Suggested Call Ups/Starting 11

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  • Pankritio is what they have lined up. I've seen good numbers here for friendlies and qualifiers in the past. There seems to be an issue with hosting games at the Karaiskakis. The owners have had a disagreement with the EPO. AEK and PAOK have two nice stadiums coming in the next couple of years.

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    • Originally posted by Amorgos View Post
      2021 bud, and for sure
      Alright big guy...no need for the chest puffing ... :P

      You know I still love you

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      • Looks like Fountas is the leading Greek goalscorer with 11 goals and and 1 assist in 15 appearances this season. Deserves a call up.

        Maybe Pavlidis and Fountas can be the 2 up top. That’s if we want to play a 3-5-2 formation. Otherwise we are better off keeping Pavlidis as the sole striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

        Wouldnt mind seeing this too with Fountas as the false 9 as he is decent on the ball:

        Vlacho

        Bakakis? Manolas Hatzi Giannoulis/Koutris

        Limnios Kourbelis Gala/Vasi Mantalos/Fetfa

        Fountas (false 9) Pavlidis

        We can’t forget Tsimikas and Donis as options. I think Kourbelis gives the midfield that hard steel in the middle and can cover his teammates well. Gala or Vasi gives lots of energy and positive passes.

        Pavlidis scored a nice goal recently and Fountas scored 2.

        Bakakis is a question mark for me as he could be the weak link but hopefully he stays focused and works on his weakness such as defending. Going forward he is good. Works well with Limnios aswell.

        Also we apparently have friendlies coming up in March. Hatzi won’t be ready to come back from injury I think so I hope to see Mavropanos or Retsos given a go to see what they got.


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        • I think given our scoring problems, it may be worth a shot to play two strikers with Fortounis in the hole behind them. Koulouris and Pavlidis don't seem to compliment each other all that well, but we could see a different story with Fountas. Alternatively, we could play Fortounis as a false 9 alongside Pavlidis, which I think would likely make for our best options in attack.

          Bakakis has a point to prove. If Van't Schip believes in him, then I'll trust Van't Schip. Against top sides, we need to play more defensively, as we saw against Italy, and then against weaker teams, it's hard to imagine Bakakis making a key difference. That said, he's an actual wing-back for us on the right and we simply lack better options. The alternative at the moment is Mavrias. And although Retsos can play at right-back, I haven't seen enough of him getting forward to convince me he's the kind of player who can get into great positions to play crosses into the box. But when we play a top team, Retsos would have to be preferred to Bakakis.

          I think too we have an issue at left-back. It's hard to imagine Stafylidis continuing at CB. Manolas, Hatzidiakos, and Retsos are superior options. And at LB, Tsimikas looks to be our best option. The problem is Stafylidis has been made captain, despite playing little for his club side. On top of that, Giannoulis has been preferred at LB.

          I'm not sure what the intent is going forward, but Tsimikas was far from convincing in the 1-1 with Liechtenstein and that appears to be what's holding him back from a starting place ATM; however, with the way he's been playing, it's hard to imagine that this will continue to be the case. Something tells me that Stafylidis may in the future be converted to a DM position and may remain as captain of Greece. The more I've studied Stafylidis, the more I'm convinced he's actually a midfielder capable of playing either wide left or defensive midfield. He reminds me a lot of Zagorakis. He's a very similar style of player. I think Giannoulis will need to be dropped in favor of Tsimikas soon enough.

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          • Good points Don. It is a problem that Stafylidis has been made captain. There are more superior options at CB, LB and DM. I also think he might go DM in the future. He clearly favours Giannoulis at LB. Against stronger sides Siovas or Manolas have to play. Like we saw against Italy, Siovas played CB.

            Stafylidis can switch the play decently. He’s a good passer and has a powerful shot. Probably the most powerful in the whole team. But I’m not sure how he will do at DM long term. JVS has stuck with Galanopoulos and Kourbelis as starters. Bouchalakis seems to be a more rotational type of player in the team. Vasiliadis is a player that can easily be a starter in my opinion. He’s the best player in his team and also the most valuable. He also plays on the Bundesliga as a starter week in and week out. He clearly has a lot to offer. Zeca seems like he will get dropped soon.

            I believe we are strong at LB. Koutris, Tsimikas, Giannoulis are all quality options. Also we have Lykogiannis and Kyriakopoulos playing in the Serie A. Good options to choose from. RB is the most problematic and if we have Mavrias as the only other option we are in trouble here. I would’ve like to see Masouras of Panionios there but he isn’t making enough noise at the moment.

            Fortounis is good at both creating play and getting in behind the defence. Would do well as a false 9 but I also think Fountas has something offer there too. Fountas plays as an out and out striker for his club but I see other qualities he has that tells me he can excel as a false 9 aswell. Correct me if I’m wrong he played as a CAM for AEK.

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            • Originally posted by Dean97 View Post
              Vasiliadis is a player that can easily be a starter in my opinion. He’s the best player in his team and also the most valuable. He also plays on the Bundesliga as a starter week in and week out. He clearly has a lot to offer.
              Best player in the team? We haven't even seen him play?? The kid a breakout in the Bundesliga for the team dead last, lets see what he can actually do at international level before we brand him Beckenbauer!!!

              I agree with everything else, and the Stafylidis thing is something to watch in the next few games but surely JVS can see this, at the same time, what his doing is working, we shall see.

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              • I hope Stafylidis doesn't get shifted back to left back, and I don't think he will. Giannoulis and Tsimikas form at club level has been too good to overlook IMO. Maybe he'll be deployed as a third CB in back 5, but I doubt JVS will change the formation given our recent success.
                The only positive is that vs Italy he went with 2 traditional center backs, so he seems aware that when we play teams of a higher level Stafy can't play at CB.

                But once again stability is important, I can't see JVS making too many changes given our form. Some friendlies are on the horizon, so perhaps we'll see some more players/new systems tried. Interesting to see how the Sokratis/Manolas situation plays out, especially since Hatzidiakos is out for the season now.

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                • Originally posted by Amorgos View Post
                  Best player in the team? We haven't even seen him play?? The kid a breakout in the Bundesliga for the team dead last, lets see what he can actually do at international level before we brand him Beckenbauer!!!

                  I agree with everything else, and the Stafylidis thing is something to watch in the next few games but surely JVS can see this, at the same time, what his doing is working, we shall see.
                  I meant in terms of market value. He has the highest market value in the team. He plays every week so he must be doing something right.

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                  • Originally posted by paokarag4 View Post
                    I hope Stafylidis doesn't get shifted back to left back, and I don't think he will. Giannoulis and Tsimikas form at club level has been too good to overlook IMO. Maybe he'll be deployed as a third CB in back 5, but I doubt JVS will change the formation given our recent success.
                    The only positive is that vs Italy he went with 2 traditional center backs, so he seems aware that when we play teams of a higher level Stafy can't play at CB.

                    But once again stability is important, I can't see JVS making too many changes given our form. Some friendlies are on the horizon, so perhaps we'll see some more players/new systems tried. Interesting to see how the Sokratis/Manolas situation plays out, especially since Hatzidiakos is out for the season now.
                    I agree there are too many inform LBs at the moment. He also seems to like Koutris who has only played 6 games this season. So he rates Koutris to a certain point which makes it even more highly unlikely that Stafylidis goes LB.

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                    • There's also Lykogiannis to consider too. His club side Cagliari is outperforming themselves this season. He gets in games here and there. I think of the options available to play at LB, I'd probably go with Tsimikas or Giannoulis. Both are young and still improving, but they look like our best bets. Stafylidis would be a curious option to see him in the midfield. His energy, ability to perform hard tackles, and shoot from distance are strong aspects of his game. If he can compose himself a little bit more and learn to play the ball like a holding midfielder, he would prove suitable in the role and I think we can justify his captaincy too that way.

                      As far as CBs go, Manolas has to get back into the team. I can't imagine Greece standing any chance of qualification for the 2022 World Cup without him. Even against Croatia, he was a big missing piece in the first leg. And we all remember how Stafylidis performed that game. I'm not so sure the door will be closed on Sokratis either. I think we go with a back four and potentially Retsos or Hatzidiakos at RB even, especially so if we play a top team. Also Mavropanos will have to fit into the conversation at some point. Then there's also Kourbelis. Those six players look like the best options for the foreseeable future. Either Siovas or Sokratis will be dropped, but I can't imagine both being excluded. And with Siovas' club facing relegation, I imagine it will be him.

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                      • It seems as though most coaches see Mantalos as a LW or RW. I thought his best position is CAM. But I think coaches see it differently. He is naturally a CAM but he has been playing on the wing for the past few years. I don’t see why they would put him there. He is a good player but isn’t it more logical to play a Chatzigiovanis, Masouras or Fetfatzidis on the wing?

                        Mantalos is taking that spot over others who are more natural in that wing position. Maybe I don’t see the benefits of him being there but if that means he has to be there for the good of the team then so be it. I don’t mind him being there because lately his performances have improved for the national team.

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                        • Mantalos strikes me as another Salpingidis/Charisteas type. He's quick, determined, and incredibly hard working. A complete player. He can also score or create chances. One quality that separates him is his ability to play with a natural chemistry. It's easy to sometimes thinking he's played with others for years even if he has barely played with them. He also seems to have found the fury back into his game. When he plays like a bull seeing red, he's at his best, and we saw that against Finland.
                          Last edited by Don Giovanni; 01-04-2020, 07:22 PM.

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                          • It does seem as though he has got that fire back. I’ve started to appreciate him more now ever since JVS took over. I think he is a great player but I think the team would benefit even more if he was to play his natural position at CAM. But I guess the coach knows better and with him play a left sided playmaker role it has worked. He likes to drift in a lot and create the play. He can also work with anyone.

                            Bakasetas seems to be at CAM at the moment because of his physical attributes. He’s strong and can hold the ball up. His range of passing isn’t bad but I assume when Fortounis is back and healthy he would take his place.

                            I see Donis as a player who resembles Salpingidis determination and pace but can also play any attacking role. He can play ST, RW/LW and CAM. His best position in my opinion is on the wing. When takes on the fullback and cuts in and shoots. Or takes it down the line and whips a cross in. Limnios and Donis are more out and out wingers where as Fetfatzidis and Mantalos are more suited as inverted type wingers. They use more of there dribbling and passing whereas Donis and Limnios use all their pace to get things going.


                            Seems as though JVS likes to use Mantalos as a wide playmaker more than an out and out winger. The whole idea is for the team to work hard on and off the ball with a lot of chasing, tracking back, running into space and so on. The midfielders are more mobile and faster and are able to play fast with the ball. The fullbacks are supposed to open up and charge forward as attacking options.

                            We should be utilising Kourbelis more in attack. He should be making runs inside the box because Galanopoulos is always hanging back and covering. I think you have mentioned this before Don.

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                            • Agreed that Kourbelis should try to get into the box more. He provides a good aerial presence. But Galanopoulos has shown good intelligence and desire too to get into the box when appropriate. I think both need to seek moves to stronger leagues ASAP. They'll improve that much more if they do.

                              I agree that Bakasetas will have to make way for Fortounis once he's fit again, but Bakasetas set the standards of work rate now expected of Fortounis. We may not be able to afford him a free role depending on the opposition and it would be nice to have him for the full 90 minutes against every team if possible.

                              Donis isn't much a target man, but if we play him as a second striker, he can work. It's hard to say if we attempt to play a second forward. We do struggle to score, so having second central forward may be the right decision. Otherwise he'll need to fight for a spot on the right wing. I think Limnios is now the strong favorite to continue on the right wing.

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                              • Just thought I would throw this in the mix - Bakakis has lost his position to Paulinho at AEK.

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