Her end credits Superleague 1 Tonight they will rumble through crowded stadiums, a testament to the exciting year it has given fans. Agia Sophia was packed for the fiesta, Leoforos was also packed to the fans “thank you” Jovanovic and his players, Toumba was also packed for the derby with Olympic who will (probably) judge the ticket for Europa League. The image is completely unusual for a league that used to thrive in front of empty stands.

Two “good” tickets for Champions Leaguehowever, they were won AEK To Panathinaikos, with the champion needing two qualifiers to qualify for the groups, and the runner-up needing another one to advance with three. This is the ultimate goal for both of our teams, not only for an experience and an exciting journey, but also for the “gold” of the event, which, whoever tries it and does not take advantage, immediately changes the level.

Will they be able to achieve such a big goal with their current roster, or will they need some serious reinforcements to be competitive? “K” asked Kostas Eleftherakis and Lysandros Georgamlis a question., two great footballers of the past who played with exceptional success both in AEK and Panathinaikos. Here’s what they told us:

Kostas Eleftherakis: Panathinaikos should strengthen with midfielders and shooters

“It was the best championship in recent years and it showed that the stadiums were filled to the very end. For the standard, we have to say that mathematically the championship is undecided, although it leans towards AEK. Nothing to do with the previous three years, when Olympiacos got him early and lost interest.

Panathinaikos made me very satisfied. Although he has shown signs of improvement since last year, his progress has been a pleasant surprise. The whole organization, the administration, the coach, the children gave their best. A team with a future has been built, with players who have already formed the backbone, most of them at a good football age. If this trunk is kept and, of course, the coach is the same, with 2-3 quality passes the team will become even better.

Help must be of high quality. Panathinaikos showed a strong, compact, dynamic team that actively pressed and had an excellent defensive function. In attack, he was not good. He had difficulty scoring, his game was predictable, midfield was not as productive. The more opportunities you create, the more likely you are to take advantage of them. For a title aspiring team, they didn’t have many stages and didn’t score many goals.

He lacked players capable of going one on one, pressing the area and scoring. Lacked a good shooter. In Real Madrid vs Manchester City, we admired two great goals with amazing shots from outside the box. Panathinaikos did not have this. And when you are not threatened from afar, it is difficult to open places in the area.

We used to say: “Show me your midfielders, I’ll tell you what team you have.” There was also no vertical passage. Sporar and Ioannidis scored little, but they also had few good passes. They are both excellent in many parts of the game, but need more power. When they spend energy on many other things in the game, at the moment of execution they are tired, without a clear mind.

In my time, midfielders scored over 10 goals each. Now they don’t make it so easy to get into the zone, for a good pass you need quality. Bernard ten? He did not satisfy me in this role. Don’t get me wrong, but he doesn’t know the position. He is a good player, a good master, but not an organizer. This role requires a personality.

I really liked Mancini. He is fast, strong, knows the ball, is in phase. The enemy of the good is the best, there is always room for improvement, and I think Panathinaikos definitely needs 2-3 first class players to play in Europe and claim the championship again, now with more experience.

AEK showed very good data after the first 5-6 matches. He relied more on flair because he has more quality players with personality. If he gets stuck somewhere, he has great one-on-one and shooting midfielders like Pineda, Gacinovic. I don’t know why Gacinovic was not left at Panathinaikos. Great, I’d like him to stay. With 2-3 good options, AEK will be able to do something in Europe and I hope they will do it.”

Lysandros Georgamlis: AEK must find a way to keep Pinedas

“It was the best championship in many years. Four teams were vying for it over short distances, with a few races to go. I don’t remember such sharp competition even at my age. For the first time, the playoffs were so interesting and judged everything, and most importantly, all conversations in coffee houses were solemnly refuted. We criticize very easily and are often unfair, as the result showed.

Panathinaikos had a great fight from the very beginning. AEK played more impressively, won more impressive victories in important matches, which Panathinaikos did not. She made better use of her place, she was more like a team in every sense of the word, so she easily covered all her important absences. The one who was missing seemed to be there.

Almeida also played an important role. He passed on his philosophy, he was acquitted, and he deserves credit for his work. They fielded the best team and I think they deserved the title even though they didn’t start so well.

AEK will definitely need reinforcements to do something good in Europe. I can’t say much, because otherwise you have to live as a team from the inside, otherwise 90 minutes from the podium. Against the current, I will say that she lacked quality in defense. Mukudi and Vida impressed me, and Hadjisafi, Rota, Athanasiadis were also very stable.

Everything good fits and there is always room for improvement. The MVP for me was Pineda, he even played fullback when needed. We need to find a way to keep him. The players were imbued with the trust of Almeida and responded to him in return. Jonsson, Szymanski, Zuber, they were all at a high level, as were Gacinovic and Araujo and, of course, Levi Garcia.

Europe needs courage, it also needs a bit of luck. Regardless of the “name” of the opponent, how you succeed in preparing him is of great importance. Better with a theoretically superior but unprepared team than with a slower one. It goes without saying that how you will be in the summer, after training and transfers, also plays a big role. The new stadium is also very important for AEK. He brought another aura, he raised it greatly.

Panathinaikos didn’t have a roster comparable to that of AEK or to what it was in my time. But he had Jovanovic, a great coach and a great person. We were teammates on that very good Hercules team and I lived it, I know what I’m talking about.

They have good players, but they need a quality player on every line if they want to go beyond and get into the Champions League groups. He doesn’t have to look at the goalkeeper, Brignoli is great. I don’t understand how Panathinaikos collected so many gels after the World Cup was stopped. If he tunes in right now that he’s more experienced in the league, he’ll have a better year. He has the basics, it is no coincidence that as long as he had better and better AEK in front of him, he remained first until the penultimate game.