Suggested Call Ups/Starting 11

[Dean97]

With the nations league coming up and the first game around the corner i believe this team should start:

Karnezis

Bakakis Sokratis Manolas Tsimikas

Bouchalakis/Galanopoulos Zeca

Lazaros Fortounis Pelkas

Mitroglou

Pelkas has to start for me. I liked what ive seen for far with him in the champions league qualifiers. PAOK would need a big game from him in a few days.
Mantalos and Donis can provide good depth on the bench. I dont think Lazaros should be set in stone to start but his experience and form will come in handy. It could be risky playing Tsimikas but if i was the boss i would trust him. I dont know if Torosidis should start, as i think Bakakis speed is useful and Torosidis has declined significantly in this aspect of his game. Bouchalakis and Galanopoulos are option with one getting the nod depending what happens this week in Europe.

[Amorgos]

Forget Torosidis, he has no place on this team anymore but watch Skibbe start him :(

[Amorgos]

Barkas is our most complete keeper IMO, outstanding

[Don Giovanni]

There's still time to fiddle around and figure out what works best, but Skibbe will need to make his call-ups very soon and have, more or less, in mind his 11.

I think the only changes I'd make to D97's 11 are Kourbelis for Bouchalakis. I think having Tsimikas and Bakakis on the same pitch will lead to problems for us. In my view, we can only afford to play one or the other, not both. In my view, Torosidis would play as a left-back/center-back, but Skibbe would prefer Tzavellas.

I think Torosidis, if he starts, would be a third CB for the most part. Kourbelis could drop in and allow Torosidis to get forward should the situation demand it. I'd expect Greece to attack down the right (Bakakis, Fortounis, Pelkas) and seek options to head from the left or up top (Lazaros, Mitroglou). So something like this:

Karnezis
Manolas----Sokratis------Torosidis
Bakakis----------Kourbelis-------------------------------
-----------------Zeca
Pelkas----Fortounis------------------
--------------------------------------Lazaros
Mitroglou

It's essentially a 4-2-3-1.

Wing-backs
I think a good coach will look to balance the wing-backs. Yes, we need new faces, but two inexperience wing-backs will invite problems on both sides of the pitch and force Sokratis and Manolas into difficult situations that are otherwise avoidable. I'd play a more experienced player on the one side, but I'd play him in a more conservative role, while allowing a younger, less experienced player the chance to be more adventurous and more attack-minded. Most likely, according to this logic, Skibbe would probably have Tzavellas start at LB/CB, but frankly Torosidis would be the better option (even if it meant playing him on his weaker left side). If Retsos were fit, he would start over both Tzavellas and Torosidis. Likewise Kyriakos, but he's now behind Retsos in the pecking order.

Defensive Mids
I think Zeca and Kourbelis play a defensive midfield pivot, with Kourbelis primarily sitting deeper, plugging up defensive gaps, and sweeping things up in front of the defense. Ideally, he would allow one of the CBs to step forward, while he would fill in as a place holder, thus allowing a more gifted defender like Sokratis a chance to break up the play higher up the pitch. Zeca will press all over, but focus more on pressing opponents at the mid-half, higher up the pitch than Kourbelis, while providing support to Fortounis to have a passing outlet should other options be difficult to find. I think Zeca, giving his ability to run as if he has three lungs, is the key to allowing Fortounis a much freer role than he otherwise would be afforded.

Of all the defensive midfield options, Kourbelis and Zeca have the most experience playing together and look the most natural fit. I think Kourbelis has a bright future and he has more potential than Samaris. I think he's destined for Series A by the end of this season given the rumblings that Sampdoria have already made. Kourbelis and Zeca are the best pairing at DM. I think Bouchalakis is the only other option. Galanopoulos gets carded too often and is at best an option off the bench to close out games with fresher legs. His lack of discipline is a major concern.

Attackers
Pelkas and Lazaros too would be expected to press and track back. They'd have to make up for Fortounis. Fortounis would be allowed the most freedom and would focus his attention at putting himself into positions that would worry the opponent. He simply has too little to offer defensively, but on offense he can be big difference maker. Mitroglou a good target man, but he needs to press and chase more than anything. Fortounis is the one who would sooner put two goals into the back of the net than Mitroglou. He offers little in the way of getting in behind defense and so it may make sense for Lazaros to ghost his way further up the pitch, with Fortounis or Pelkas playing balls over the defense in search of an on rushing Lazaros. Mitroglou will need to occupy and attract defenders, opening space for teammates.

To sum it up, Greece will look to attack down the right and shore up defensively on the left with loads of experience at the back (former and current Series A defenders). Two creators and two destroyers in the midfield. Two direct attack options, one with pace (Lazaros), one with size (Mitroglou). I think this would the most ideal system for the team come September.

[Dean97]

I like your idea and tactics of playing a more experienced player at fullback who focuses on defence and a more adventurous full back bombing forward. Holebas would have been perfect to have as he can do both in my opinion.

Kourbelis and Zeca have experience and should be the 2 starting. I just hope players like Pelkas, Fortounis and Lazaros bring their club form to the the first game. They can be difference makers. Donis would have to come in at some point. His pace and grit is needed in this team.

I'm not super excited about Mitroglou. His slowness can kill our attack. His slow thinking and slow movement is what let's him down. Other than that he can be a great striker.

I think your 11 is the best way to go thinking about it.

[Don Giovanni]

Agreed on Mitroglou. He has seen better days. Right now, he's more of a big body who can help bring others into play and take defenders with him. Karelis is an option who could overtake him. Between the two, Karelis is more rounded and has a tendency to score from more difficult chances. Considering chances may be hard to come by for our team, it would be good to have someone who can score from the unthinkable.

[Dean97]

Agreed about Karelis. Apart from them 2 we really don't have anyone else. Donis can play their but I'd rather he play on the wing. Hopefully Kampetsis and Vergos progress at PAO and we get some sort of depth at ST.

[Amorgos]

It’s a shame Manos has gone into oblivion at Olympiakos after the season he had with OFI

[Don Giovanni]

Another player who showed some promise has seen his hopes fade away at Olympiakos? Who could have seen that coming? The only thing OSFP have gotten right are Greek CBs and Fortounis. Why they bothered with Avlonitis, I'll never know, but Avraam, Kyriakos, Manolas and Retsos were quality players who saw their stock rise at the club. Fortounis, meanwhile, has Marinakis to thank for firing Michel and hiring Pereira. When the next coach came into the frame, he was clearly instructed to play Fortounis. I think Tacthsidis is another player OSFP must try to keep because Fortounis will be leaving. I'm surprised he didn't leave this summer. A team could have picked him up at a great price, now he'll leave for at least 10 million and hopefully OSFP have enough smarts to replace him with Tachtsidis.

---

Against opponents like Hungary, 4-2-3-1 should in theory give us a good balance and some real options up front. Instead we saw our CB get on the score sheet and none of our forwards ever really threaten. Without Mitroglou and Karelis, we look really impotent. And without Fortounis (alternatively Tachtsidis, Ninis or Fetfatzidis), we have no offense that can be strung together. Maybe Pelkas can take on that mantel at CAM, maybe Lazaros, possibly Kone, but that remains to be seen. Something needs to obviously change because we should be winning games like this and yet Hungary outplayed us and played some really good football when they grabbed their goals. We need to change more than just tactics and personnel. It's the approach itself. We are not playing to our strengths.

I know I sound like a broken record, but we really should be playing a system that can free up our CBs. They're our best players and for Greece to do realize her potential we need them more involved: be it winning the ball higher up the pitch or getting into the area and providing an additional attacking option. We start playing like this, our opponents won't know what to do. How do you play the ball from the back with Sokratis breathing down your neck in your half? Have him snapping at someone's heels and teams will look uncomfortable with the ball at the back. How do you stop Manolas in the air? He can climb higher than almost any player. He can beat just about everyone of the world's best defenders and just having him there draws a defender in and the goalkeeper to suddenly pay attention to someone other than Mitroglou or Karelis. That's a huge asset for us offensively and yet we only use it on set-pieces as things stand.

We have players like Zeca and Kourbelis who can press and use their size fairly well. Kourbelis is young and energetic. Zeca is a machine with the stamina of two men. We should play higher, using Manolas' pace to recover at the back if need be, getting Sokratis stuck in a bit higher up (and if you watch him, you'll notice he likes to step out of the back and press higher up into the midfield), Retsos and Kourbelis plugging away on defense, Zeca running his hide off and chasing opponents into the ground; Stafylidis and Bakakis running up and down the wide areas, servicing our forwards, combining with our attacking mid and forwards; Karelis/Mitroglou and Mantalos/Pelkas/Donis/Lazaros chasing and pressuring, getting in behind defenders, combining with our attacking mid and wide mids; Fortounis in-between the lines, pulling all the strings on the attack.

Vlahodimos
Retsos---Manolas---Sokratis
Kourbelis----------------
-----------Bakakis------------------Zeca---------Holebas/Stafylidis
Fortounis----------------
---------------------------Mantalos
Mitroglou

I'm a little torn over starting Donis (perhaps Lazaros or Pelkas) for Mantalos and also Karelis for Mitroglou. Beyond that, this to me is probably our best eleven as of now. I should point out, the formation funnels/bottles into Fortounis. He's the connecting dot between midfield and offense. That guy can figure out ways for us to get forward. He has a real head on his shoulders. He's the one who should be combining with the wide men the most, allowing them to overlap and getting them into positions to cross, etc. No more wide forwards, let's get Kourbelis, Zeca, Retsos/Sokratis, and Mantalos to plug gaps on the wide areas defensively, maybe Karelis if he's playing for Mitroglou, when we need to drop back and cover space. Leave Fortounis in a free role where he can be dangerous.

[Reaper]

Here is an interesting guy. Wants to play in Greece. Midfielder.

https://www.sport24.gr/interviews/te...e.5307451.html

[LoneHorseman]

Donis injured and will be out 3-4 weeks, wonder if Skippy is going to call up Fetfa???

[Reaper]

Donis injured and will be out 3-4 weeks, wonder if Skippy is going to call up Fetfa???

Indeed.

Also - Odysseas still not received a call up for the Greek NT. Was sensational tonight vs AEK.

[Don Giovanni]

If we play Fetfatzidis, I'd be tempted to drop Fortounis.

[Nikod]

Fortounis has been our best player lately. As for vlachodimos, he certainly looked better than Barkas, who is ahead of him in the pecking order

[Reaper]

Fortounis has been our best player lately. As for vlachodimos, he certainly looked better than Barkas, who is ahead of him in the pecking order

I agree. The idiot Greek media didn't want to pick up on but it was a tale of two keepers last night. The current NT keeper (who for me is not as good as Gianniotis) and Odysseas (same age as Barkas) who was incredible. Odysseas should be the starting Greek keeper and yet he has not been capped at any level by the EPO. The EPO should be on the phone now to Odysseas offering him a start in our next international.

The EPO has not even ever sent Odysseas an invite even though Odysseas stated he was proud of his Greek heritage!!

http://sportdog.gr/sports/podosfairo...xthes-sto-oaka