Rangers to face ‘best tactical team manager’ v Olympiakos | OneFootball

And it’s back to the Europa League, and as we all know our next opponents are Olympiacos.

Olympiacos are the most successful club in Greek football history, and even though they currently sit fourth, this could be a tough match. Last year Olympiacos won the Europa Conference League, defeating Fiorentina 1–0, and nationally they have 47 league titles, 28 Cups (18 doubles), and four Super Cups.

But our problem is we have to overcome is their manager, José Luis Mendilibar, who not only took Olympiacos to the final of Conference League in the 2024, but he also took Sevila to the final in 2023 Europa League and won against Roma.

Mendilibar’s tactics are relatively simple, and involve simple positional defense, where the player efficiently close down space with the minimum amount of running. He does not allow his back line to over-expose themselves, and they will sit deep when attacking.

Playing defensive, they often allow space down the wings, with his tactics requiring players to play central, with his players standing off their opponent just enough that they can cover any gaps in the time that the ball takes to travel across the park.

These tactics work well against European teams, who try to carefully pass their way through a team, but his tactics struggle against teams that are quick, are pressing his players relentlessly and are trying to run through their defensive lines, rather than passing.

Overall, if we play as well as we did last time out, I believe Rangers’ midfield will be too strong for Olympiacos. This is despite being brushed off the ball far too easily against Aberdeen. Olympiacos have lost several of their best players, and though still dangerous, they are not as efficient as they were on the counter attack.

That said, José Luis Mendilibar is perhaps the best tactical team manager that we have met in recent years.

Prediction is a 2-1 win.

Game on….