It was mathematically obvious that Carlos Corberán’s debut on the Olympiacos bench would not be easy. The Spaniard took over the team with a lot of problems, and a few hours before the game with Slovan from Bratislava, he will have to have magical powers to solve them all at once.
The team we saw on Thursday night at Karaiskaki against Slovakia was no different from the one that was presented a few days ago against Maccabi Haifa. The lack of creation and automation in development, the gaps in the blocking function, the fact that the “red-whites” always came in second, are not fixed overnight. They won’t even be fixed until next Thursday, which will be the second leg. Even for the most ignorant, it is clear that Olympiacos needs additions to the roster, but also a bold clearing of the roster so that if he manages to find himself in groups, he will have the opportunity to do something good.
That the champions have yet to win the three games they have played in Europe and concede all of them (highlighted by four from Maccabi) proves that something has gone wrong in preparation and also in transfer planning. . .
All eyes are now on the replay against Slovan in Bratislava, where the Red-Whites need their first win of the year to qualify.
Corberán appears to have been scorched earth and will fight against time to win the first “battle” which is nothing short of being in the European playoffs and securing – whatever happens – at least Olympiacos’ presence in the group League conferences. The 39-year-old coach said on the eve of the match with the Slovaks that his goal is to change the mentality in the locker room. The fact that at least his wards did not give up, as happened in the second game with the Israelis, and managed to level the score before the final, is a small win for him. Also, although Rentis only played a few days, his substitutions (mainly El Arabi, Valbuena) helped Olympiacos gain energy in attack.
About a week later, he and his team have an extremely difficult task ahead of them as they only want to win. It’s difficult not because Slovan is intimidating, but because the Red-Whites still need to work hard to inspire confidence in themselves and their fans again.
Source: Kathimerini
Lori Barajas is an accomplished journalist, known for her insightful and thought-provoking writing on economy. She currently works as a writer at 247 news reel. With a passion for understanding the economy, Lori’s writing delves deep into the financial issues that matter most, providing readers with a unique perspective on current events.