2007-2008 Season Review

By: Takis | May 7th, 2008

Greek Super League:
Another year, another domestic title for Olympiacos. Their 4th in consecutive order, and 11th in the last 12 years. Despite slip-ups in a few away matches, and undesired results in some derby matches, the Piraeus side managed to retain its throne in Greece. The club finished two points ahead of AEK, and a further two points ahead of Panathinaikos. Olympiacos also broke a barrier which now sees the club hold exactly half the possible titles in the league’s 72 year history (36 is half of 72,for the ones who are a bit slow with math).

The club also posed a threat in the Champions League as well. The club was drawn into a group expected to be won by Real Madrid (Spain), while the chase for 2nd would be persued by the remaining clubs: Lazio (Italy), Werder Bremen (Germany), and Olympiacos. Picking up their first away win in club history in Bremen; Olympiacos continued their exellence performances in the remaining matches, allowing the Greek Champions to book a ticket into the Round of 16 - for the first time since their 1998/1999 campaign.

Player Evaluation:
Beginner’s Luck? Yeah, right! These guys are good!:
In his first season in Greece, Darko Kovacevic impressed, and won the hearts of many Olympiacos fans. The Serbian striker imposed himself in many key situations, leading him to finish second among the scoring charts with 17 goals.

Lomana Lua Lua made quite the impression on the fans, with his slick trickery and clockwork speed; unfortunately for the Congolese striker an injury bug hit him during the club’s toughest streak of matches.

Luciano Galletti was another summer transfer, and another player who stole the show when he laced up. His quick speed and vision was beneficial in helping Olympiacos achieve many feats throughout the season.

Galletti’s fellow countryman, Leonel Nunez, had a tough time steeling in the early parts of the Super League season, getting limited starts after bad performances. However, Nunuez was able to turn over a new leaf in the second half of the season, excelling primarily in Olympiacos’ Cup run and scoring spectacular goals in the process.

Former Real Madrid defender Raul Bravo was among the list of players making their debut season in Greece. A strong start was marred by a devestating injury Bravo picked up against his former club in Piraeus. The injury shattered his first season with the club, not allowing him to return to the roster until the later weeks of the campaign.

Cristian Raul Ledesma was a rock in the club’s defensive midfield. Not known to be a real goal scorer, Ledesma clearly emphasized the importance of keeping a clean sheet. An off and on injury limited the player’s success in the later half of the season.

Greek youngster Konstantinos Mitroglou made his way to Olympiacos from German side Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer. His appearances were limited sue to his inexperience and the stiff competition for roster spots; but when Mitroglou did get the start he was sure to impress. His performances were desirable in the Greek Super Cup game against Larissa; so much so he was able to score the game winner and give Olympiacos their 3rd Super Cup in club history. Furthermore, Mitroglou scored 3 goals in Olympiacos cup run thus far; and a 3 more crucial goals in the final matches in the league.

Winter Transfers
Olympiacos was more active than usual in the month of January, acquiring three and departing with four.

Arrivals:
The biggest arrival at the club was Argentinian midfielder Fernando Belluschi from River Plate, a transfer which cost the club a reported 7.5 million euros. The 7.5 million seemed to be well spent after Belluschi’s first appearance against Aris FC. However as the season progressed it seemed that the Argentinian has been overpriced.

Belluschi was joined by Slovenian youngster Mirnes Sisic who arrived from fellow Greek side Levadiakos. The Slovenian was not a big name player at first, but after scoring some clutch goals he was able to earn the fans respect. There is still a lot more potential for Sisic, as he showed alot of attacking prowess, especially when teamed up Lua Lua.

Thirdly, wingback defender Leonardo was snatched up from Brazilian side Portuguesa. The Brazilian was said to have “Roberto Carlos” like atributes, but they were far from it. His speed was stunning, but his crossing was rarely accurate. The next step for Leonardo is to pick up his attacking game on the flanks, he can beat defenders but it’s the final ball that is lacking.

Departures:
The names that departed were not a real surprise, many of them hadn’t found their groove with the club and it was about time Club President Socrates Kokkalis made some space in Piraeus.

One player who had limited playing time in Greece was Marco Ne, and after picking up another injury, the club really lost the use for the Ivorian Coast player (aka not a big blow to the club’s roster).

Ecuadorian striker Felix Borja had big dreams for himself when he arrived in Greece, he said in an interview to Protathlitis (Greek Sports newspaper) “I want to score 25 goals, every year!” It’s always good to have a positive attitude, but when you can’t deliver….especially in Greece…watchout my friend! This was Borja’s case, sure he scored….every blue moon, but the ratio of misses to goals was somewhere at probably 30 misses to every 1 goal. A change in scenery seemed to serve well for one of Ecuador’s promising stars. Signing with German Bundesliga 2 side FSV Mainz 05, Borja has been able to score 15 goals in 25 appearances. So all I can say is…Good luck Felix!

Next to get let go was Rodrigo Archubi, as he returned to River Plate. It wasn’t a loan deal that sent him back, he just felt out of place. Having some Greek in his blood, he was thought to be a perfect fit when Olympiacos captured his signature but limied play and not the strongest of performances, not to mention the immense pressure proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Lastly Giannoulis Fakinos, an Olympiacos youngster (to some extent) was released by the club as well. Nothing really to say here I’m sure he’ll find another club.

As a whole this season was a year of mixed results for Olympiacos (I’d like to say ‘Greek Titans’, but according to the know it all Fergie, Panathinaikos are the Titans in his eyes……………somebody forgot mention the 11/12 stat to the MAN U boss”). Success on the Champions League front played a big role in Olympiacos’ weak performance domestically, the next step wil have to be:
1. Improving the European successes.
2. Improving domestic play.

Stay alert for my In-depth Review of Olympiacos’ Champions League Run!