Suggested Call Ups/Starting 11

[Reaper]

https://www.agonasport.com/agonaspor...-to-the-future

Looks like Samaris, Torosidis and Stafylidis won’t be part of the team going forward according to this article. (I can imagine Reaper with a smile on his face about Stafylidis being off the team lol)

I like the way you explain your line ups Don but Im tired of Samaris. Tachtsidis needs to have different role. We shouldn’t forget that Masouras has been playing solidly and is one of the few bright spots on this team. Also Fetfatzidis is the creative spark of this team. They both need to start.

I agree with you that Mitroglou should be a bench option from now on.

[Don Giovanni]

Samaris didn't play recently for Benfica. He wasn't even part of the squad, but that could be due to an injury he originally picked up in the loss to Porto.

[Reaper]

He was on the bench last game, just not wanted.

[Don Giovanni]

You're right, he was on the bench, but apparently Bruno Lage is contemplating to start Samaris in the UCL this Tuesday in place of Fejsa. I think it would be a mistake to exclude Samaris from the squad. He's one player who I think would fit into that group of 15 who would need to be constants in the group. Just like Mitroglou, Donis, and Tachtsidis should be part of the squad, bare minimum.

[Amorgos]

I'm thinking we should go to 4-3-2-1 and use an old Santos/Valverde tactic of playing a DM in an AM role. I wouldn't mind playing Samaris in a higher role. I was thinking something like this:

Barkas
Retsos---Manolas---Sokratis---LB
Zeca---Tachtsidis---Kourbelis
Samaris---Donis
ST

It may be too early to bring Retsos back in. He didn't feature for Leverkusen in their 4-0 loss to Dortmund, but he could soon find his way back into the eleven with performances like that. In the worse case scenario, will be forced to play Sokratis at RB and Siovas in the middle. Bakakis can't start for Greece. Eventually we would need to bring on Torosidis as a sub.

Left-back would probably be Koutris. Pavlidis at striker for me. If both do well, they should continue against Bosnia, otherwise I'd go Stafylidis and Koulouris for Bosnia, and send Pavlidis back to the U21 team.

Sorry but that line up nearly made me vomit

[Don Giovanni]

Who do you think we should play against Italy?

Edit: Or, what would you do different?

[Reaper]

Personally I think it should be clear we will not qualify. If that is understood as van Shit is pretending it is - there should be an immediate plan to start an 11 that has potential for next year's quals, rather than the current one.

Therefore, for me:

......................................Vlach....... ....................

Masouras/Retsos....Sok........Manolas.....Koutris

......Androutsos (he 6' tall)/ Bouxa... Galan........

Fetfa.......................Mandalos.............. ..Masouras

.....................................Pavl......... ....................

Bench: Bouzoukis, Barkas, Tsimikas, Natsos, Katranis, Kampetsis, Donis, Risvanis.

Banned: Staf, Samaris, Torosidis, Kourbelis, Mavrias, Bakasetas.

Fortounis to return when fit.

[Don Giovanni]

We can't do that. And there's no sense banning players. I'd even be open to Bakasetas returning if he continues his current form in Turkey.

I think Barkas has to continue at this point. He plays well again in the Italy match, he'll likely own the number jersey for a lot longer. Vlachodimos may improve leaps and bounds at Benfica and prove the better keeper in time, but right now, he doesn't seem sure enough of himself in goal for Greece and he missed his opportunity to own the Greek no 1 jersey.

Against Italy, I would entertain starting Mantalos over Samaris and Koulouris over Pavlidis, but Koulouris would need to drop back often and not act as a target man or reference point. We need to take a more defensive approach, pressing Jorginho, Veratti, and Bonucci in particular, and use a pacey forward to try and get in behind Italy's defense, like Liechtenstein did to us and Armenia basically did to Italy. The more we can unsettle Italy when they have the ball, the better. There were a couple of moments where we tested them in the 0-3 loss when we managed to press them high inside their final third.

[Reaper]

We can't do that. And there's no sense banning players.

If a player like Torosidis speaks to the media and says the Greek players are simply not good enough to qualify for tournaments - it doesn't make sense to not ban him.
If a player - the type Van Shit clearly mentioned - who is driven by his ego rather than the team's success is not banned - it does untold damage.

Something Greeks need to learn and need to learn fast. A rotten apple spoils the barrel.

Now in reality in life you come across players that are so talented - or have so much spirit and positivism - you are willing to forgive their trespasses. Staf, Samaris, Torosidis, Kourbelis, Mavrias, Bakasetas however do not fit that description. If I was coach I would bin them all for the good of the whole and for a new start.

[Don Giovanni]

What good has it done for Germany when Low declared a ban on Hummels? That wasn't smart of Low.

Samaris is the only midfielder Greece has right now who plays for a top club. Beyond him, we have five more options: Tachtsidis, Zeca, Kourbelis, Galanopoulos, and Bouchalakis. All are good enough to play in top leagues across Europe. The rest are attacking midfielders, with the exception of maybe Mantalos and Fortounis who can double as CMs. Then we have players like Harisis, Siopis, Androutsos, and some other up-and-comers who in no way can we suggest are good enough to play for Greece at this time. As far as Greek midfield options go, this is what we have. We have to figure these players out and make them work as a midfield unit. Samaris figures into that conversation, bare minimum from the bench.

I can see Koutris taking the starting place of Stafylidis, but banning Stafylidis makes no sense. All the other options haven't done enough to assure themselves of their place. Whose to say Stafylidis doesn't come into his late like Holebas did? We don't know our best option yet. Let's see how Kourtis does against Tottenham and if he does well we can play him against Italy. If he struggles, the coach will have to carefully consider his options and Stafylidis should be one of those options.

[Reaper]

Whose to say Stafylidis doesn't come into his late like Holebas did?

Holebas was never leaking goals on an industrial scale. Sure angry temperament - occasional mistake - but all in all, better in attack and superior in defence than Staf - no question. If only Staf had been banned earlier, Xolebas would have secured that LB position and we would not have lost as many games as Staf clearly cost us and we would have done better.

Sometimes, you have to remove players because they are fundamentally bad. Doesn't matter if they have a big heart, wear their heart on their sleaves, cry because they are passionate after the latest game they cost us. Add to that Staf is in the very dangerous yet insanely common position of a naturally bad LB who is loved by the Greek media. It is nice to believe one day Staf will learn how to be a secure LB and not hurt Hellas - but, again, to quote another really good truism: The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Koutris and Tsimikas are already better defenders than he is and we already have better left wingers. Staf has no place and neither do the other rotten apples..

As for Samaris, he is a poor quality CM. When I watch Benfica - I can see how he fits in. He has players running a 1000 mph around him looking for space, covering him and giving his options. He survives in that environment and his finest moments are usually in more of a defensive capacity.

[Don Giovanni]

Holebas struggled a lot with Greece and almost single-handedly cost us Euro 2012 with his poor performances. He was finally dropped against Russia. I like him, he's a great player. I'm going to check out the match between Arsenal and Watford tonight, I'm sure I'll be sitting wondering why isn't this guy in the Greek eleven, but Stafylidis isn't the reason Holebas is off the team. Skibbe didn't handle him well and he was basically banished, which only highlights the problem of banning players in the first place.

And we're not playing Stafylidis out of the kindness of our hearts, but we have to look at our options and help them develop into the players we need. It's players like Valerianos who really have no business playing for Greece, but he was on the team because Anastasiadis is a romantic and can't coach players of greater quality, he relies heavily on mediocre players who depend on him for game time.

[Reaper]

You're right, he was on the bench, but apparently Bruno Lage is contemplating to start Samaris in the UCL this Tuesday in place of Fejsa.

Nope on the bench again.

[Don Giovanni]

I don't think he was even on the bench.

[Reaper]

I don't think he was even on the bench.

Yea something is up..