The day after the derby…
Mixed emotions. From one side there is the bitter taste of not getting the win the performance warranted on the pitch against Olympiacos. On the other hand, however, PAOK’s display has stimulated optimism in the camp, especially in the second half when the home side completely bossed the game.
While the derby result at the Toumba did not allow the Double-headed Eagle to close the gap at the top of the table – a gap created by PAOK’s own errors in previous matches – however, the players showed that they are on the right track, and with the right tweaks and game management, the team can be even better in the coming weeks and months.
The title race has a long way to go, and if anything is certain, it’s that PAOK will never give up. The series of matches in January continues with another difficult match away against OFI.
PAOK travel to Crete this weekend to face a team which has cemented their place in the upper echelons of the table in recent years, and a team that plays good football. The PAOK squad gathered in Nea Mesimvria and kicked off the preparations for the game at the Yedi Kule.
As is usually the practice, those players who started the match on Wednesday remained in the gym, swimming pool and with the physiotherapists for recovery and recuperation.
The rest of the group executed a high-intensity training session on the practice pitches which included running exercises, ronde, games in limited spaces, and individual work.
There are no fresh injury problems after the derby, with Enea Mihaj continuing his rehab and Douglas Augusto remaining at home as he tries to get over a virus.
On Friday (15.01), PAOK will train at 12:00 at the Toumba.
