Panathinaikos: Ataman, the madman needed to return to the top – Articles – Christos Roupolis – Panathinaikos Actor

His historical superiority Panathenaiko With its conquest EuroLeague He has many “fathers”. But more than his leadership personality behaviorits category NanHis Excellency The lessor Or his money GiannacopoulouThe six stars became seven stars thanks to… a madman who turned into a prophet. for him Ergin Ataman…

Because – bad lies – when in September, during preparation, the Turk showed his players the sky of Oaka and told them that he had come to add another banner, even they looked at him strangely. And when he called on fans in November, when the record was 3-4, to book tickets to Berlin, he was described as ostentatious and ethereal and accused of putting unnecessary pressure on a team that was struggling to find its way. But for every encounter with “logical” achievement, from discovery to athletic success, It takes a “crazy” to believe it firstTo spread faith to others and lead them to achieve the vision.

This is exactly what the ataman did in Panathinaikos. Why did we beat the Euroleague with an eight-month-old team, with only 2-3 players (not exactly champions) “survivors” from last year’s roster, with 12 new faces starting in 17th place, This wouldn’t be the logical conclusion to the first season since returning to normal life And getting out of the nightmare of memory reality. Here, teams that struggle with rational moves, with multi-year plans and a lot of patience struggle to reach the promised land and Panathinaikos succeeds… going all the way.

And all this thanks to his personality Ataman. He had absorbed the “traumas” throughout the season and received harsh but usually fair criticism, but nothing affected him. He takes hits because he can handle them and protect his team. While he received the privilege of trust from management and the world, something that is not a given for an organization that works intermittently in crises, the Turk conveyed the self-confidence with which he is filled to his players. as long Panathinaikos He passed the tracks one after another, the greater the psychology of the winner. And a team that for years seemed to always find ways to lose and fail suddenly seemed to always find some way to the light. The bar was constantly raised by the results to reach the Berlin miracle. Because that’s what Panathinaikos did.

Not only that… a measure of psychology and mind games

But it will be so Great injustice Ergin Ataman can only be credited with the ability to “inspire” confidence in his players or play with the minds of friends and opponents. Calling a coach a ‘psychologist’ often means that he doesn’t do much in the way of tactics, reactions, coaching and the rest of the ‘basic’ package required of the man on the bench. Turns out the Turk It’s not just…a mental worldwho strengthens himself morally with the power of his thought, but also Excellent trainer.

Even what seemed (and were) misspellings on his part for much of the season turned out to be “weapons.” When he desperately stopped the rotation of the regular season by endangering the physical endurance of his players, he did so because he wanted to win with those who could lead him at that time to victory and not wait for the rest. If they meet high demands. But when the “reserves” showed him that they could not only stand, but could also change the rhythm, he offered them the space and time they had earned with their sword and not because the “main” had to rest. in Unlike the beaten path, who wants teams to end their rotation as they approach the source, Ataman went in the opposite direction by betting on more players as we approached the end. Suddenly, but… not suddenly. Maybe after all, S Panathinaikos From 6-7 tired players who wondered how long he would be back, it became – from the qualifying series with Maccabi and then – a team that took things from even the 10th or 11th player in the tournament. And this is a credit to the ataman, who knew what he was asking from each player and when they gave it to him, he had no reason to keep them inactive.

In addition to using most of the list, the coach (not just a psychologist) Ataman is credited with a lot. Like her Turning an offensive-minded roster into a formidable defensive team (Which yesterday kept the exhausted Real Madrid at 44 points after the first quarter and Al Fener to 57 in 40 minutes of the match), where even players like Sloukas who had the character of a weak link in defense, became a valuable link in the chain. Or the Great management in Final 4 Where… He tied the knot with Jasikevicius and Mateo regularly and not just through mind games or statements in press conferences where he always has a way of going viral. Moves like Mitoglou’s move to the number “5” turned out to be… checkmate to win the match against two very strong teams. And even categorically.

Ergin Ataman is for all this and perhaps more The real best player for Panathinaikos. Because just as it would take some crazy person to believe in the impossible and lead humanity to new discoveries, inventions or worlds, so here too it was necessary to find a crazy person who believed that Panathinaikos would not have to wait 3-4 years to “build” and hope that it would arrive. To past greatness, but he will do so from year one, against all basketball logic.

This ingredient makes and The seventh star of Panathinaikos with the greatest brilliance. Because he did not come from a team… It was just a matter of time to get over it with a galaxy of 90s stars like in Paris, nor with a team that under Obradovic was destined to win five European titles in eleven years. But for A group that pierces its roof every day He ultimately proved that nothing is impossible and no land is difficult to reach when you have the right people to take you by the hand and lead you there.

note: The five-day stay in Berlin shattered the site’s trust in Greek sports fans or even fans. The vast majority of those who traveled to the German capital, we are talking about 98 or 99%, are… ordinary people. Who love their team but do not hate and want to destroy the opponent. They don’t have to be happy if the “opposite” happens, but they will travel with their friends from the other side… to have a good time, see beautiful matches, and make or accept their kazura respectively in the end. . The 1-2%, which is a much noisier percentage, unfortunately threatens to ruin it for the rest of us. Anyone who didn’t go to Berlin looking for trouble was guaranteed to have a good time and the experience of a lifetime, whether their team won or not.

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