GSL Preview: OFI keen to end bottom table blues

The Greek Super League (GSL) is only a day away; and here at the Greece Blog we’re counting down the days to kickoff of the 2008/2009 season with a preview for each of the sixteen clubs comprising Greece’s top level of football.

Like their island rivals, Ergotelis, OFI Crete has found itself in countless relegation battles in recent years. The club faced a bumpy ride through the 30-game season last year – a déjà vu of sorts for the OFI supporters. Despite managing to score handful of goals in some games, the club lacked consistency and were on the wrong end of many close games.

The club heads into the new season knowing they must improve on their bottom half finishes, and begin to push for European spots. The club has added a handful of players from ‘sister’ club Panathinaikos, as Elini Dimoutsos and Dame N’Doye join from the Athenian giants. The versatile Dimoutsos, is an up and coming Greek talent who never found his place amongst the PAO ranks. As for N’Doye, his time at Panathinaikos was doomed when Jose Peseiro was replaced by Henk Ten Cate as Panathinaikos boss.

Several well known OFI players have left the island; longtime servant Joseph Nwafor being one of them. Joining the Nigerian is Goran Drulic, after two years in Greece. Leozinho has seen his loan from Olympiacos to OFI come to an end, and the Brazilian has since been released by the Greek Champions.

Despite the departures of several key players, OFI has the talent to improve on their dismal finishes from the past. Stelios Sfakianakis experienced a late blossom in Crete last year, and the 32-year old will be expected to continue his goal-scoring this year. Giannis Taralidis, also a former Olympiacos player, will be expected to live up to his hype. A player to make a splash on the international level enters his second season in Crete, and the 27-year old will play a key role in OFI’s offensive and defensive agenda.

OFI begins its season against PAOK, and despite their success against the Thessaloniki in recent history, OFI will be in tough against their revitalized opponents. Mostly important for the team’s confidence levels, OFI is one of the many clubs who require several valuable results to open the 2008/2009 Greek Super League season.