Will Mendilibar Double-Down On The Press? | OneFootball

José Luis Mendilibar spent his press conference talking about intensity. Olympiacos needed to create more.

They needed to stop NEC playing comfortably. They needed to make the return leg feel completely different from the first.

Hours later, the final training session produced the clearest indication yet of how he might try to accomplish that. Dimitris Tomaras reported that Mendilibar paired Santiago Hezze and Lorenzo Scipioni in central midfield during the team’s internal game, with Gustavo Sá operating ahead of them.

It may remain only a rehearsal. But tactically, it makes enormous sense.

The alternatives are revealing. Dani García gives Olympiacos experience, but is slow and a source of frustration to the fans. Christos Mouzakitis provides the cleanest progressive passing. Scipioni offers something different.

And a willingness to play forward quickly rather than manage possession patiently.

Put him beside Hezze and Olympiacos suddenly have two midfielders capable of attacking the game without the ball. That fits everything Mendilibar said publicly earlier Monday. If NEC cannot be allowed to circulate comfortably, Olympiacos need midfielders who can sustain pressure after the first pressing line moves.

Hezze–Scipioni may be the most natural pairing for that job.

The key is what happens after NEC beat the first press

That was the defining issue in Piraeus. Olympiacos could make NEC uncomfortable initially. But once the Dutch side escaped the first pressure, the pitch opened. The midfield had to cover huge distances.

That is precisely where Scipioni’s inclusion becomes intriguing. A Hezze–Scipioni pair could defend those moments much more dynamically. One jumps. One protects.

If the first duel is lost, both have enough mobility to recover. That could allow Olympiacos to press higher without exposing Pirola and the centre-back beside him quite as severely.

It may also explain the Gustavo Sá experiment

Using Gustavo Sá ahead of the two midfielders creates a very different central structure. Instead of asking the attacking midfielder to provide defensive stability, Mendilibar could allow Sá to stay higher and become part of the pressing front.

That gives Olympiacos a potential 4-2-3-1 structure in possession but something closer to an aggressive 4-4-2 or 4-2-4 press depending on how Sá joins El Kaabi.

The intention would be clear: force NEC’s centre-backs and deepest midfielder into rushed decisions.

That is exactly where Telstar caused NEC problems at the weekend.

Gelson’s presence adds another aggressive clue

Tomaras also reports Gelson Martins was used as a starting winger in the tested shape. That reinforces the idea that Mendilibar is considering substantially more directness.

Gelson can beat the first defender.

That matters because Olympiacos struggled to create enough individual superiority in the first leg.

If NEC defend compactly, Olympiacos need somebody who can turn a static possession into a broken defensive shape.

Gelson offers that, even if he has not offered any end product.

There is a major tradeoff: passing control

A Hezze–Scipioni pair would improve intensity. It might reduce control. Neither player provides exactly what Mouzakitis gives Olympiacos when they need to circulate around a compact opponent and find progressive passes through midfield.

That could become important if NEC sit deeper than expected. But Mendilibar appears to believe the bigger problem from the first leg was not insufficient possession.

It was insufficient disruption. If that diagnosis is correct, choosing Hezze and Scipioni together would be completely coherent.

It would also change how Olympiacos use Rodinei

Rodinei remains another major lineup decision. If he starts at right-back, Olympiacos will send enormous attacking energy down that side.

A Hezze–Scipioni midfield would make that easier to protect. When Rodinei advances: Hezze can slide toward the right half-space.

Scipioni can maintain central coverage. If possession is lost, Olympiacos have two mobile midfielders behind the attack rather than a more static structure. The whole lineup begins to connect.

Smajlović–Pirola should be treated more cautiously

Mendilibar also used Smajlović and Pirola together at centre-back in the same internal match. That is notable but less persuasive as a starting-XI clue.

Retsos and Carmo remain available, and internal training teams are often constructed partly to balance numbers and combinations.

The midfield pairing is more interesting because Hezze’s return has been one of the principal tactical questions throughout the week.

Scipioni could become the surprise decision of the night

The 21-year-old Argentine has already shown qualities Mendilibar values:

verticality;

physical commitment;

and the willingness to contest midfield duels.

Starting a Champions League qualifier away from home would nevertheless represent a major vote of confidence. If Mendilibar does it, he would effectively be saying that he trusts Scipioni’s athletic profile more than the experience of García or the possession quality of Mouzakitis for this particular game.

That would be a genuine tactical selection rather than simple squad rotation.

Everything points toward Olympiacos trying to increase the game's temperature

Put the clues together. Mendilibar says Olympiacos must not allow NEC to play comfortably.

Hezze is back. Scipioni is tested alongside him. Gelson is used as a starter. Gustavo Sá is positioned ahead of the midfield. El Kaabi has publicly emphasized scoring first.

The pattern is difficult to ignore. Olympiacos appear to be preparing for a match built around pressure, second balls, vertical attacks, and repeated transitions.

That is much closer to Mendilibar’s preferred football than much of what we saw in Piraeus.