Julián Cuesta has kept Ari’s Tel Aviv qualifying hopes alive with his interventions, but the Spanish goalkeeper is not enough for the Yellows to eliminate Maccabi. The Thessalonians will have to change a lot in the rematch with Kleantis Vikelidis next Thursday and, above all, regularly get into the spirit of the opposition.

The game at Bloomfield and the 2-0 defeat revealed the weaknesses of the team, which were not noticeable in two matches with the underpowered Gomel. The quality of Ari’s players is a matter of course, but by itself is not enough to win the battle for the “chessboard” with the excellently structured “Maccabi”. Herman Burgos lost the battle to Vladan Ivić as he was “trapped” by a Serbian 5-4-1 technician who however was not only defensive. From both the flanks and the axis, the Israelis completely disorganized Aris, who lacked defense and midfield, leaving enough room to create phases.

What is certain is that the reflection from the image is large, and this was also shown by the displeasure of PAE President Theodoros Karipidis, who followed the mission and, on her return, had a private conversation with Burgos looking for reasons for the poor appearance.

In the five days remaining before the second leg, having to present a completely different face in order to match the values ​​​​of their players, but also with a plan to neutralize the trump cards of the “people’s team”, is great.

“Hidden cards” seem to exist, like Manu Garcia and Palmas, if used correctly. Otherwise, initial optimism will give way to skepticism about the realistic expectations and prospects of the team from Thessaloniki this year.