The first ever derby comes early in the season with both rivals still in pre-season.
But the anxiety about the friction between them is great. And the stakes of a title add special prestige to today’s battle.
The two “eternal” easily passed the final of this year’s Super Cup and tonight we will watch the first derby of a long season that is just starting. As we said yesterday, these games in the eyes of the coaches are part of the preparation of the teams. It is very useful to see the reactions of their sets under pressure for the result. The veil of the great derby and the stake of the first title of the year, however, give a special prestige to this great battle. The competitive level is therefore expected to be very high.
Olympiacos is more ready for such a match
In the semi-final against Peristeri, Olympiacos was satisfied with its performance, presenting a good, for-the-season face. He upped the tempo of his defense in the second half and finished the affair unchallenged. The red and white team carried over, directly from last year, some elements to this season, the main one being the circulation of the ball. The speed and efficiency in this part will be their main weapon in the half-court, along with the post-actions of the Milutinov-Fall duo.
Nigel Williams-Goss confirmed with a “good morning” what we had underlined after his return to port. People may have underestimated his production ability, but the American is a good goalscorer and is coming off a season that helped him mature a lot. Along with Milutinov were the players who made the difference yesterday afternoon in Rhodes for Piraeus. The Serbian center was dominant in defense and attack. In fact, his offensive rebound ability will be a very strong card in the productive effort of the champions of Greece. An important support factor (in terms of spacing but also in offensive transition) will be Kanaan’s effectiveness in regional execution. He is a player who has the psychological background to face such a situation.
Olympiacos will put pressure on the Greens’ guards, with the possibility that they will gradually spread their defense on the court looking real. Of course, the opponent’s regional line this year is at a different level compared to the last two years. The main goal for the defense of Giorgos Bartzokas will be the Pick & Roll collaboration between Slukas and Matias Lessor.
The red and whites have the guards to produce a good defensive effect in on-ball defense and their talls (despite size) can drop down and freeze the handler’s dribble momentarily. Of course, we are talking about Kostas Slukas, a wizard of Pick and roll. The Lesor-Antetokounmpo duo is clearly superior athletically and it will take very good synchronization from the Olympiakos defense to break the line of communication in this aggressive action of the opponent.
“There is an emotional charge for Vezenkov who left for America. In the case of Sluka, who went to our great rival, emotionally we will not have a problem, on the contrary, we will have greater motivation” said the coach of the Red and Whites.
As you can see the competition tonight will be red hot.
Panathinaikos has more talent
The “clover” has to manage the problems of injuries to two athletes who would be important tools in today’s effort for the first title of the season. Dinos Mitoglou (who will be out for three weeks) and Ioannis Papapetrou (his participation is doubtful) gave another depth to Ergin Ataman in terms of formations and tactical options. The Turkish coach left out Balcherovski yesterday in order to assess the situation of Guy-Grigonis, finally seeing Costas Antetokounmpo steal the show and respond quite well to the role of back up-center. Our assessment is that – with Mitoglou out – Balcherovski is indispensable.
Panathinaikos raised the level of its defense in the replay and quickly built a margin of safety against the fighting PAOK. Lessor was excellent but he will need help today, having to deal with two bigger bodies and more wear and tear. His collaboration with Kostas Sloukas in ball screen actions is the basis for the aggressive development of the greens. However, it is possible that Ergin Ataman will also try Juancho Ernagomet as a screener in these situations to take advantage of his great athletic advantage against Peters-Sikma. A key element is also the way Panathinaikos will get the ball out of the Pick & Roll partnership, marking Guy or Juancho Hernangometh.
The greens have more individual talent than the opponent, but this takes second place initially as they primarily have to solve important issues in the defensive part and especially in fighting with the red and whites. The defense in the low post and the unfolding of the rotations to prevent the peripheral execution by the good shooters of the opponent and to direct the ball to less dangerous hands are the main defensive goals of Panathinaikos. Ataman’s team will need extra energy from the duo Kalaitzakis-Mantzoukas who must enter with the appropriate “fanaticism” in the rear, making the defensive shell of the “trefoil” tougher.
In addition to the leadership of Slukas, a key player for Panathinaikos will be Luka Vildosa. His class is undeniable and his ability to make big shots against a defense can be decisive. The Argentinian’s ball handling yesterday decompressed Grant and helped develop the greens’ attack.
In conclusion, we are going to the first derby of the year and the anxiety about the result of the friction between the two rivals is reasonable. Olympiacos are more ready to play such a game given that they excel at automation and partnerships at the back, especially when playing with fives made up of last year’s core. These are important details that may decide the outcome. Panathinaikos has the excitement of a new project and the wind of change in its sails. He knows that he has a lot of work ahead of him and that he is starting from a different starting point, with a completely new set. It also has players with strong personalities and great individual talent, elements that can decide a close match.
It’s just the first battle in an enjoyable season that’s now underway.
