Olympiacos has two important games ahead of it against Maccabi Tel Aviv and AEK, which will largely determine its future, but also decisions regarding the new season in many areas.
The management of Olympiakos joined hands with Mediliber five days ago and extended their cooperation until the summer of 2025, subject to approval with signatures.
After the return match of the “red and whites” with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Serbia on Thursday (14/3, 22:00, COSMOTE SPORT 2HD, LIVE SPORT24), the people of Piraeus PAE will have a two-week break. Together with the Spanish coach, he will make decisions about the team's present and future.
The Basque coach has been at the helm of Olympiakos for a month now, and he already knows very well what he needs to fix, what he needs to change and how the Piraeus side need to progress in the nine games remaining in the championship playoffs. What to plan considering the new period. It is obvious that Olympiakos has competitive problems, while the players' psychology is weak.
From joy to pain
From the first week of joy “red and white”, from Thursday to Thursday, Ferencvaros with two wins and in between the “double”, at the expense of PAOK, went the week of agony with two upset wins against. Asteras had a disappointing week with two heavy defeats against Tripoli and Panathinaikos and Maccabi Tel Aviv and Panathinaikos.
However, Olympiakos must find a balance and it needs it immediately, tomorrow it travels to Serbia for a rematch with Maccabi Tel Aviv, and then tackles an important match against AEK in New Philadelphia in the Championship.
A game that could take Piraeus from two in the “yellow and black” to minus two, or drop them from first place in the competition to minus eight. And as for the match against the Israeli team, the “red and whites” must do everything they can to win to add points to their special rating in Europe.
“Burn” expiring contracts and borrowers
However, in between, i.e., on the second fortnight of the month, decisions for the next day of the Piraeus team must be made. It is recalled that there are players whose contracts expire in June such as Fortonis, Mazouras, El Gabi, Iovedic, El Arabi, Carvalho, Ibora, Guini and Tsolakis (Basalakis was recently renewed). As for Kamara, he wants to continue his career abroad.
Olympiakos also have players on loan and purchase options such as Garmos (€18,000,000), Orta (€6,000,000).€), Alexandropoulos (4,000,000€), Pontens (5,000,000€), Cabral (3,000,000€) and Navarro (7,500,000 euros€) as Richards borrows.
Therefore, it is important to decide which players make it to the coach, for whom clauses can be activated and which of the footballers want to continue at Olympiakos, as some may have other aspirations.
Many open ends
At the same time, there are players who are bound by a contract, but the club is no longer happy with them, or the coach does not include them in a new program, or they themselves seek a transfer to a foreign team in the summer. . Additionally, there are decisions to be made about players we haven't seen enough of like Vezo, Brinic and Leidner.
Olympiakos has several open ends in front of it, for which it must slowly find solutions and plan together with the team's coach for next season.
At the same time, as far as the current season is concerned, with nine important league games left, we have to take into account that it is not an easy thing to finish for a footballer, for his psychology and his concentration. As his contract or playing on loan and the spring has arrived, it is unknown whether he will continue in the team next season or not.
You would say that this is football and the players are professionals and must be committed to the goal until the last minute, but sometimes things are not that simple.
