Greece x Slovenia

[Dean97]

I even think Hatzidiakos or Retsos would be a better CM than Kourbelis.

[LoneHorseman]

Precisely what happened. The two Greek DMs had no answers - bizarrely I often saw Zeca even deeper than Kourbelis! It is as if they have decided amongst themselves who is the most attacking and Kourbelis won and gets to stand a few meters behind Bakasetas?

Most frustrating for me is even when fortounis has a poor game, he is a better 10 than Bakasetas all day long. Watching Fortounis constantly have to pick the ball up on the extremities and work his way inside to or past a Bakasetas just standing there watching - no movement, no runs - was very hard to watch. VS has married his future to Bakasetas and to some extent mandalos too.

Agreed and to a lot of extent Limnios. Frustrating player Limnios, wasn't quite on his bandwagon when he showed great form with the ethniki. A very inconsistent player, saw it with Paok last season and now the last couple of games, Good shifty player, great touches and moves to beat his markers sometimes, but inevitably, his final ball inside the final third lacks quality.

[Reaper]

I think this team relies heavily on the form of Limnios. I think he let us down a bit today. When inform he can take Greece on his back alone. Same with Fortounis.

Limnios is clearly out of form, he looked poor in the friendly also.

VS not only sticks with out of form players, he sticks with out of position players like Mavrias at RB. I know he has played their previously but he really does not understand his role there. Look how simple Torosidis kept that side. Bounding forward, beautiful crosses, goals, everything. VS has previous put other wing backs as CBs also. At the end of the day, he just a bot of an idiot.

[Reaper]

Agreed and to a lot of extent Limnios. Frustrating player Limnios, wasn't quite on his bandwagon when he showed great form with the ethniki. A very inconsistent player, saw it with Paok last season and now the last couple of games, Good shifty player, great touches and moves to beat his markers sometimes, but inevitably, his final ball inside the final third lacks quality.

100% agree with the description. I see Limnios as a very useful off the bench player at this level. However not a starter - not at NT level, he is far too inconsistent. Not only is his form ify currently, he has a habit even when in-form of disappearing for long periods. Considering he had Mavrias behind him who doesn't really understand the RB position - it was always going to be a hard slog.

I also dont like the way VS manages in form players like Tzolis. He plays a friendly, he looks deadly and scores. He is running at players, attacking - the whole package. Why not then start him the next game? It would make Tzolis even more confident and even more desperate to cement his place with his momentum and if he doesn't, Limnios will be subbed on with something to prove.

Each game, VS hamstrings the side before kick off. Players in the wrong positions, players who should be on the bench starting etc..

[Reaper]

I even think Hatzidiakos or Retsos would be a better CM than Kourbelis.

I remember a game where K.Paps played a DM years ago. He was hitting 20 yard passes to the wings with both feet. Kourbelis is particularly limited.

[LoneHorseman]

I remember a game where K.Paps played a DM years ago. He was hitting 20 yard passes to the wings with both feet. Kourbelis is particularly limited.

With Schalke in Champs league, remember it well. Great specimen and read the game brilliantly, to bad his knees didn't cooperate. Another one of Greek talents that didn't hit on the potential front. A great litany of them

[Reaper]

With Schalke in Champs league, remember it well. Great specimen and read the game brilliantly, to bad his knees didn't cooperate. Another one of Greek talents that didn't hit on the potential front. A great litany of them

Fucking hell you got some severely exceptional memory G... No idea you even saw that game.

[LoneHorseman]

Fucking hell you got some severely exceptional memory G... No idea you even saw that game.

Lol, that's when I was looking forward to the next gen players for Greece... K Paps, Katidis, Ninis, Fetfa, Taxi, etc etc etc etc etc . Fuck, if you told me that U19 side that made the finals against Spain 10 years ago, that featured Katidis, and if you have told me 10 years later that Bakasetas, who was on the same U19 team, was a pivotal member of the ethniki today and Katidis was nowhere to be seen, I would've said that you would need to check yourself into an institution

[Reaper]

Lol, that's when I was looking forward to the next gen players for Greece... K Paps, Katidis, Ninis, Fetfa, Taxi, etc etc etc etc etc . Fuck, if you told me that U19 side that made the finals against Spain 10 years ago, that featured Katidis, and if you have told me 10 years later that Bakasetas, who was on the same U19 team, was a pivotal member of the ethniki today and Katidis was nowhere to be seen, I would've said that you would need to check yourself into an institution

Katidis was a genuine 8... and then briefly a Neo Nazi which ended everything.. To think he was also captain.. and now he is without a club at 27...

I actually felt sorry for him. Considering Di Canio did the same - and meant it - a lot older too... and nothing happened.. but the Greeks basically exiled a very talented player when what he needed was re-education and forgiveness. He was deeply stupid but he deserved at least a second chance.

[LoneHorseman]

of course he needed a second chance V, but you know the Greek left, they'll eat there own, Greek citizens in general, and our future box to box MF in particular if that means forwarding there ideology and agenda.

[Amorgos]

Most frustrating for me is even when fortounis has a poor game, he is a better 10 than Bakasetas all day long. Watching Fortounis constantly have to pick the ball up on the extremities and work his way inside to or past a Bakasetas just standing there watching - no movement, no runs - was very hard to watch.
VS should have first identified the game changers in the side - those with the most talent: A Manolas or a Fortounis for example. Take them out to dinner and explain the vision. Explain the rules. If either causes trouble - they are out the door. But at least build on talent.

Very good point, JVS failed on his own sword today and that sword is named Bakasetas, a player that rarely strikes fear in any opposition

[Amorgos]

I think this team relies heavily on the form of Limnios. I think he let us down a bit today. When inform he can take Greece on his back alone. Same with Fortounis.

Not long ago I said, once the opposition shut down Limnios we will have issues and they have caught onto this. On top of that his final pass is always off and he can’t finish... JVS needed to work on a plan b but instead of having only Limnios feature on the right. For me Fetfatzidis can penetrate much better and dibble inside just as well of not better. He set up his Aris team mates for countless easy goals.

Take out Limnios, Bakasetas has his limitations... Fortounis can’t do it all on his own and you have what happened today

[LoneHorseman]

Not long ago I said, once the opposition shut down Limnios we will have issues and they have caught onto this. On top of that his final pass is always off and he can’t finish... JVS needed to work on a plan b but instead of having only Limnios feature on the right. For me Fetfatzidis can penetrate much better and dibble inside just as well of not better. He set up his Aris team mates for countless easy goals.

Take out Limnios, Bakasetas has his limitations... Fortounis can’t do it all on his own and you have what happened today

DING DING DING DING DING

[Dean97]

JVS stuffed us up and is mostly to blame here. He got desperate in the last 20 minutes or so and played Bakasetas as a CM/DM with Fortounis central and higher up. What he should’ve done is play a 4-2-4 in the 2nd half. Put Pavlidis and Giakoumakis together as strikers and have Tzolis on the LW and Masouras on the RW. Also should’ve kept Tsimikas on and put Rota in place of Mavrias.

Then you can have Fortounis and unfortunately Bakasetas as the CMs. That’s how he should’ve done it in my opinion. Overload the front and tire there defence even more with faster build ups.

What he did was replace Pavlidis for Giakoumakis which makes no sense and he put Masouras on for the last 5 minutes?!?. Masouras created chances straight away with the short amount of time he had. I also believe Masouras has better end product than Limnios.

Tzolis should’ve played his natural role at LW. He put Pavlidis there instead. At first I didn’t mind it but it didn’t work.

After this disappointing game, it tells us that we don’t deserve to be in league B and if we did we would’ve gotten our asses beat badly. Also it doesn’t help that JVS sabotaged the team by playing players like Bakasetas and Kourbelis who offer no creativity. Also not playing inform players like Tzolis and Masouras.

Also our strikers have to help more in the build up play. There’s no point staying upfront all game if you’ve got Kourbelis and Bakasetas in your midfield. Move, create space, and come for the ball. Help your teammates out more. I also don’t think Pavlidis and Giakoumakis are good all round footballers. The Dutch league must be of very low quality. Koulouris isn’t any better. Mitroglou also wouldn’t fix this. One player that might be able to but I’m not betting on it, it’s Fountas. He is more of a all round footballer. Runs, passes well and is smarter. Also he knows how to put them away. His statistics for the national team doesn’t help him but he can help the build up play more than the others.

Also this game was missing a very talented player and that is none other than Ioannis Fetfatzidis.

[Reaper]

The saddest thing is that I doubt VS thinks he did anything wrong so Greece's only hope is that Bakasetas hits some serious international form and Kourbelis transforms into a Vidal..