OFI are without a doubt one of the most interesting projects in Greek football over the past few years. It’s a purely football-rich project, ran by people who have spent their whole lives on a football pitch.

And so, OFI continues in the same pattern as in the 2021-22 season, faithful to their philosophy. Last season may not have brought the desired results, the team may have even flirted with relegation at one point, but no one has ever stopped believing that the road forward and the goal for the club is simple. To keep working hard to recover their form.

The effort and hard work over the summer from both competitive and administrative level has prompted solid signs of optimism. The team ahs been set up based on the desires of the coach, and the expectations are for a serious run in the championship. The goal is to return to the Play Offs and fight until the end of the season for a European place.

Nioplias in the driving seat

Nikos Nioplias took over last March and managed to change the team’s perforkances, contributing heavily to keeping the club in the top flight. The improvement in the competitive aspect led the club’s management to trust the experienced coach for this season as well.

Nioplias brings a lot of experience with him, having spent time in the dugouts of Greece Under-21s, Panathinaikos, Cyprus, Atromitos, and also OFI in the 2016-17 season, having celebrated a domestic double in Greece with Panathinaikos, and also a second place in the European Youth Championship of 2007.

Squad reinforcement

OFI have managed to keep most of their squad intact, with Sturgeon, Vaz, Vafeas, Sakor and Sardinero being the most important departures.

There has been intense transfer activity in the area of ​​… arrivals. Pasalidis, Kamau, Van Duinen, Durmishaj, Epassy, Gagiekos, Toral and our very own Lazaros Lamprou, who is on loan in Heraklion, have all arrived in Crete to give Nioplias an array of options, to fill gaps and generally to raise the quality of the squad.

Undefeated start, but no win yet

OFI have drawn all four of their four games so far. The Cretans had a demanding program against Aris, AEK, Astera Tripolis and PAS Giannina, and managed to stay undefeated, but they have only four points and are ninth in the standings.

Juan Neira, who is now the club’s captain, has stood out from the rest of the players to date. He has already scored three goals, while from the newcomers, Epassy has won a starting place between the posts, Gagiekos has shown excellent performances but he will miss the game with PAOK, as well as Kamau.

The stable pillars for Nioplias‘ team are Vouros, Diamantis, Korovesis, Lamprou, Pasalidis, and also Jonathan De Guzman, who seems to have left behind the injuries that afflicted him previously in his career.