Suggested Call Ups/Starting 11

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  • #46
    Yeah I know, I was just suggesting it because I was talking about a system that would benefit our players. If we were to put together a team and formation that would get the most out of our players than this could be it.

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    • #47
      Tachtsidis is still an option, but he needs to settle somewhere and play consistently. He should never have gone back to OSFP. Same with Fetfatzidis. There's no patience at OSFP. Each season they hire a new coach and build a new team.

      Tachtsidis has to push to play in a advanced midfield role, not as a 6 in the shape of Pirlo/Basinas, but as a 10 in the shape of Ballack/Katsouranis vs Nigeria. He has to realize that of himself and lobby for it. That's the way to get the best out of him. Of the Greek players around, he has the biggest potential yet, even now and it's mainly because of his size. His quality on the ball is excellent and comparable to Fortounis who only betters him in the area of set-piece taking duties. Beyond that, Tachtsidis in open play is superior to Fortounis and it's due to his size. He's not good enough for Spain and Italy is too dour tactically for him. He needs to play in a league that plays a more open brand of football. He should aim to play in the Netherlands or Germany where I think his potential would be better realized. He's too good for Greece.

      Fetfatzidis needs to find his spark again. He had massive potential and with the right guidance he could have been top player. That won't happen now, but he still has enough quality to make a splash in the Greek football pond and if he were to go to AEK or PAO, I think he'll realize a lot more of his potential. OSFP keep moving on to the next flavor of the month. Now it's Masouras, who in my opinion will never be good enough for OSFP or the NT. He'll be back on loan 6 months from now and then off to the trash heap at Atromitos or whatever second team OSFP helps to farm.

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      • #48
        I agree in regards to Masouras....But I think Taxi was given chances at OSFP and did not take them. I don't think he is as good as Fortounis in open play..Fortounis is far more agile and mobile....and he's not too small either...(although Taxi is physically a beast).
        The fact he has failed to play a single game in the Championship for a team owned by Marinakis vindicates that he has many down sides that can't be simply attributed to the old chest nut of OSFP not giving Greek talent opportunities...

        In regards to the NT....I see him more of a no.8 if anything..Fortounis today has the no.10 locked down..He is in the best club form of his career.

        Fortounis does not bring his A game to NT because he has no functional wide players next to him...Also the NT plays a directly opposite game style to OSFP......Slow tempo, no movement, no speed, no goal scoring creativity....OSFP has for the past 10 -15 years tried to play quick, high press, speedy wide players, and creating plethora goal scoring chances.

        A move to Germany may be good for taxi....but he better have a damn good agent....At 28 languishing in the stands at Forrest indicates there will not be many Bundesliga clubs knocking on his door.

        Keep in mind in 8 years he has had 8 clubs and scored 7 goals (played over 150 games)....this is clearly a bigger issue than OSFP not giving him a chance
        Last edited by RED SHERIFF; 01-01-2019, 12:47 AM.

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        • #49
          Tachtsidis slowness is another downside to his game especially now in this era. In 2012 when he signed for Roma I actually thought we had a decent CM we can rely on instead of the ageing Karagounis and Katsouranis.

          These days you need to have pit bulls in the midfield that are fast and read the game very well. Positioning is another thing that’s a problem for him when he plays deeper. That’s why I agree with Don Giovanni that playing him in an advanced role would benefit the team and himself. I also agree Fortounis is better in open play but Tachtsidis could give something else that could help and that’s his height in the box and his ability to set up the attackers with his head as seen in the past with the assist he gave Mitroglou.

          I don’t think he is working hard enough to prove that he should be playing week in and week out. Another Ninis situation if you ask me.
          Last edited by Dean97; 01-01-2019, 02:27 AM.

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          • #50
            Tachtsidis is a wrecking ball. He's wrecking ball against us if we play him at CDM, but he's a wrecking ball against our opponents if he's played higher up.

            His size and the fact he's good on the ball is what makes him special. A player like Tachtsidis would do for Greece what Samaras did, but in my view he's stronger and more technically gifted than Samaras. He's much more rounded than Fortounis too, who offers far less defensively and in terms of pressing.

            The problem with Tachtsidis is he plays as a CDM when he's really an ACM. And now he's probably heading to Series B this winter to play for a team that uses 3 CDMs and 1 ACM, meaning he'll continue in a role that doesn't suit him. He's not a Basinas type player. He's more Samaras (or Katsouranis vs Nigeria/Romania). He's more Ballack than Pirlo. For Greece, he needs to play in the advanced role. We saw that against Hungary (4-3 win) and Belgium (1-1) draw. He can create problems for opponents if he's played correctly.

            I think the only way that happens is if Anastasiadis sees to it, much like how Rehhagel saw Samaras as a wrecking ball (a role adopted at Celtic afterwards). He won't be able to show off his talents in the role any other way. He needs to make the move to AEK, gain regular minutes, and lobby Anastasiadis for the ACM spot on Greece. That's his only path.

            Fortounis is an option we can use from the bench and as a free-kick specialist, similarly to the role Tsiartas played at Euro 2004.

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            • #51
              He may not be a DM...But he is not a no.10 either.

              Samaras and Taxi are totally different players. Samaras was used out wide on the left and upfront....We now see how valuable he was to us in his peak.
              Frustrating at times but a key player.
              Fortounis is far more mobile and moves a lot quicker in a team that lacks tempo and speed..Fortounis is our best option at no.10

              I am not sure if AEK are in the hunt to sign him at this stage....
              He failed in the Championship (didn't play a game) and now you say looking at Serie B?

              That's a far cry from WC football...

              In our ideal 11..Taxi and Fortounis get a start (assuming Taxi finds a club and gets game time).

              that leaves us with CDM role?

              Zeca is a better no.8 (as is Taxi)..

              So who sits in front of the back 4?

              Do we try Siovas vs Italy and the away Bosnia game? And go for a more conventional option for the rest of the fixtures?

              Galanopoulos? not sure....
              Not Bouchalakis.


              March is not too far away...If I was picking an 11 today ...this is how I see it....(based on form)


              ........................Odi....................... .....

              Toro.......Sokratis......Manolas.......Koutris


              ........................xxxxxxxx..................

              ..............Zeca..................Fortounis..... ....

              Lazaros........................................... ....Donis

              ..........................Mitro................... ..........


              Mitro has no form.....But we have no one else

              Lazaro has not been playing..but will be fit soon...and by March hopefully found form...

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              • #52
                Kourbelis would and should play the 6. We haven’t got a deep lying playmaker. I was hoping Taxi would have filled that role. Kourbelis deserves to play he has been starting nearly every match. Also quality wise he is good enough especially shielding the defence.

                We have to move away from Lazaros. He must move because we have younger and more talented wingers. Chatzigiovannis is having his best season and Lamprou is scoring and assisting in the Dutch league.

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                • #53
                  yes....we need to move on from Lazaros...

                  However I am talking about getting a result from Italy and Bosnia in what is essentially weeks away...
                  He still has enough guile in him and experience to tweak a goal or two...

                  Xatvigiovannis is the next in line from that group....Bring him in the squad...and give him time..
                  I was looking forward to seeing him vs OFI ...That was the first chance I got...and he was woeful..below par..

                  Haven't seen Lambrou play...however I'd be mindful that the Dutch league falls away dramatically after the top 4..then even more so after that...
                  Similar in the way it's hard to believe that olympiakos and Lamia or Appollon play in the same league or even planet??

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                  • #54
                    Tachtsidis featured in the Euro 16 fail and now in Serie B after failing to register 1 minute in the Champioship και θα μας πάει σε Ευρώ; Snap out of it lads.

                    Don Giovanni sorry friend but you can’t say that regarding Samaras & Tachtsidis... what football have you been watching the last 10 years??
                    You can’t compare a guy that took us to World Cups & Euro’s vs a guy that couldn’t lead us to success cs Luxembourg and the Faroe Islands!

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                    • #55
                      Originally posted by RED SHERIFF View Post
                      yes....we need to move on from Lazaros...

                      However I am talking about getting a result from Italy and Bosnia in what is essentially weeks away...
                      He still has enough guile in him and experience to tweak a goal or two...

                      Xatvigiovannis is the next in line from that group....Bring him in the squad...and give him time..
                      I was looking forward to seeing him vs OFI ...That was the first chance I got...and he was woeful..below par..

                      Haven't seen Lambrou play...however I'd be mindful that the Dutch league falls away dramatically after the top 4..then even more so after that...
                      Similar in the way it's hard to believe that olympiakos and Lamia or Appollon play in the same league or even planet??
                      The game against OFI Chatzigiovannis played as RWB... they played a 5-3-2 formation. He didnt seem that bad at RWB. He clearly had responsibility in defending more than attacking. I think G.Donis wanted him to try him in a more defensive position.

                      Regarding Tachtsidis... who else do we have for midfield that we can say he is the guy to get us to where we want. Kourbelis and Zeca are not going to save us... defensively they are fine but if we want to start moving forward effectively they are not the players. Yes Tachtsidis is not playing at the moment and he was part of that disaster of Euro 16 but who else can we say is better?? I think comparing Samaras and Tachtsidis dosent make sense. 2 different players... the only thing in common they have is their height. One is a forward and the other is a midfielder.

                      I just hope players like Donis and Retsos are the start of a new age of players coming up in the footballing scene that will be better than the current group of players. Players like Antzoulas, Vrakas, Koutsoupias, Stergiakis, Vassilakis and many others who haven’t hit 20 yet but are plying their trade abroad in better leagues and players who have an aspiration to make a decent career of themselves despite the crisis Greek football is in at the moment.
                      Last edited by Dean97; 01-04-2019, 05:21 AM.

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                      • #56
                        it's great we have some good footballers who are under 20...I agree let these guys mature and develop in time...

                        No doubt Xatzigiovannis has a future...and I'd have him in my 20 man squad for March..
                        Emmanouilidis is also one to watch....

                        Donis when fit is special.....runs at defenders..has pace and attitude..can score.
                        Retsos has potential....and I see him taking over from sokratis when he retires and partnering a veteran Manolas for 2-3 years before manolas retires...somewhat of a seamless transition over the next 5 years from Sokratis/Manolas to say a Retsos/Nicolaou (Or someone else)..

                        Taxi is a better attacking option than Zeca and Kourbelis....Taxi is probably the ideal partner for Zeca, Fortounis, Donis in the attacking part of midfield...But he needs to play at a high level and find form..

                        He is slowly becoming an ex footballer at 28...almost the next tziolis...

                        Androutsos is also one to watch..

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                        • #57
                          Retsos and Mavropanos would be a good partnership. But the CB is covered for now.

                          I recently watched the replay of the last nations league game against Estonia where we lost 0-1. I watched very closely what I saw and Bakasetas had a shocker this game and being played on the wing made it worse. Giannoulis and Lampropoulos don’t deserve to play for Greece, we have better.

                          Our midfield is is a problem as we all know. Samaris not good enough but is still a decent option to what we have. Our midfielders are too slow in creating space and moving the ball. Aswell as the inconsistency of passing. Zeca on the other hand is ok. He has lots of energy and is one of our fastest midfielders. We just need the right person next to him. We lack a fast and creative CM. Galanopoulos would be an upgrade but is not the full answer to our problem . We need fast midfielders...

                          We also need to play at a faster tempo. The other problem I noticed is that our midfielders can’t play 1 touch well. This will destroy us our midfield is already too slow. We need to play fast wingers. Masouras looks like he has potential but even his first touch is not up to standards. I’d like to see in the future a player like Manthatis, a pure winger who has pace and also is strong.

                          Fortounis is also is a bit limited but is our best option at CAM. I would have liked to try Mantalos at CAM for 5 games and see how that goes. Fetfatzidis would have been excellent there. For our midfielders to atleast be sort of effective when our wingers continuously making forward runs and making dummy runs to mix it up.

                          Our attacking 4 was not effective. For midfielders and forwards this is what I would do...

                          Zeca Galanopoulos

                          Manthatis Fetfatzidis Donis

                          Karelis.

                          I like Karelis. There’s something there. His bicycle kick was impressive also the small things he does can help us. I rather him than Koulouris.

                          I also to note we can do something with Bakakis his very light and he makes forward runs very quickly which could work for us. His inconsistency might destroy us. But when he gets forward he seems dangerous where something can happen when bombs down. Not a massive fan of him but he could be useful. We have no else here especially if Torosidis retires.



                          Last edited by Dean97; 01-05-2019, 12:21 AM.

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                          • #58
                            Originally posted by Amorgos View Post
                            Tachtsidis featured in the Euro 16 fail and now in Serie B after failing to register 1 minute in the Champioship και θα μας πάει σε Ευρώ; Snap out of it lads.

                            Don Giovanni sorry friend but you can’t say that regarding Samaras & Tachtsidis... what football have you been watching the last 10 years??
                            You can’t compare a guy that took us to World Cups & Euro’s vs a guy that couldn’t lead us to success cs Luxembourg and the Faroe Islands!
                            You have to look at the qualities the player possesses.

                            Karagounis had a low center of gravity and he could accelerate past defenders. He was exceptional at drawing fouls. That was his talent. He was also very good at simple passes, direct free-kicks, and crosses. Those qualities got better with age. But he lacked vision and he understood football in very simple way. It's rarity to witness to Karagounis play the 1-2 pass, just as an example.

                            Tachtsidis is 6'4" and has powerfully built legs. He's arguably the most muscular player to don a Greece jersey and holds an obvious physical advantage almost all opponents. He's got the energy to play out 90 minutes and he's generally fit, having rarely suffered injury. He's physically well built. And his technical abilities are very good. I'd say as good if not better to those of Karagounis at his age. And he's certainly got much better vision. His vision is as good as that of Fortounis.

                            Where he's weak is playing as a defensive, holding midfielder because he lacks the concentration needed for the role. His mind is thinking about ways to score. He wants to play sexy football, not dull football. That's where his head is at. That's his issue. But in my view the problem isn't Tachtsidis; the problem is how he is used.

                            As for his age, it's irrelevant to worry about it. Holebas was about this age when he finally proved his worth. Holebas was a striker converted to left-back. Given a proper chance, Tachtsidis can do it, but he must lobby for it. I don't think he will get that chance in Series B, but in Greece he can get that chance if he forces a move to the right team willing to play him in that respect or if he manages to convince Anastasiadis to give him the chance. He has to lobby for it himself and if he can't make that realization, I think his future will remain bleak.
                            Last edited by Don Giovanni; 01-06-2019, 03:34 AM.

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                            • #59
                              Sokratis has been doing well in an Arsenal back three and was Arsenal's standout performer despite a 2-0 loss to Tottenham. It looks like the back three will become Arsenal's preferred back-line formation unless they play a team like Liverpool.

                              Roma played a back-three when they beat Barcelona to place in the UCL semis last season.

                              I think it's insane that our team isn't at least attempting it. We should have been playing a back three from the time of the 2014 World Cup. Katsouranis might have worked as a CB. And that's something Ranieri may well have considered when he became coach of Greece. Katsouranis at CB (like he was being used at PAOK) might have saved a lot of grief thinking back on it now. As a midfielder he was finished and the match against Japan was the definitive proof of that.

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                              • #60
                                Kats was used as a CB by Otto in that ill-fated WC 06 qualifying game against Albania, the first game they played after winning

                                the Euros and if i remember correctly, by all accounts it was his blunder that cost us that game. Kats, as a footbaler was finished

                                when he came back to Greece from Portugal to continue his soccer career. Ahh but Santos saw it differently. Subs Kats on

                                against a 10 man CR with the chance to qualify for the QF in WC 12, even though we were struggling to find an end product

                                in their final third for half the game and wouldn't you know it, they hung on and won on penalties, still painful to this day. As for your

                                argument about a back three, I'm sympathetic towards it, as a back three of Retsos, Papastathopoulos and Manolas would have

                                the athleticism and IQ to pull it off. And I agree with you on Taxi, best left foot we have in the country as well as vision, second

                                only in that regard to Ninis. Zeman thought of him so highly, he started Taxi over De Rossi regularly when he was at Roma,

                                much to the displeasure of the backers of the club. Problem with Taxi is his low football iq in regards to the simple stuff, like simple

                                passes that far to often find opposing players, yet he can spot a RB or RM with a perfect 40 yard diagonal ball point blank in

                                mid run. Leaves you shaking your head sometimes of what he could've been, OR MAYBE CAN BE

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