Olympiacos enjoy 'golden decade'

On Monday, there was a full-page ad in the majority of Greece's newspapers. It had the emblem of Olympiacos CFP, the signatures of all 33 players and coaches, and the caption 'Champions 2005-2006... as usual'.

Dominant force
The "as usual" could be misconstrued as a sign of arrogance. However, Olympiacos have just won their ninth league title in Greece in the last ten years and raised their tally to 34 championships out of a possible 70, 15 ahead of Panathinaikos FC with the capital's other club, AEK Athens FC, back on eleven.

Title assured
Matchday 28 of 30 began with Olympiacos needing just one more point wrap up another crown. However, Panathinaikos's defeat by Iraklis FC in Thessaloniki 20 minutes before the beginning of Olympiacos's match at Larissa FC ensured Trond Sollied's side could celebrate before kick-off. Of course, the game itself was an anti-climax as Larissa won 2-1, but Olympiacos were sporting enough to take this defeat in good humour.

'Way better'
Captain Predrag Djordjević was emphatic. "We were way better than the other teams," he said. "That's why this league was decided relatively early compared with recent years." As for coach Sollied, he dedicated the title to the fans and said that the season is not over yet as Olympiacos are going for the double when they meet AEK in the Greek Cup final on 6 May.

Media praise
The Greek media echoed Djordjević in their praise for the champions. Goal News headlined their report 'The dynasty goes on' and wrote: "Usually one gets what one deserves. And we didn't need the mathematical confirmation to see that Olympiacos were the best team this season. They won twice against Panathinaikos and twice against AEK Athens and 'killed' any opposition long before 16 April."

'No surprise'
'Champions in all aspects" was Ta Nea's headline. And they analysed the reasons behind Olympiacos' success: "It's no surprise that Olympiacos won yet another league title. They are superior than their rivals in all aspects. First of all, they have more quality in their squad and many players to choose from and make rotations. Second, new head coach Trond Sollied managed to cast his shadow immediately over his predecessors and to handle the squad with diplomatic skills and know-how. Third - and most important - Olympiacos prevailed in the most important aspect of all: their morale was always high and their superiority didn't develop into a complex but rather a useful force. They were always confident they would win the league title".

'Absolute masters'
That was reflected in the rest of the press. 'Professional champions' declared Eleftherotypia. 'Title No9 and the party goes on' said Protathlitis. Ethos declared: 'The golden decade of Olympiacos', while Sportime hailed 'The absolute masters of Greek football'. Few would argue with that right now.