Olympiacos overwhelm Greece once again

Olympiacos CFP wrapped up their 12th Greek title in 13 years with three games to go last night and the margin of their triumph surprised even coach Ernesto Valverde.

Another success
A 3-2 win at Panionios GSS combined with Asteras Tripolis FC holding Panathinaikos FC gave Olympiacos an unassailable eleven-point lead and a fifth straight championship. It is the 45-year-old Valverde's first trophy as a coach, having lost the UEFA Cup final on penalties two seasons ago with RCD Espanyol, and ensured a return from his maiden campaign outside his native Spain, in which Olympiacos did not concede a league goal against main rivals Panathinaikos, AEK Athens FC and PAOK FC. Olympiacos now have 37 league titles, one more than every other Greek club combined.

Difficulty
"I didn't expect that we would secure the league title so early in the season and with such a comfortable margin over our rivals," Valverde said. "However, it was not as easy as it looks, because the degree of difficulty increased from match to match. The credit goes to the players and I want to thank them for their effort. I also wish to thank the president for the trust bestowed on me. Now, our goal is to also win the cup and finish off the season with the domestic double."

Double bid
His side, who have dropped their only two points in 14 home games through their 0-0 draw with Panathinaikos early this month, can take a step closer to Greek Cup success when they welcome Tripolis for the second leg of their semi-final on Wednesday with the scoreline at 2-2 as they eye a fourth domestic double in five years. Olympiacos have certainly come a long way from their surprise UEFA Champions League third qualifying round elimination by Anorthosis Famagusta FC, though they were to reach the UEFA Cup Round of 32. "We started the season on the wrong foot, by getting eliminated from the UEFA Champions League," Valverde said. "As for some of the defeats we suffered in the league and in the UEFA Cup, I believe that we could have done much better in those matches. However we should learn from our errors. But I am satisfied with our team because we won the league."

Kovačević tribute
One of that team, Predrag Djordjević, was part of all 12 recent league triumphs while winger Luciano Galletti dedicated their success to another Serbian, striker Darko Kovačević, who underwent heart surgery in January. "We dedicate the title to Darko, who couldn't continue with the team until the end," Galletti said, "but he will retire from football the way he should, with another title under his belt. I am very happy about the title. We proved that we are better than the rest."