Suggested Call Ups/Starting 11

[Don Giovanni]

The thing is Kourbelis and Siovas have experienced together at CB and did well enough. I doubt we see Hatzidiakos start at CB. He didn't start for Alkmaar against United, but he came on late in the game (~87th minute) to play as a third CB. Retsos did play at DM against Germany in friendly for the U21 team. I think Hatzidiakos or Retsos would be a better fit at RB than Bakakis. The problem is Retsos' lack of game time is an issue and the only games he's had so far were at DM. It's safer to play him at DM if at all. And in the case of Hatzidiakos, it's asking a lot of him to play in this one. His inexperience is an issue.

I don't think Donis is fit enough to complete the 90 minutes and I think out wide his lack of fitness will get exposed. Up top he can sit a bit more and regain his wind. He's also our fastest attacker and having him higher up could create a problem for Italy when they leave much of the pitch open.

The problem is with Chiellini out, we could see De Rossi play. He is a superior player on the ball and that would help Italy be more dominant. I don't believe Mancini wants this to be his farewell game. He wants De Rossi to remain an option for him at Euro 2020. If Candreva starts on the right, they'll have a hugely experienced and talented wing-back who will press forward often and create problems. Not to mention that if Sensi starts over Jorginho, then Italy will be more threatening and attack minded. We'll really be on the back foot and we need players who can defend well.

[Dean97]

Italy has yet to make call-ups. What we do know is that Emerson and Chiellini are out. It's likely that Sensi, Veratti, and Barella will start in Italy's midfield, but De Rossi might given the farewell treatment (I actually think Mancini wants to keep him as a back-up to Chiellini). Either De Rossi plays at CB (libero) or in the middle. I doubt Mancini drops Sensi. If De Rossi plays as a libero, who from time to time will step into the midfield, then Italy will convert a third CB as a wide back. Belotti, Chiesa, Donnarumma, and Bonucci are also likely starters. I also think Candreva will be called up. He has yet to play for Italy this campaign after falling out of favor under Spalletti last season at Inter. He's in my view the world's best wing-back. He loves to get forward and along with Chiesa will prove to be a nightmare for our left-side.

Italy will likely play 4-3-3. I think Greece may respond with a 4-4-2 type formation (similar to Finland) because that would lend a numerical advantage: our quartet of midfielders to their trio of midfielders and our quartet of defenders to their trio of attackers. It's also easier to keep shape in banks of four across the width of the pitch because players can rely on each other for reference. And it won't mean we commit too many men back. I like the idea of Retsos starting because he's someone who can immediately drop back across anywhere in the defense and we can make adjustments to our shape and personnel more easily as the game progresses. He offers us a lot of flexibility.

The problem will be Italy will commit men forward, especially their wide-backs. If De Rossi starts as a CB, then he will step up into the midfield and act as a fourth midfielder to help retain possession from deep. One of Italy's wide backs will get forward too. If De Rossi doesn't start, then both wide backs will press forward when possible. That would even out the numbers.

Looking at our team, I think we go 4-4-1-1:

Barkas
Bakakis---Kourbelis---Siovas---Tsimikas
Zeca---Retsos---Bouchalakis---Stafylidis
Fetfatzidis
Donis

We could see Mantalos or Limnios start on the right in place of Zeca, which could see Retsos dropped in favor of a more central Zeca. Alternatively, Galanopoulos may be favored over Retsos and Zeca, which I think will boost Mantalos' chances of starting on the right or further up the pitch in place of Fetfatzidis. I think there's a possibility that Hatzidiakos starts over Bakakis and that Giannoulis starts over Stafylidis. If Giannoulis starts, that could mean Limnios starts on the opposite wing. I think for this Italy match, we go for experience, Zeca and Stafylidis who had both started the last time we played Italy in similar roles.

We could also see Fetfatzidis dropped in favor of a second center-forward, one of Koulouris or Pavlidis, but I find that doubtful. The team needs a source of creativity, who can play between the lines, and Fetfatzidis is our best bet. Donis, Vrousai, or Bakasetas could be that player we see in Fetfatzidis' place, but that too me is a mistake. The smart money is on Fetfatzidis to play in behind Donis. They're our two most gifted attackers from this squad. Donis for his pace and technical class, while Fetfatzidis for his ability to turn players and find/create openings for chances. Both are great at pressing opponents and we could potentially force Italy into an error near their penalty box with these two lurking about and maybe if one of our midfielders can commit themselves into a more advanced position. Greece has to press high to stand any chance of disrupting Italy's game.

Even though I would like to see Retsos play midfield, I believe for the team it would be better he plays RB and Zeca in the middle with Bakakis at RM. like the idea of having Stafylidis as a LM. He can cross well and shoot well from distance. I don’t think Donis is great aerially but his speed is needed to get in behind the defence and on through goal. If we want Stafylidis bringing in the crosses than we need Pavlidis in the box to contest for the header.

We should move Donis outwide I think. Use his pace there and use someone a bit taller and stronger to contest the highballs. As I said Bakakis at RM with Retsos behind isn’t a bad idea. Would love to see Retsos as a CM but I don’t think its realistic at this point in time.

Hatzidiakos could start at CB. Don’t know where Kourbelis fits into this line up. Zeca and Bouchalakis should be the CMs with Galanopoulos coming on for Bouchalakis in the later stages. I still think Bouzoukis should’ve been called up over Bakasetas. Bakasetas had his chances. 20 of them. Like to see Siopis against Bosnia. Don’t really want to see Mantalos play outwide. He gives more to the team centrally. Pelkas the same. Also Fortounis.

With Cheilini and Emerson out I think we have slightly a better chance of getting at least a goal. Fetfatzidis would have to be doing the heavy lifting in terms of creating and setting up chances. The play has to run through him. The one thing I already like about Van’t Schip is that he calls up Fetfatzidis.

[Don Giovanni]

Italy has yet to make call-ups. What we do know is that Emerson and Chiellini are out. It's likely that Sensi, Veratti, and Barella will start in Italy's midfield, but De Rossi might given the farewell treatment (I actually think Mancini wants to keep him as a back-up to Chiellini). Either De Rossi plays at CB (libero) or in the middle. I doubt Mancini drops Sensi. If De Rossi plays as a libero, who from time to time will step into the midfield, then Italy will convert a third CB as a wide back. Belotti, Chiesa, Donnarumma, and Bonucci are also likely starters. I also think Candreva will be called up. He has yet to play for Italy this campaign after falling out of favor under Spalletti last season at Inter. He's in my view the world's best wing-back. He loves to get forward and along with Chiesa will prove to be a nightmare for our left-side.

Italy will likely play 4-3-3. I think Greece may respond with a 4-4-2 type formation (similar to Finland) because that would lend a numerical advantage: our quartet of midfielders to their trio of midfielders and our quartet of defenders to their trio of attackers. It's also easier to keep shape in banks of four across the width of the pitch because players can rely on each other for reference. And it won't mean we commit too many men back. I like the idea of Retsos starting because he's someone who can immediately drop back across anywhere in the defense and we can make adjustments to our shape and personnel more easily as the game progresses. He offers us a lot of flexibility.

The problem will be Italy will commit men forward, especially their wide-backs. If De Rossi starts as a CB, then he will step up into the midfield and act as a fourth midfielder to help retain possession from deep. One of Italy's wide backs will get forward too. If De Rossi doesn't start, then both wide backs will press forward when possible. That would even out the numbers.

Looking at our team, I think we go 4-4-1-1:

Barkas
Bakakis---Kourbelis---Siovas---Tsimikas
Zeca---Retsos---Bouchalakis---Stafylidis
Fetfatzidis
Donis

We could see Mantalos or Limnios start on the right in place of Zeca, which could see Retsos dropped in favor of a more central Zeca. Alternatively, Galanopoulos may be favored over Retsos and Zeca, which I think will boost Mantalos' chances of starting on the right or further up the pitch in place of Fetfatzidis. I think there's a possibility that Hatzidiakos starts over Bakakis and that Giannoulis starts over Stafylidis. If Giannoulis starts, that could mean Limnios starts on the opposite wing. I think for this Italy match, we go for experience, Zeca and Stafylidis who had both started the last time we played Italy in similar roles.

We could also see Fetfatzidis dropped in favor of a second center-forward, one of Koulouris or Pavlidis, but I find that doubtful. The team needs a source of creativity, who can play between the lines, and Fetfatzidis is our best bet. Donis, Vrousai, or Bakasetas could be that player we see in Fetfatzidis' place, but that too me is a mistake. The smart money is on Fetfatzidis to play in behind Donis. They're our two most gifted attackers from this squad. Donis for his pace and technical class, while Fetfatzidis for his ability to turn players and find/create openings for chances. Both are great at pressing opponents and we could potentially force Italy into an error near their penalty box with these two lurking about and maybe if one of our midfielders can commit themselves into a more advanced position. Greece has to press high to stand any chance of disrupting Italy's game.

[Dean97]

His bio says he is a winger. But it seems as though he is a CAM/CM based off what you guys are saying.

[Apostol82]

What Ethnikos said, Milojevic impressed me too. His free kicks where really good and his movement was really good considering he just had a late cameo. Hopefully he plays more, between him and Emmanoulidis Panionios are definitely a team worth following a bit this season.

[Ethnikos]

Milojevic looks very good. Only 20 or 21, already has plenty of first team experience in Serbia. Made the move to Panionios this summer. Saw him in last match against PAO, looked very impressive. Came off the bench and had a huge impact. Good on the ball, can win it, play a smart pass, tall, canon left foot too. I expect him to become a first team regular there very soon.

[Dean97]

Love these rosters you guys are putting up... We should be looking into the future and calling up some of these youngsters. I’m also a fan of Balogiannis but he does need maturing. Is that Milojevic player any good?

[Apostol82]

A few things, one is Van’t Schip doesn’t call up players that aren’t playing, two Sokratis, Manolas, Torosidis (obviously), And Samaris, Zeca won’t be called up.
One is that Sokratis has said (and a year ago now) that if we don’t qualify for Euro 2020 that he would retire from the National Team, Manolas has himself doubted what this team is capable of in interviews so he might stay but I want him gone. Samaris after his nightmare matxh versus Lichtenstein, and Zeca who barely played under Van’t Schip I believe are also done, part of it too is they don’t have good technique and can’t pass the ball for sh*t.
So with that if I had to choose my call ups would be:

Barkas, Vlahodimos, Paschalakis
Kotsiras, Bakakis
Retsos, Siovas (won’t be but should) Hantzidiakos, Triadafylopoulos (not a fan of but he will get called up)
Tsimikas, Giannoulis
Siopis(needs to actually play), Kourbelis, Galanopoulos, Vasiliadis(Paderborn<<really impressive) Balogiannis (Volos/ Big fan of but inexperienced)
Lymnios, Bouzoukis, Mantalos, Bakasetas
Vrousai, Pavlidis, Tasos Donis, Manos, Koulouris
Then there’s those that will be playing sooner or later. Giannis Masouras RB on loan at Panionios, Kampetsis, and Emmanoulidis, Androutsos, as well as Mavropanos and a few others.

[Ethnikos]

If I were Schip.

Vlachodimos
Paschalakis
Stergiakis
Masouras
Retsos
Mavropanos
Siovas
Hatzidiakos
Tsimikas
Giannoulis
Galanopoulos
Vasiliadis
Milojevic
Hatzitheodoridis
Fortounis
Mantalos
Bouzoukis
Fetfatzidis
Vrousaï
Lamprou
Donis
Manos
Sierhuis
Pavlidis

Christian Vassilakis Garcia (top Real Madrid prospect) has apparently chosen to represent Greece over Spain. According to Van’t Schip Manolas and Sokratis are toxic. Nobody is above the team, apparently the both of them think they are. Enjoy your club football boys, can’t even keep a clean sheet against Liechtenstein / who haven’t scored a competitive goal in years.

[Reaper]

So...

.............................Vlacho............... ....

Masouras.....Hatzidiakos...Retsos......Koutris

..................Gala..............Bouxa......... ........

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

....................Kouloris...................... ....

Subs: Donis, Limnios, Tsimikas, Risvanis, Pelka, etc

[Don Giovanni]

Now everything is changed. We're going to field a dud team. Van't Schip and his staff have to go!

[Dean97]

You’ve put Retsos in a position that doesn’t make sense. I know what you mean though as you want a more defensive line up. Retsos to me is a defensive player should become either a CDM or RB. We would be wasted at CB and we have many options there as it is. Samaris shouldn’t play simple. He hasn’t done anything of real importance in the last 4 years. He hasn’t been a difference and isn’t really effective defensively. Tachtsidis provides more solidness even though he lacks effectiveness defensively. Bouchalakis aswell. Slowly Samaris is becoming the next Tziolis unfortunately.

We need someone who can give that long ball from the break and Bouchalakis or Tachtsidis are capable of that. Your right we need one of them starting. We need to use Donis pace and that’s obvious. What we also need is Mantalos and Fetfatzidis be the most creative they can be and it’s up to them really what we do with the ball in attack. I don’t want go too defensive. We should play a high line with moderate pressing and have a fast build play where players get forward quickly. Counter attacking football. We can’t sit too deep we won’t get the ball enough and we need Mantalos and Fetfatzidis on the ball as much as possible. They have to be really involved when we have possession. Bouchalakis and Zeca have to be very organised in their positioning. Especially defensively.

I’m looking to more a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-2-1.

Vlachodimos
Natsos Manolas Sokratis Tsimikas

Zeca Bouchalakis

Fetfa Mantalos Donis

Pavlidis

OR

Vlachodimos

Hatzidiakos Sokratis Manolas Tsimikas

Zeca Bouchalakis Galanopoulos

Fetfa Mantalos

Donis

[Don Giovanni]

Samaris played for Greece through injury last time, which is more than I can say of some players. If he's fit enough to play 30 minutes, then he should be included.

I now believe Italy will line-up with Candreva and Sensi. Italy will be very attack minded and we'll be on the back foot. Balotelli could come off from the bench for this one.

Donnarumma
Candreva---(Romagnoli?)---Bonucci---Emerson
Barella---Veratti
Chiesa---Sensi---(Insigne?)
Belotti

As things stand, I think we have go as defensive in our selections as possible:

Donis
Fetfatzidis---Retsos
Zeca---Bouchalakis---Kourbelis
Tsimikas---Sokratis---Manolas---(Hatzidiakos?)
Barkas

OR

Donis
Fetfatzidis---Mantalos
Zeca---Galanopoulos---Kourbelis
Tsimikas---Sokratis---Manolas---(Hatzidiakos?)
Barkas

We need to look to Donis' pace to get in behind Italy's defense. We need Fetfatzidis for his ability on the ball and to draw defenders. Mitroglou is a good option from the bench. Koulouris should be an option to start against Bosnia, not Italy, and in that game I'd revert back to a 4-2-3-1, thus dropping one or two of the DMs as a result.

If Mantalos plays, I'd go with Galanopoulos. I think Bouchalakis is the better option right now and Retsos. If we do play Retsos, better to play him somewhere in the middle like he did for the u21s against Germany.

Tsimikas has to start at LB. I like the idea of playing Bouchalakis partly because he and Tsimikas are teammates and I think Bouchalakis can help get Tsimikas and Fetfatzidis to take advantage of space left behind by Candreva on Italy's right side (our left). Bouchalakis did well against Tottenham and I think he's needed for his ability to break up play, press, and spread the ball wide of or behind defenses.

Barkas has to continue in goal.

The only question mark for me is at RB. I think we go with a CB, possibly Hatzidiakos. Another option is Triantafyllopoulos. I wouldn't play Natsos or Bakakis for a game like this. We need a full-back here, someone who can defend and do so well, which I think is part of the rationale behind Van't Schip's decision to call-up so many CBs.

Going a flat back five would invite too much pressure far too deep into our half and would give us nothing out from which we cling to in order to pull out of our end. Greece needs men in the middle and at least one player who can exploit space left behind by Italy's attacking wing-backs. Both Candreva (Florenzi) and Emerson like to get forward.

[Reaper]

Samaris not in the Benfica squad last few weeks because he is out of form. Coach should not reward him with a call especially seeing as how bad he had been for the NT the last 3 years.

[Don Giovanni]

If we don't get Mantalos (or an another CAM) to dig in defensively, whether that means to track back or shield the defense, then we have three players up top who aren't pitching in defensively beyond pressing the opposition's defense. Once the opposition can advance the ball out of their defense, that leaves us with three players fewer to defend against 7-9 players. If Italy commit 8 men forward (which is likely), then they'll match our numbers in defense and we won't have extra men for cover.

For a country like our own, it's hard enough to justify one free man against opponents who have quality players in every department of the pitch. That's why our wingers tracked back in the Otto and Santos era. We would need as many men behind the ball as we can muster when we're without it and we would need to be cautious about committing men forward at the risk of opening too much defensively. Even Rehhagel was reticent about playing Tsiartas for this reason and chose the more industrious, hardworking players Giannakopoulos or Karagounis instead, players who weren't great defenders, but who were determined and chased opposition players to the point where the harassment wore our opponents down.

Mantalos would need to drop back and help the defense. If he can't, then you need Samaris, Retsos or Galanopoulos instead and have them positioned a little higher (where we would normally play a CAM) to deal with the deep-lying play-makers like Veratti or the attacking wing-backs (like Emerson). I think we could probably drop Bouchalakis or Tachtsidis to justify a starting role for Mantalos and have anyone of those three DMs help to protect the defense.

As things stand though, I do feel we should have one of Tachtsidis or Bouchalakis on the pitch. Bouchalakis probably has the edge at the moment. Just look at the way he won the ball against Tottenham. He and Tsimikas are a good fit for the team. Mantalos could play alongside Bouchalakis, which would give us more of an offensive edge than if we played another DM, but Mantalos would have to pitch in defensively and he has to do his defensive job well.