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.

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.

Surprisingly, Nikopolidis performed magnificently for Olympiacos this season, and with the confidence acquired through his strong play, Nikopolidis has signed a one-year extension with the Greek Champions.

While the club added Urko Pardo on a loan deal from Rapid Bucharest earlier this week, Nikopolidis’ one-year extension was made official by the club with an announcement on the club’s official website.

“Olympiacos CFP announces the contract renewal for one more year with goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis.”

The former Greece international will likely resume his service as the club’s number on goalkeeper next season, unless of course club president Sokratis Kokkalis adds a further piece to Piraeus’ goalkeeping puzzle.

An announcement on the club’s official website made the move official, as Pardo was made the second signing made by the club this season – only after a mutual agreement between the club and Asteras Tripolis’ Jaoud Zairi had been reported.

“Olympiacos CFP announces the completion of an agreement with Rapid Bucharest over the transfer of player Urko Rafael Pardo in the form of a loan, with the option to buy,” read the announcement.

Rumors regarding Pardo originated last summer, as the future of Antonis Nikopolidis and the release of Michalis Sifakis occupied the club. Nonetheless, the problem in goal was solved when Nikopolidis penned an extension ahead of last season, and Pavel Kovac was signed by the Greek Champions.

With their eyes wandering off to net weekend’s Greek Cup final against inner-city foes AEK Athens, Olympiacos still showed composure as the league leaders bounced back after their shock 1-0 loss to Larissa two weeks ago. Thrasyvoulos, however, collected yet another defeat and now face a dreaded return to the Beta Ethniki.

First Half

Even though the match as meaningless for both sides Olympiacos didn’t let that stop them from seeking an early goal. Sebastian was the maestro of the Greek Champions’ attack during the early exchanges; the Argentine midfielder providing a lethal presence on the flank on a number of occasions.

Sadly, however, his teammates were unable to latch onto his multiple crosses as Thrasyvoulos ‘keeper Peterson Pecanha parried on numerous occasions.

Despite their inability to find a way past the Brazilian shot-stopper, the ‘Erythrolefki’ still pushed forward in bid for a breakthrough. Vasilis Torosidis had the chance to be the hero just after the half hour mark, but the Greece international sent Luciano Galletti’s free-kick over the Thrasyvoulos goal.

Seven minutes later and Olympiacos forged ahead again, and similarly to Torosidis’ try from moments ago, Galletti saw his header follow the same path on its way out of bounds.

As the half wound down, Thrasvyoulos’ rather lifeless offense finally awoke with Domagoj Abramovic troubling Olympiacos’ backline. The Croatian striker looked to slot home the loose ball off a Thrasyvoulos corner, but his follow up effort after Konstantinos Manolas’ headed pass was light work for ‘keeper Antonis Nikopolidis.

Second Half

The up-beat energy flowing from the home side continued shortly after the interval as Thrasyvoulos resumed their attack. Giannis Katsikis’ corner was flashed wide by Mehmet Hetemaj, leaving Nikopolidis untested.

Leto then stole the show as the on-loan Liverpool midfielder reenergized Olympiacos staggering offense. A hard shot from the Argentine was met by Pecanha, but the visitors now began to dictate the match.

Giannis Papadopoulos was the next to have an opportunity; however, the Greek starlet – who is known for his whizzing efforts – fired just over the crossbar.

Matt Derbyshire, however, didn’t lack the accuracy when he strode into the Thrasyvoulos’ box on sixty-five minutes. The English forward repelled his markers and with a driven effort smashed the ball past Pecanha to finally break the stalemate.

It took only nine more minutes for Valverde’s men to return to the offensive, and find themselves in the clear for a second goal. Galletti sped into the box before shuffling a clever move to force Pecanha into giving up a penalty. The Argentine stepped up to the spot, and converted with a vengeance.

With the match surely put away, Olympiacos still searched for a third tally as Derbyshire looked to extend his scoring record. The U-21 England international showed great composure to work his way around defenders, but the result was not as attractive as it traveled over the bar.

It was a win well earned for Olympiacos, and should give the Piraeus giants plenty of confidence heading into next weekend’s Greek Cup clash with AEK Athens. Thrasyvoulos now face a return to the Beta Ethniki, where the Fyli based side will look to again claim promotion to the Super League.

Thrasyvoulos Fylis FC 0-2 Olympiacos CFP
Derbyshire 65′, Galletti (pen.) 74′

Yellow Cards:
Thrasyvoulos Fylis FC – Barrientos 90′.
Olympiacos CFP – none.

Thrasyvoulos Fylis FC (Zoran Jevtovic): Pecanha, Mihos, Manolas, Vasileiou, Asimakis (66′ Serepas), Mavrogenidis (55′ Barrientos), Hetemaj, Liapakis, Tajkovic, Abramovic (79′ Panagiotakos), Katsikis.

Olympiacos CFP (Ernesto Valverde): Nikopolidis, Torosidis, Zewlakow, Antzas, Leonardo (46′ Domi), Galletti, Dudu, G. Papadopoulos, Leto (61′ Djordjevic), Diogo (61′ Derbyshire), Oscar.

Referee: Giorgos Stathopoulos

Venue: Fyli Stadium, Fyli, Greece

The reports indicate Olympiacos are interested in another central defender as Paraskevas Antzas is expected to retire at season’s end. Materazzi appears to be the number-one choice for the Greek Champions, while supporters salivate over the possibility of the controversial World Cup Winner arriving in Piraeus in the summer.

While his legacy holds more controversy due to his involvement in the “head butt heard ‘round the world”, Materazzi would form a solid partnership with Avraam Papadopulos.

Holding just a two-point lead over Aris for the fifth and final playoff spot in the Super League, Larissa put on a valiant performance to assure they remained in control of their European destiny.

Ernesto Valverde continued to experiment with his Olympiacos outfit, as the Spaniard selected youngster Giorgos Niklitsioitis to the starting eleven, as well as Kyriakos Papadopoulos. With his first-ever Greek title already booked, it was clear Olympiacos was in search of a stress-free route to the Super League finish line.

The lack of regulars in the home side’s starting mould appeared to be an issue through the first ten minutes as neither side managed to explore offensively. When the brief lull was put to an end, it was Olympiacos who emerged as the contingent in control. The youthful Niklitsiotis fired a shot from just outside the Larissa box, but Stefanos Kotsolis was left untested.

Not too long later a former member of Olympiacos, Stelios Giannakopoulos, looked to leave his mark on his first return to Karaiskaki since leaving Piraeus for the Premier League’s Bolton Wanderers six years ago.

The former Greece international capitalised on an error by Giorgos Galitsios to stroll free alone against Pavel Kovac, but the Slovakian ‘keeper in goal for Olympiacos was saved when Giannakopoulos fired wide.

As the introductory half neared the interval, Olympiacos began to dictate the tempo while holding Larissa in their own end. Again it was Niklitsiotis looking to solve Kotsolis, but again the ball travelled wide of the Larissa goal.

Execution seemed to be lacking as halftime eased its way in Piraeus.Neither side was able to provide a convincing performance in offense, and a lack of accuracy in front of goal kept the score-line unchanged.

Olympiacos looked to change that soon after the restart as Michal Zewlakow connected with a free-kick from Predrag Djordjevic. The Polish defender narrowly made the most of the set-piece, but his header was blocked a sharp Kotsolis.

Less than five minutes later, Larissa took their charge deep into the Olympiacos box as another Polish international led Larissa’s attack. Maciej Zurawski stepped inside the Olympiacos box and with a few inventive moves freed up space to warrant an effort on goal. The Polish sniper found the mark with a slick shot into the far bottom corner past Kovac.

Larissa continued the trend of offensive pressure just before the hour mark as Giorgos Fotakis rattled the post on fifty-nine minutes. Two former members of Olympiacos, in Stelios Venetidis and Giannakopoulos combined with a parallel pass falling for the latter before the former Hull City midfielder found Fotakis teeing up a shot – its direction, however, couldn’t weave around the home side’s goal frame.

With their eyes on the scoreboard in Piraeus, and in Athens, Larissa began to congest the match with a resilient defensive effort; thus resulting in a slow end to the match.

Olympiacos, however, managed one more effort through Giannis Papadopoulos. The youthful Greek midfielder gave the crowd a glimpse of his skill with a hard shot towards Kotsolis’ goal but it sailed fractions over the crossbar.

The final whistle confirmed Larissa remained frontrunners to lock up the final playoff spot, all the while Marinos Ouzounidis’ men sealed their first away win over Olympiacos in twenty-six years.

Olympiacos CFP 0-1 Larissa FC
Zurawski 54′

Yellow Cards:
Olympiacos CFP – none.
Larissa FC – Fotakis 80′, Kotsolis 86′, Inglesias 88′, Para 90′.

Olympiacos CFP (Ernesto Valverde): Kovac, Leonardo, Galitsios (59′ Pantos), Djordjevic, Zewlakow, Mendrinos (59′ Diogo), Dudu, Derbyshire, Nilitsiotis (52′ Galletti), G. Papadopoulos, K. Papadopoulos.

Larissa FC (Marinos Ouzounidis): Kotsolia, Venetidis, Giannakopoulos (67′ Para), Sarmiento, Fotakis (85′ Ilic), Aarab, Metin (90+ Katsiaros), Inglesias, Ferrari, Weber, Zurawski.

Referee: Ilias Spathas (Piraeus)

Venue: Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece.

Patrick Dimbala got Levadeiakos off to a promising start in Levadeia, but a quick response from Matt Derbyshire set Olympiacos up for an inevitable comeback as Ernesto Valverde’s added another three points to their tally.

First Half

With Olympiacos seeing their early title triumph as a chance to hand the traditional “reserves” a chance to shine, it was Levadeiakos surging offensively as Brazilian playmaker Leonardo became the orchestrator of the Levadeiakos attack.

Although Leonardo was a crucial part of Levadeiakos offensive endeavours, his compatriot and namesake, Olympiacos’ Leonardo was charged with giving away a goal just past the quarter-hour mark.

The former Portuguesa defender committed a tragic mistake near the Olympiacos box, allowing Stefano Napoleoni to break towards the Olympiacos goal before firing a shot towards Pavel Kovac. Leonardo then aimed to make-up for his mistake by blocking Napoleoni’s from the goal-line, but an alert Patrick Dimbala was present to give Levadeiakos a surprising lead.

It took only eleven minutes for Olympiacos to respond through their improving English ace Matt Derbyshire. Oscar Gonzalez provided a cross into the box, which provided plenty of confusion for Levadeiakos’ back-line. Derbyshire was in attendance to poke the ball past Srdjan Blazic and level the score ahead of the half-hour mark.

Three minutes later Olympiacos continued to strive for yet another goal, but Serbastian Leto was unable to hit the target after Predrag Djordjevic, who announced his retirement earlier in the week, provided the Argentine with a slick through pass.

Second Half

With half-time scores across Greece leaving Levadeiakos in a worried state about their future in the Greek top flight, a 1-1 scoreboard didn’t hold promise for a side looking to stave off relegation battlers OFI Crete and Panserraikos.

With little urgency to either offense, both Levadeiakos and Olympiacos played out an opening fifteen minutes to the second frame. After both sides managed to unclog a congested midfield, it was Levadeiakos who looked to regain their lead through yet another fluky defensive performance.

Dimbala attempted to find a team-mate in front of goal with a chip into the heart of the Olympiacos box, but a deflection off Olympiacos’ Kyriakos Papadopoulos nearly found Kostas Kiassos. The Greek midfielder nearly pulled off a clinical touch but his timing lacked and a bouncing ball made its way past Kovac and scraped the post before Olympiacos’ Slovakian shot-stopper recovered.

Olympiacos’ rather quiet start to the second half was forgotten when Luciano Galletti marked his entrance with style. Introduced to replace Predrag Djordevic, Galletti proved again his value within the Olympiacos ranks as he thumped free-kick to give Olympiacos a lead with less than fifteen minutes left in the match.

Levadeiakos looked to respond soon after as Fernando Machado breached the Olympiacos defense but fired wide; nonetheless, an offside call on the Uruguayan undermined Levadeiakos’ last chance to bag an equalizer.

Levadeiakos FC 1-2 Olympiacos CFP
Dimbala – Derbyshire, Galletti

Yellow Cards:
Levadeiakos FC – Machado.
Olympiacos CFP – Galitsios.

Levadeiakos FC (Momcilo Vukotic): Blazic, Moulopoulos (85′ Lehtinen), Machado, Kapsis, Koltzos, Leonardo, Andralas (53′ Katsikogiannis), Kiassos (65′ Piechniak), Zisopoulos, Napoleoni, Dimbala.

Olympiacos CFP (Ernesto Valverde): Kovac, Leonardo, Galitsios, Oscar, Djordjevic (72′ Galletti), Antzas, Mendrinos, Leto (61′ Soleidis), Derbyshire (69′ Diogo), G. Papadopoulos, K. Papadopoulos.

Referee: Kostas Papastamatis (Athens)

Venue: Levadeia Stadium, Levadeia, Greece.

Djordjevic calls it quits

The most successful player in Olympiacos’ history, Predrag Djordjevic, revealed earlier this week he would be ending his career at season’s end. With twelve league triumphs with the Piraeus, Djordjevic is set for the final curtain as the former Serbian international prepares for life after football. It is not certain if Djordjevic will be offered a job within the organization, either as a technical director or scout, but the Serb and his patriot Darko Kovacevic will both leave gaps in the Olympiacos roster with their departure.

Mitroglou out for four weeks

Kostas Mitroglou suffered an injury while on duty with the Greek U-21 side last weekend, and the striker is expected to be out for the next four weeks – practically putting an early end to his season. Mitroglou did impress before succumbing to injury as he scored twice during Greece’s 3-1 win over neighbours F.Y.R.O.M. in Tripoli.

UEFA fines Olympiacos

The big-wigs at UEFA have fined Olympiacos a well-rounded 75,000 euros and one match behind closed doors after clashes between Olympiacos fans and those of Saint-Etienne in February. No word if Olympiacos will appeal this sanction, but most likely they won’t and will serve their second match behind in closed doors in the last two seasons – the last came in the UEFA Champions League against Lazio last year.

Now, those who know little or next to nothing about the Greek game will probably say something along the lines of a derogatory remark towards this triumph; however, they should first take a look at all the facts…

Dynasty, or not?
Olympiacos is currently the holder of quite the impressive streak when it comes to Greek Championships as the ‘Erythrolefki’ claimed their twelfth title in thirteen seasons. I’m not majoring in mathematics at York University, but I do know how to do some long division. Gone are the days where I have to show my work, so take the below equation for example where D stands for Dynasty, C equals Championships, and S represents Seasons. However, for the equation to hold truth in its subject, the multiplied average must equate to let’s say, 75 or higher; that sounds fair.

D= C/S x 100
D=12/13 x 100
D=92.3076923 %

Therefore, Olympiacos is truly a dynasty having claimed approximately 92.3 % of the available Greek Championships in the past thirteen years.

Kings of Greece?
Greece hasn’t had a Royal family rule the country since King Otto (not Rehhagel, the other one), but Olympiacos has definitely emerged as the Kings of Greek football. If their twelve titles in thirteen years weren’t enough, a further look back in the history of the Greek top flight features the Piraeus side collecting thirty-seven of a possible seventy-three titles. Now you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that Olympiacos is clearly the heavyweight in terms of triumphs. So, let’s consider the following equation which features the title wins of all teams in Greece against the lone count from Olympiacos. WARNING: Some of you will likely be astonished!

K is true if O>G

O stands for the number of titles won by Olympiacos.
G represents the number of titles won by all the other clubs in Greece.

O=37

G=Panathinaikos+AEK+Aris+PAOK+Larissa
G=19+11+3+2+1
G=36

Therefore, 0 > G and Olympiacos is in fact Kings of Greek Football through the 2008-2009 season.