AEK season review; Rating every player on the roster

Reminder; These ratings are opinion based and subjective. They are based on the author’s observations and opinions of the squad.

Goalkeepers

Vasilis Barkas (8/10)

Barkas started the season exceptionally well, with some stand-out performances in the Champions League qualifiers and rumors of AEK wanting to sell him for more than 10-15 million euros. While his -and the whole team’s- form dipped after that, he still kept 18 clean sheets in 26 league appearances. A solid season for the Goalkeeper but not solid enough to warrant the huge hype around him last summer.

Panagiotis Tsintontas (6/10)

As AEK’s 2nd choice goalkeeper, Tsintontas only made 9 appearances this season with most of them coming in the Greek Cup. He is an excellent option for a 2nd choice goalkeeper but his recent error that cost AEK the game at home vs Larissa proved that he is not ready yet to make the step up as a no.1 option.

Defenders

Michalis Bakakis (6/10)

Bakakis made 42 appearances this season as he was AEK’s starting right-back. After a really promising 2017-18 season, Bakakis couldn’t meet the standards he put in place and had a really mediocre season. He rarely stood out and his lack of technique showed that he is more flawed than we used to think.

Helder Lopes (9/10)

Another AEK defender that was the key to the club’s league winning season the year before, Helder Lopes was unlucky this time around. He had a good start to the season but was ruled out for most of it after suffering from a torn ACL in late September. He recovered to make a total of 9 appearances at the end of the season and can only be judged for his fighting spirit that allowed him to get back on the field.

Dmytro Chygrynskiy (7/10)

Chygrynskiy was arguably one of AEK’s best players this season. He only made 26 appearances after suffering from various injuries throughout the season but when he was on the pitch he helped the side with his calmness on the ball and commanding spirit.

Niklas Hult (6/10)

Hult made 38 appearances this season but like Bakakis he was not able to stand out and didn’t offer much at the left-back position. He was exposed defensively multiple times and -bar a superb game against Benfica at OAKA- wasn’t able to offer much going forward either.

Marios Oikonomou (6/10)

As Gennaro Gattuso put it best during his time at OFI “Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe shit”. Oikonomou made 36 appearances for AEK this season scoring 3 goals in the process. In some games he was stable and gave AEK some security in front of goal but in other games his defensive errors jeopardized AEK’s back line security. In the end, the verdict on Oikonomou, much like AEK this season, is that he was mediocre.

Uros Cosic (5/10)

The Serbian defender made 31 appearances for AEK this season and he failed to impress at any point. Not fit enough at the start of the season, not good enough at the end of the season (Manolo Jimenez left him out of the squad for the final few games), no wonder AEK are looking to terminate his contract early this summer.

Vasilis Labropoulos (7/10)

A controversial figure at AEK, Labropoulos made just 16 appearances this season. He started out with some strong performances in Europe and his good form continued domestically as well. However, his unwillingness to sign a new contract led AEK to essentially “freeze” him in late November and he never played again.

Rodrigo Galo (7/10)

Another full season for Galo at AEK, making 41 appearances and scoring 4 goals (mostly from set pieces). He was often used as an impact sub while he also started a lot of games as a right winger. Most of the time he created a lot of chances for AEK with his pinpoint crosses and his excellent free kick takes being his trademark moves.

Stratos Svarnas (6/10)

His return to AEK last summer didn’t impress a lot of people and neither did his performances on the pitch this season. He got to play 11 games and to be fair he played alright for a 4th choice CB. That being said though, he is a long way off from starting at AEK consistently and I fear it just never going to happen for him.

Giorgos Giannoutsos (-)

With just 193 minutes on the field, Giannoutsos can't be judged this season.

Midfielders

Petros Mantalos (6/10)

The man that lifted the Greek Superleague trophy last season certainly didn’t help the club as much to repeat that feat this season. Some flashes of brilliance here and there but no consistency. We all know what Mantalos can do on a football field but his 2 serious ACL injuries might have drastically lowered his potential ability. AEK should surely expect more from their captain as Mantalos also seems to be lacking in leadership and with most AEK fans rooting against him his exit seems to be coming soon.

Konstantinos Galanopoulos (7/10)

The 21 year old midfielder was supposed to have his breakout season in 2018-19 but that never came around. He made 27 appearances scoring 1 goal but his overall play must have let AEK somewhat satisfied. It is clear that he is improving year by year and I personally can't wait to see what he has to offer in the future.

Nenad Krsticic (7/10)

Krsticic arrived in January from Red Star and struggled to adapt in Greece. When he finally made it to the first team we could all see the qualities that convinced AEK to buy him mid-season. Overall he made 18 appearances scoring 2 goals and should be nailed down in the AEK starting 11 for years to come. His vision, long passes and his ability to move the ball efficiently from defense to attack makes him a really important asset for AEK to have.

Andre Simoes (6/10)

Another player that was “frozen” out for a long period of time, Simoes never found his rhythm this season. He started the season poorly and never seemed to be able to give us a glimpse of the regular old Simoes that we are used to seeing. Mediocrity all year round.

Alef (6/10)

On loan from Braga, Alef was mostly impressive during the start of the season but quickly faded out in the 2nd half. At 24, he has the potential to be a decent midfielder but I would never pay 1 million euros to get him on a permanent deal as there are other better and cheaper options around.

Erik Moran (5/10)

Moran only played for AEK during the 1st half of the season as he went on loan to Malaga in January. Not good enough, that’s all that needs to be said about him.

Astrit Ajdarevic (-)

Ajdarevic only played one game and left AEK in January, therefore cant be judged.

Forwards

Marko Livaja (6/10)

Livaja made 38 appearances scoring 12 goals this season but he was far from his true self. He often seemed to lack in effort and his lack of pace didn’t allow him to do much. He scored some goals, showed flashes of his undoubtedly great quality but overall never stood out.

Ezequiel Ponce (10/10)

When Ponce signed on loan from Roma last summer no one could have imagined that he would break all sorts of AEK records in his -most likely- only season here. Ponce was far and away the best AEK player this season, he made 43 appearances and scored 21 goals while being 2nd in the top scorer table in the league. He also became the first AEK player to score 20+ goals in a single season since Ismael Blanco in 2009 and all that while the rest of the team never really got going. Impressive.

Tasos Bakasetas (6/10)

One dimensional, sometimes helpful. That’s all that needs to be said about Bakasetas who signed a new contract at AEK this season. He made 30 appearances scoring 6 goals but was largely absent -even when he played- this season.

Lucas Boye (6/10)

On loan from Torino, everyone had high hopes for Boye but he never delivered. He had 3-4 great games but was never the consistent and explosive winger we all thought he would be. He made 36 appearances scoring 6 goals and while his moves and skills looked sometimes impressive they lacked of substance.

Viktor Klonaridis (6/10)

Klonaridis started out the season impressively, scoring 4 goals in the Champions League by October. His lack of quality was exposed during the rest of the season though, and he only gets a 6/10 for his first great few months.

Giannis Gianniotas (4/10)

Gianniotas made just 13 appearances and I can't seem to recall one good thing he has ever done on a football pitch while being an AEK player. That’s troubling.

Christos Albanis (7/10)

Albanis didn’t play a lot but when he played he showed us his potential and just how much he can help AEK on the wings. I expect him to get more minutes next season so he can show us what he’s truly worth.

Giorgos Giakoumakis (6/10)

Giakoumakis only played during the 1st half of the season as he left on loan to OFI in January. Never got a lot of minutes, always looked mediocre and never able to influence what happens in a game. That being said I still think that his potential is high and a permanent move to OFI could help him show that.

Overall average: 6.44/10

In the end most of AEK's players this season were mediocre at best. The roster will undergo major changes this summer and its hard to make a case that anyone on this team is "essential" for the club. A striker, 2 wingers, at least one midfielder and 1 CB are needed if AEK want to catch up to Olympiakos and PAOK next season.