Remo Freuler has become Imanol Alguacil's reference point in midfield after just two matches at Olympiacos. The Swiss had an assist and three key passes against Jagiellonia.
The new Olympiacos head coach, Imanol Alguacil, already has his favorite player and point of reference, after only two matches coached with Thrylos.
After José Luis Mendilibar's dismissal and Alguacil's arrival, doubts arose over whether the Basque coach would maintain his predecessor’s system or implement a new strategy.
After Alguacil’s first two matches in charge of Olympiacos, it is fair to say there are differences between the two Basque coaches' playing styles. But above all, it seems the coach has already found his reference point in midfield.
In Olympiacos’ 2-1 victory over Jagiellonia on the opening matchday of the 2026-27 UEFA Europa League, Alguacil lined up a midfield made up of Santiago Hezze and newly arrived veteran midfielder Remo Freuler.
Freuler joined the Red and Whites as a free agent from Bologna, tasked with bringing his professional experience to the rest of the squad. He was the brain of Olympiacos in midfield throughout the entire match against Jagiellonia, sharing the pitch for 77 minutes with Hezze and sharing the final minutes with Gustavo Puerta.
In addition to assisting Roman Yaremchuk in the Red and Whites' victory, Freuler also had three key passes, completed 88% of all his passes, completed all three of the long balls he attempted, had two shots and 72 total touches, as well as two defensive contributions, four ball recoveries, and won four of seven duels.
Apparently, the Swiss is already the point of reference for Olympiacos and Alguacil, and it seems no coincidence that the Basque coach has started Freuler in the only two matches he has coached the team, both against OFI and Jagiellonia.
With Christos Moutsakitis's departure to Hull City, the midfield battle will mainly be between Santiago Hezze and Gustavo Puerta to see who becomes Freuler’s regular partner.
Of course, the Swiss will also need rest, as we are talking about a 34-year-old veteran player, and we should also remember that the club has plenty of depth in that position with other players such as Lorenzo Siopioni and fellow veteran Dani García.
It is still too early to be 100% clear on what style of play Alguacil will implement, but one thing that stood out during the Europa League match was greater aggression in controlling the ball.
Although, of course, during some stretches of the match it seemed that, even though they were trying to press, they did not end up applying the pressure when it seemed appropriate to do so, or there were also moments when the ball was simply passed from one side to another without being able to create something in the opponent’s goal.
Of course, these things get corrected over time, and we are talking about a coach who didn't have a preseason with the entire squad he has available and who has also coached only two matches. So, for now, the most coherent thing is to be patient and wait to see how both the players and the coach himself develop in this new environment.
