Before the Super League Interwetten kick-off, PAS Giannina’s participation in the top flight was one of the big question points. The Epirus club booked their ticket back to the big time despite the latter part of the Super League 2 campaign being cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. PAS were at the top of the table at the time. They had to wait almost six months to set foot on grass again for an official match, and all eyes were on the club to see how they would be shaping up.

On paper the squad did not look strong. The coach had experience only from the second tier on his CV. Pre-season preparations were not ideal. However, on the pitch, everything changed.

PAS is one of the pleasant surprises of the season so far. While only nine points from nine games may not be an impressive harvest, what has been impressive is the team’s style of play and competitiveness. They are a team in every sense of the word.

After a short spell in the dugouts of Aachen and Essen in Germany, the first two clubs at which he was a first team head coach Argyris Giannikis arrived in Ioannina in July 2019 with a clear plan in mind that seems to work well. Promotion to the top flight came at the first attempt and now everyone at the club is excited about the challenge of the Super League Interwetten.

PAS’s style is very much based on the team approach. It’s made up of a squad of players who are full of running, covering plenty of ground, and its trump card is hitting teams on the break, Up to now this has proved effective and on a good day PAS can stand toe-to-toe with any team in Greece. Proof of this can be found in the matches against Olympiakos and Aris.

The Epirus outfit still have much room for improvement in several areas, however, both defensively and in attack – a fact that has cost them points. But, it’s a team that knows exactly what it wants to do on the pitch, has its own philosophy, and demonstrates that it can easily achieve its primary goal of staying in the top flight, while having one eye on something bigger and better. After all, everyone’s goal at the club is to experience the magic of recent years gone by when the club played in Europe.

The squad is mostly made up of Greek players, some experienced, but also several up-and-coming youngsters, along with a clutch of quality foreign players. Choutesiotis has made a starting place his own between the posts, and the four main defenders include Erramuspe and Pantelakis in the center, with Saliakas and Peersman as full-backs. Kartalis and Kargas make up the midfield engine room, with Siontis, Juan Dominguez, Naumets and Eleftheriadis proving more options in the middle and on the flanks. The main frontline duo of Pamlidis and Leo Jean-Baptiste provide the main threat in the forward positions, with Krizman, Liasos and Castro comprising the vital backup options when its time to rotate.

Pamlidis is the team’s current top scorer with three goals, followed by Eleftheriadis with two. The two players have scored more than half of their team’s goals, as they have five of the nine that PAS has scored so far. Pamlidis is also in fact first on the list of assists as well with two.