t offside…” (see Olympiacos 1-1 Iraklis) and so on.
News that’s not so “new” anymore (or everything that has happened the last 6 months)
By: Peter Katsiris | Add Comments
This might be the hardest part on the road to recovery: recapping everything that has happened since I fell off the face of the earth. There are some pretty big headlines, and then the meaningless ones, and then the sensationalized news stories – that are nothing but the adjective out in front.
Nevertheless, the list of stories and their blurbs – one that should be found in the format a blog-roll and not a mercy post like this – are all there. So take the jump and relive the summer (an early-fall) that was at Olympiacos’ Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium with news regarding the manager’s position and the employees (or players), of course.
Tags: Christos Patsatzoglou, Cristian Ledesma, Enzo Maresca, Fernando Belluschi, Giorgos Katsikogiannis, Greece, Greek Super League, Jaouad Zairi, Konstantinos Lambropoulos, Konstantinos Mendrinos, Matt Derbyshire, Olof Mellberg, Olympiacos, Olympiacos Team News, Paraskevas Antzas, Player News, Predrag Djordjevic, Raul Bravo, Sebastian Leto, Temuri Ketsbaia, Transfers, Urko Pardo, ZicoBack from the dead (or finally out of an extensive coma)
By: Peter Katsiris | Add Comments
Yes you read correctly, I am still alive, and on that note so is the Olympiacos CFP blog. I’ve been taught not to make any excuses in life, and the following is the least bit manufactured, but a summer of hard-work by yours truly quickly transpired into the school year (my second of a forecasted four years at university) that has felt like a coma since its start in early-September – the marvels of university life, I suppose? But in any case the past is the past, and there’s no changing that; however, I can try making up for the lengthy “MIA” spell.
Category: Olympiacos Team NewsFiesta Celebrations honour Olympiacos’ finest
By: Peter Katsiris | 1 Comment
Pyrotechnics, a commemorative football match, and a championship celebration occupied the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium on Saturday night, as Olympiacos celebrated yet another domestic double with their loyal supporters.
In what is somewhat of a tradition in Piraeus nowadays, Olympiacos looked back on another golden season domestically as the club was presented with the coveted Super League trophy – their twelfth in the last thirteen years.
But while most titles are dedicated to the people in the stands, it was apparent that this championship meant a lot for the club’s familiar heroes. The likes of Predrag Djordjevic, Darko Kovacevic, Paraskevas Antas, and Christos Patsatzoglou were all given a luxurious send-off as the club applauded the quartet for their services.
Djordjevic, like his team-mates, played his final match for the ‘Eythrolefki’ against AEK Athens in the Greek Cup Final – capping a successful stint in the port city where he captained the club to all twelve of their titles in the last thirteen seasons. He hoisted the club’s recent symbol of domestic dominance – the sleek Super League trophy – to compliment a similar title he hoisted last weekend at the OAKA Spyros Louis Stadium.
Kovacevic, a compatriot of Djordjevic, was forced to end his career after doctors discovered his life was in jeopardy due to a genetic condition of high blood pressure. Completing a mandatory surgery – a coronary angioplasty – just outside the Spanish metropolis of Barcelona, Kovacevic returned to Greece where he was soon greeted by loal Olympiacos fans at the club’s Red Store just outside the stadium. Nonetheless, Saturday night’s send-pff was an appropriate display of appreciation for the Serbian striker.
Another to retire is Antzas, but unlike Kovacevic, the Greek center-back has called time on his career after collecting a new lease on life in the aftermath of his father’s death. The moe was rather foreseeable after Antzas step down from international duty for the Greek National Team after his nation’s EURO 2008 campaign.
Patsatzoglou, or ‘Patsa’ as his jersey reads. Is not ready to end his career; instead, opting to test the Cypriot market with a transfer to AC Omonia Nicosia. It will be a reunion of sorts for the Greece international, as Omonia’s bench boss is none other than former Olympiacos player and manager Takis Lemonis.
A manager, however, still remains in question back in Piraeus. Ernesto Valverde and the club failed to agree upon an extension that would keep the Spaniard on as Olympiacos coach until at least the conclusion of next season – an apparent interest in a return to Spain’s La Liga being the distinguished variable repelling Valverde.
But again the island of Cyprus appears to be the answer to Olympiacos’ needs as rumors continue to link now-resigned Anorthosis Famagusta boss Temuri Ketsbaia with the Olympiacos post. It was a breakthrough that perplexed the Piraeus fan base ahead of the fiesta, and worried the Olympiacos board ahead of the fiesta.
But their response was minimal in comparison to vocal and visual outbursts seen in recent years. The most notable fan response during the fiesta came during the club’s celebration a few days after Brazilian legend ‘abandoned the club’ as he cited financial issues made it impossible for him to stay.
Back to the future, and Olympiacos has an interesting trip to Asia slated for later this week. Scheduled to leave Athens on Monday, Olympiacos is due in Vietnam for an international friendly with the Vietnamese National Team on Thursday in historic Hanoi.
Jaouad Zairi joins Olympiacos
By: Peter Katsiris | 1 Comment
After several weeks of speculation, Olympiacos confirmed their second signing of the summer transfer period with the presentation of Jaouad Zairi on Tuesday (May 5). The Moroccan joins the club on a free transfer from Super League side Asteras Tripolis after penning a two-year deal.
A successful season with Asteras Tripolis appeared to be a decisive factor for the Greek Champions to sign Zairi, but the immense depth already instilled in the ‘Erythrolefki’ squad makes for great competition for the Moroccan ahead of next season.
Nonetheless, Zairi remains excited about the move to Piraeus, revealing he was ‘living a dream’. “Olympiacos is my biggest club since the beginning of my career,” said Zairi.
Before arriving at Asteras Tripolis during the 2008 winter transfer window, Zairi had spent most of his career in France; first with youth outfit – and eventually the professional side – at FC Gueugnon, FC Sochaux, before leaving France for Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad.
Zairi secured a move back to Europe after just one year in Saudia Arabia as Portuguese side Boavista gave Zairi a passage back to the European scene. One year later, Zairi found himself back in France, this time with Sochaux.
Now, after a brief stint in Arcadia, the hot lights of the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium are a new challenge for one of Morocco’s best kept secrets.
“I’m living a dream I’ve been waiting for a long time. The ambition of every footballer is to one day play in a big team. Olympiacos gives me this opportunity,” concluded Zairi.
Champions League exposure, and a successful season in Greece, could give Zairi another shot with the Moroccan National Team.
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