GSL Preview: Panthrakikos looks to impress in Super League first

The Greek Super League (GSL) is just under a week 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.

Panthrakikos will look to convert their success they achieved in the second division last year, to success in their first season in Greece’s top flight. The side from North-Eastern Greece finished in third place in the Beta Ethniki (Greece’s Second Division) to grab the final promotion spot. Despite last year’s good fortunes, Panthrakikos faces a much stiffer task in survival in the Super League.

Panthrakikos has seen many new additions to the club this offseason; with changes not stopping short of the managerial role. Emilio Ferrera, a former Belgian footballer, takes over the reins in Komotini. Ferrera, who began last season with fellow Super League Skoda Xanthi, will hope a fresh start in Greece’s top flight will erase the memories from Xanthi. After a slow start to the season, Ferrera was shown a pink slip by the club.

On the player front, Panthrakikos has seen eleven players leave the club, including leading scorer Van Es. Fortunately, a busy transfer window has seen seven players join the Panthrakikos’ ranks. Of those acquisitions, goalkeeper Zlatko Runje could be the most influential; especially for a club lacking an efficient offensive threat. Featuring in Croatia’s EURO 2008 match with Poland, the new Panthrakikos custodian will need to recreate his performances from the continental final in order for the newly-promoted club to succeed in what’s shaping to be a highly-competitive Greek Super League. Other arrivals include former-Turkish international Okan Yilmaz, Ludovic Clement, Sito Riera, Egutu Oliseh and Roberto Bisconti.

Panthrakikos won’t be one of the most exciting teams to watch this season, but the mix of youth and experience in Komotini should give Panthrakikos to cause a few surprises in the Super League.