It was only a few weeks ago that Panathinaikos, one of Greece’s biggest, most historic and most popular clubs, were staring down the barrel of suffering its most humiliating season in its decorated history.
The team looked destined to miss the Top Four, optimism was low on the European front, PAOK swept the Greens aside with ease in the Greek Cup semi-finals and Rafael Benitez looked clueless on the sidelines as he constantly tinkered with formations and personnel every single game.
Speaking of Benitez, he was the seventh coach Panathinaikos had in 22 months when appointed in October 2025. Does that not say it all? All this while spending an insane amount of money in the last few transfer windows by Greek football standards. Yes, several quality players were signed in January, but under Giannis Papadimitriou as Technical Director, the bad far outweighed the good and many bad deals were done, while other potential targets were missed.
The team did well to beat eternal rivals Olympiacos in a great 1-0 away win but backed it up with two horror shows, firstly at Toumba to exit the Greek Cup and then at home to drop points to AEL. Following that, confidence was rock bottom, Benitez even faced an uncertain future according to reports despite being just months into the job, and club captain Tasos Bakasetas was abused by fans outside Leoforos.
What has followed since then has been nothing short of remarkable as the Greens have turned things around to go five games unbeaten look ultra-confident and, most importantly, put fans at ease. Panathinaikos now sit in the Top Four (usurping Levadiakos despite being nine points behind only a few weeks ago), and have eliminated Viktoria Plzen in the UEFA Europa League play-offs to set up a tie with Real Betis in the Round of 16.
At a normal and consistent Panathinaikos, this wouldn’t be a shock. But given the way this season has panned out it most certainly is.
So what on earth has changed almost overnight?
Firstly, the experienced Spaniard on the bench has finally settled on a preferred formation which has already brought an element of certainty to the team. The back three, which can become a back five, has made Panathinaikos harder to break down and therefore, harder to beat.
Things haven’t been perfect as we saw at OAKA against Viktoria Plzen where Alban Lafont should have done better for both goals, but overall fewer goals have been conceded since this shift – Panathinaikos have conceded more than one goal just twice in their last 13 matches. Lafont, meanwhile, has been a consistent figure in goal this season and saved a penalty in the shootout a week later.
Secondly, the new additions have hit the ground running. Andreas Tetteh has been a revelation up front and the talk of the town among Greek football circles – comparisons have already been drawn to former fan favourite Djibril Cisse. The striker was on a great scoring run prior to not finding the back of the net against Aris, but even then he had an assist, taking him to five goals and one assist in his last five appearances.
The most pleasing thing with Tetteh is the types of goals he is scoring. He has shown he has different strings to his bow: he is great in the air and is a target up front, he excels at the physical side of the game bullying defenders for fun, reads the game well to find space for himself and others, and is efficient in front of goal when the opportunity presents itself.
However, it doesn’t just stop at Tetteh. Vicente Taborda can essentially be considered as a new player since he barely featured prior to January. Now that the pocket rocket Argentine is getting regular minutes, his best qualities are coming to the fore. He is all action and can create something out of nothing.
Georgios Katris has been a revelation since rejoining from Levadiakos as his loan was cut short. The youngster bleeds green which the fans love, reads the game well and can cover various positions across the back line.
Davide Calabria and Renato Sanches aren’t “new” players given they did not join in the most recent transfer window, but both possess huge quality and we are now seeing the best of them. The former is a top right back that is good defensively and offensively, and brings leadership qualities to the table. The latter has now strung several good games together and is injury free for the time being. When on song, he is the best midfielder in Greece but the worry has always been his fitness. Hopefully he can remain fit between now and May.
- READ MORE: Perspective over panic as football’s fine margins catch Olympiacos
- READ MORE: AEL: Keep the faith
Sverrir Ingi Ingason is another who deserves a shout out. The Icelandic centre-back is a rock at the back and the leader of the team. It was a travesty he was fourth-choice centre-back at one point this season. He is the voice at the back, the calming presence and he was the one that led the talk prior to the penalty shootout against Viktoria Plzen.
New players are hitting the ground running, along with others finding their feet, and this has led to confidence being sky high in the dressing room. At the start of the season, the opposition would score from their first effort at goal, putting Panathinaikos on the back foot in an instant. However, it is now the opposite. The Trifylli now regularly opens the scoring with their first shot on goal and it feels a certainty they will grab another to kill the game off.
It’s been a bumpy road, it hasn’t been perfect, and this season cannot be considered a success, but here we are with the regular season almost ending and the Greens finally sit in fourth spot (130 days later), and are in the midst of their best European run in 16 years. The last time Panathinaikos went this far in Europe it was 2010, when they beat Roma 6-4 on aggregate in the Europa League play-off round, but fell disappointingly to Standard Liege 4-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16. Sure they made it this far last season, but that was the Conference League.
The job is not over yet domestically – this weekend’s away clash at Levadiakos is critical to secure Top Four. The aim now has to be to firstly ensure the team is playing against its rivals in the play-offs, then an internal goal should be made so the players have something to aim for. Something along the lines of getting a certain amount of wins or aiming for third spot. The season would still remain a failure, but we need to enter next season on the front foot with confidence in what is shaping up as our last season at Leoforos.
The Europa League brings joy to the fan base and gives us something to look forward to. The club has a sensational European history and this playing group has to return us to where we once were.
It’s also a great opportunity for the players to face a strong La Liga outfit in Real Betis. The Spanish club are undoubtedly favourites and should advance, but Benitez has shown he can still navigate his way through tough European ties (he remains undefeated in Europe to date with Panathinaikos), he has previously won the competition, and he surely knows a thing or two about the team from his homeland. It’s a shame the first leg will be played at the construction site of OAKA rather than Leoforos, but it has to be as full as possible. Meanwhile, Gate 13 has already announced its plans for the second leg in Seville with 3,500 tickets on offer.
Players and fans have to be united, a strong start is needed, a result in the first leg at home is likely required, space cannot be left in behind for the pacy Real Betis attackers, and we will need to be efficient in front of goal.
Play for the Trifylli and play for the fans!
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