I'm very glad to see you write this because this criticism of Freddy is one that goes back to his days with DC and Pitor Nowak as coach. It seems to have followed him in whispers from team to team, and coach to coach. I guess it does matter as quite a few try to defend Freddy saying it doesn't. Yes, not moving without the ball, offense and d, and standing is a Freddy issue. Here's hoping Cuper will be the one who makes him understand. The skill is there, let's hope the maturity, supportive coach and good environement will help him blossom. Up to him. As for EJ. We need forwards. Any forwards at this point. The spot in SA is there for whomever gets hot.
I still haven't managed to calm myself! My heart beats like crazy! It was a dramatic equaliser that probably determine the outcome of this season. It was not just a simple goal that prevented an elimination. If Xanthi had been qualified, we would have seriously jeopardized our european participation. Fortunately, Neto was there at the right time! Some quick thoughts: - It's a disgrace to put professional players play in such terrible conditions. It's a shame to let investments worth millions of € be determined by luck and random circumstances; let alone the potential injuries. - Aris showed passion and spirit and didn't give up until the very last second of the game. Luck goes with those who dare to pursuit it. - Prepare to see an incredible atmosphere next Sunday and next Wednesady in the upcoming back-to-back home games. All Aris fans are literally in "ecstasy", given the way we avoided today's elimination and this enhousiasm will be a crucial factor for these consecutive matches. Aris players seemed relieved that they will now have us again on their side. - Solid performance by Adu. He isn't ready to withstand 90' of such demanding soccer, with physical touches, body-to-body battles and such crappy field. Given all these conditions, I can tell that he was really good. He kept his position, came back to mark and cover several times, he even gave an assist to Javito and earned a lot of fouls. I think that game by game he is gonna keep getting better. Good thing he made it to the starting 11 for the first time! - EJ is a rock! When he gets the ball to his feet, he covers it in an excellent way and few greek defenders seem able to handle him, so far. I said it last time too, I will repeat it now: the more I am watching him, the more I like his style! He seems to be adjusting to the mentality of the team. - I am in awe for Meriem's crosses! He was probably the ace in the sleeve of Cuper. From the moment he entered the field, the set pieces were a constant source of danger for Xanthi's goalkeeper. I will post a synopsis/review of the game tomorrow. Now I need to get some sleep to calm down and try to realise what really happened today! I can tell you for sure that it was one of the most dramatic games in Aris' recent history, that will take years to forget... VAMOS ARIS!
Is the torrent up yet on aris mania? Also yes, adu will find his rhythem.... we just gotta be patient. I have faith in cuper.
Someone... something... don't know what helped us today... a godsent goal... I have just relaxed... Adu was really great... he has a lot of power, he is a really technical player and knows the game... today he couln't prove his abilities in the lake... hopefully on sunday we see him on a dry pitch... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAΡΗ ΟΛΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕΕ ΜΟΝΟ ΓΙΑ ΣΕΝΑ ΚΟΜΑΤΙΑ ΓΙΝΟΜΑΙ....
Aris fans need to make a lawsuit to Neto cause as they say at ARIS fm they broke tvs mobiles furnitures and many other things at 93'! [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRM501dbxrY"]YouTube- XANTHI ARIS 1-1 GOAL NETO TERIAKIS sportena.com[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hdm3Gvn46M"]YouTube- ?????-???? 1-1 (????????? ??? ???? FM)[/ame]
We will see what the coach's verdict is on Adu's play. If he is an attacking player, he has to be more than a steady possession guy who tries on defense - he needs to create something.
SKODA Xanthi-Aris Salonica 1-1 @ Pigadia, Xanthi 71' Stinga 94' Neto Photos >> The goal has driven all Aris players crazy and everyone runs to hug Neto! Players and fans become one after the goal! Aris players run towards the fans to celebrate the goal! Videos >>The last dramatic minute of the game [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NbFcBt9ivQ"]YouTube- xanthi-ARIS 1-1[/ame] Aris FM Radio broadcast [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hdm3Gvn46M"]YouTube- ?????-???? 1-1 (????????? ??? ???? FM)[/ame] Highlights of the game [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phqqf-0Q3M4"]YouTube- Xanthi-ARIS Highlights[/ame] Aris journalist broadcasts the game via Skype [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRM501dbxrY"]YouTube- XANTHI ARIS 1-1 GOAL NETO TERIAKIS sportena.com[/ame] Torrents >> 1st half: http://www.arismania.com/index.php?page=torrent-details&id=4e84d710494f07b8a0100607a7d3c6093f792c6d 2nd half: http://www.arismania.com/index.php?page=torrent-details&id=d9230a96ea36a0a8566bdb4d5d8a740712d02a53
You guys do perhaps the best job at providing info, feeds, vids, and pics than any other YA team. Congrats.
Thanks for all your info and links Aris fans! For those of us who don't know Greek soccer as well, how does the Greek Cup impact play in Europe?
If we get cup we go straight to 3rd qualifying round of Europa league, just before the groups. Playing at end of August. If we loose the final against Panathinaikos that will propably go to Champions league, we will still play at Europa League. But of course we can try for Champions league at playoffs. I have to mention that Aris fans want the Cup no matter what, we dont care about European competitions so much in front of a title.
I keep hearing these playoffs mentioned - how exactly do they work? 2nd-5th teams? 3rd-6th? Are they for C League or E League?
Cuper said: Nothing has ended yet. Its difficult to speak about football cause the field was terrible and noone could play in it. We had 2 different half times. In this field my team was having many difficulties to play football. But i was sure that we would never loose this game. I m happy cause my team handled the game very good after Xanthi scored. We fought until last minute. We earn our trust after the 2 negative matches and now we got a different psychology. I dont want to watch this kind of football but the result is important today. We could score earlier but anyway we are leaving happy and with the opportunity to qualify in our stadium. If you know Argentinian you can hear the press conference here. http://www.aris2014.gr/news/3399.html
Got it now. Thanks! I forgot this game was going to send the winner to the Semifinals, one step from the finals (and a European spot).
1st team is champion and goes to Champions league groups. 2-5 go to playoff The Standings at playoff are total points between the teams divided by 5 so if playoffs were now it would be Olympiakos 3 Paok 2 AEK 0 ARIS 0 1st team goes Champions league, 2 others go Europa league Last team depends at Greek Cup holder. Playoffs are like mini championship, every team plays against each other in and outside matches. Point system is 3-1-0
It's a rather complicated procedure. The teams between the 2nd and the 5th place play each other home-away (6 games). The 5th team begins with 0 points and then we take the point difference from the 4th, the 3rd and the 2nd and we divide it by 5. So, if the League was over now (2nd Olympiacos 46, 3rd Paok 44, 4th Aek 32, 5th Aris 32), the playoff standing would be: Olympiacos (46-32)/5 = 14/5 = 3 Paok (44-32)/5 = 12/5 = 2 Aek (33-32)/5 = 0 Aris 0 The team that finishes 1st in this sub-league gets the Ch. League qualification round ticket, while the 2nd and the 3rd of the playoffs get the Europa League qualification round ticket. In addition, the Cup Holder participates in the qualification rounds of Europa League. If the Cup winner is the League Champion or the 2nd placed team (Ch. League participation) then the Cup Runner-up is given a european ticket. If te runner-up is a playoff team, then the 5th place offers european participation, too. If Xanthi had eliminated us yesterday, we would have 3 non-playoff teams in the semifinals (Xanthi, PAS Giannena, Panionios/Kavala) and Panathinaikos. Since Panathinaikos is probably gonna be the champion, the runner-up of the Cup will get the european ticket, leaving the 5th team out of Europe. So, our chances of being among the privilieged teams would have been narrowed a lot; we would have to enter the playoffs and not terminate in the last position. Fortunately this scenario didn't occur. But, as nick3f said, the Cup for us isn't just a matter of european ticket. It's a long-desired goal that we haven't achieved for many years. And we will fight for it until the end.
So basically they set up a 4 team league where each team starts with extra points based on their standings? Good luck to Aris in the cup run! Looks like they have good odds of getting into Europe anyway, so I see that winning a trophy is more important.
Yes, it's a mini league of 4 teams and 6 fixtures. The final points those 4 teams have gathered at the end of the season are gone and remplaced by new ones, based on their standings. So, if the playoffs started now, it would be like that: 1. Olympiacos 3 2. Paok 2 3. Aek 0 4. Aris 0 As you understand, it's just a matter of victory over Oly or Paok to cover the gap; not a big deal for a team such as ourselves.