Aris' First Shot at New Philadelphia Says It All

Aris needed almost an entire half to make its presence felt in front of AEK's goal. That first shot, taken by Uroš Račić in the 40th minute, captured a night in which the team looked almost unrecognizable.

The heavy defeat did not come by chance, the article argues. Several problems appeared at once and prevented Aris from producing the football it had shown in its first two matches. It was perhaps the team's worst performance under Michalis Grigoriou, at least since last season, recalling an equally disappointing match against OFI in March.

The contrast was clearest in attack. Aris had created 36 chances and scored five goals in the opening two rounds. Against AEK, however, its production collapsed. The team finished with only seven shots, and very few posed a genuine threat. It became somewhat more active after halftime, but still failed to seriously trouble the home goal. Christian Kouamé's chance in front of the AEK net was the main exception.

That gap is especially troubling because Grigoriou wants attacking football to become one of the team's defining features. In New Philadelphia, Aris did not merely fail to carry out that plan. Its attacking display was effectively the opposite of what the coach has tried to establish on the pitch.