The rule in football is that numbers rarely lie. And since there is an exception to every rule, when the numbers come out … liars, it means that some factors “interfere” those who reduced him to the king of sports. We can look for them in the minds and tactics of coaches, individual talent, summer training, daily training, fitness, injuries, the platform, psychology, the locker room, and, of course, luck. All together and each individually play their part.

It has been a long time since we are in the Super League 1 standings and as we approach the middle of the second round, the big four (PAO, AEK, PAOK, Olympiacos) are seven points away and effectively cut off. from other teams. AEK’s victory over Panathinaikos last weekend confirmed that this year’s top-level championship is the most exciting in recent years. The margins from leader Panathinaikos have narrowed considerably and, combined with nine games remaining, and the play-off process that follows, everything seems to be starting over.

“K”, through analytical statistics, irradiates the progress of the four contenders for the title and everyone can see in which areas they excel each other, as well as where the derbies between them were decided in these first 17 matches.

The overall dominance of Panathinaikos in the first round and the continued unbeatenness until last Sunday is not fully reflected in the numbers. The progress of Ivan Jovanovic’s team, which has 12 wins and 1 draw, is mainly based on its very good defensive function (conceding only four goals and another four big chances in 13 matches), its effectiveness, its team plan, but also in limiting mistakes , since he had the least of the other three.

The union outperforms almost all statistical directions (mainly attackers), but Panathinaikos was more “cynical” in the first round.

These were the elements with which they beat AEK and PAOK, and in the derby with Olympiacos, although they had the worst statistics, they managed not to lose. If you carefully check the averages of the Greens’ statistics in the four matches of the second round, then they can find answers to the gaffes with Ionikos and OFI.

AEK is superior in almost all areas, especially attackers (204 final attempts in the 1st round are indicative), but in the games where they surpassed the opponent (Bolo at home, Tripoli away, Ioannina away) lost eight points. PAOK left six points against OFI, Levadeiako and Astera Tripoli, who, albeit with worse records, emerged victorious from “G. Karaiskakis”.

Olympiacos, for its part, which has not won a derby so far, shows a gradual improvement, in many cases (assists, finals, shots inside and outside the big area) it has better records than the pioneer Panathinaikos, but also a few weaknesses, expressed in a total of 740 errors (6th place in the relative ranking of 14 CL1 teams).

For the 5th and 6th places respectively, which lead to the playoffs, Aris and Volos seem to have an absolute lead, as shown by their performances (207 vs. 160 finals in 17 games, 18 vs. 11 assists), while Thessaly, however, this year as the “Achilles heel” of their vulnerable defense, conceding 27 goals.

Atromitos, Panaitolikos, Asteras Tripoli and PAS Ioannina, who follow them, show that they will play a regulatory role in the play-offs that will be held and which will determine the two (13th and 14th) who will be eliminated into the minor leagues. . The first two show a balance in most of their numbers, while Asteras’ low goal-scoring percentage compared to other seasons (only 14 goals) is surprising, as well as PAS’s vulnerable defensive line, which, with 33 goals conceded, is the worst of the category.

“We are moving towards a very good finale”

Life on the shelves From 1993 to 2022, Giorgos Paraschos coached 30 teams, counting hundreds of games in major league stadiums. Now he is watching this year’s Super League championship from his beloved Kastoria, by far the best in recent years, as he himself emphasizes.

“It is true that there are a lot of competitions this year. If we consider that there is also a playoff, then everything suggests that we are going to a very good final, ”the experienced technician emphasized, while explaining why there is such an image in the league this year.

“For me, the start of Panathinaikos was a pleasant surprise. This is a team that serves the “wishes” of their coach. The difference this makes may not be great, but it is very significant, despite the fact that it has been shown to be somewhat affected by interruption. I think he will gradually find his rhythm again. Aitor’s absence, though serious enough, has at least not been noticed so far. Perhaps Jovanovic could give Ioannidis a little more playing time. He’s a great striker, probably one of the best Greeks in that position at the moment.”

As for AEK, Giorgos Paraschos agrees with the general sentiment that the new stadium has given them a big boost. “It’s like a new expensive suit that someone gets and when he wears it he’s happy. Almeida managed to give the players new, freer roles, and they responded to them as fully as possible, the most typical example is Araujo. From a sniper, he became… a multifunctional tool and a barometer of overall performance. Something similar applies to Levi Garcia, who is more effective on the striker than on the flanks. The Argentine coach has given the team a distinct identity that shows impressive football, but we’ll see if he can keep it to the end.”

In PAOK, a bad start was an occasion to give the players who came from the academy the opportunity to take the team on the back. “The plan of Ivan Savvidis with large investments in infrastructure sites has yielded its first fruits. Whatever PAOK achieves in the end, it will have players like Coulierakis, Lyratsis and, of course, Constantelias. Of course, there were mistakes of the summer that cost the start, but now the team has found its way and remains “alive” in the fight for the title. In addition, the signing of Tyson could play a decisive role in changing the image as he is a player who, even at this age, can make a difference in the Greek league.”

Finally, for Giorgos Paraschos, Olympiacos initially paid to change coaches, but after the break we see, as he says, a different team. “The system that Mitchell implemented with three tens made a difference. And also the return of Fortunis, who gave the team a great quality, combined with the presence of Hames and Biel. I don’t know how he will behave in the derby, but in games against other teams he works great. Of course, the energy that Huang gives to the midfielders, who is one of the most complete midfielders in the league, also plays a role.