The aftermath…

By: Chris Paraskevas | August 15th, 2008

Exactly what went wrong against Omonia?

All of the warning signs were there, plain to see, just one day before the Kitrinomavri entertained their Mediterranean ‘cousins’, if you will.

Aside from the fact that it appears as though the side were expecting a comfortable victory and were shocked - admittedly with a large stroke of fortune - by their plucky Cypriot opposition, perhaps the latest in a line of flat performances ahead of the start of the Greek Super League season again removes a layer of paper from over some gaping cracks in a still incomplete AEK squad.

The signings of Basinas and Kyrgiakos will make a huge difference to the team but there is no guarantee that there relatively aging legs will be available on a weekly basis. Without them, we look very weak.

Hopefully the loss to Omonia will bear some positive outcomes for the club. First, it might remind all of the players and management at AEK that this season will be an extremely difficult one. The players don’t seem to have adapted to a totally new system of football brought to the club by former Larissa manager Donis - it will take everyone time to adapt. Players like Kyrgiakos and Basinas are of a different class to their team-mates and so one would assume that the presence of the current internationals will ease the transition into an alien football environment.

Will their leadership qualities and football abilities be enough to bring about change quickly enough so that AEK can mount a serious title challenge this year? I’m not so sure.

One thing I am sure of though, is that AEK need some new signings and fast. Preferably, they should also be under 33 and be able to inject some life into a conspicuously slow midfield, which constituted of Rikka, Kafes and Rivaldo in the catastrophic outing against the Cypriots…

Demis, I hope you were watching.