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We know two of our opponents very well. Finland is a side we can beat twice over if our players work for each other again. Bosnia might be the one team that might have our number. We haven't beaten them since 2008. Italy have struggled as of late, but they are always among the world's best sides. Armenia aren't the surprise package they once were, but they still have a couple of quality players who can upset any game. Liechtenstein is an easy opponent. We have no excuse if we fail to beat them. This could be a group we win if we sort our problems out and regain our belief. Our opponents aren't invincible. I really think the best change we can make is switching to a back three. And it would be nice to get Holebas back. -
There we have it. The platform that makes or breaks us (again)
By that I mean on current form we got no chance, Finland owned us in the away game and prob should have drawn in Athens, let alone Bosnia & Italy.
We have though been given another chance to pick things up, as all of us are, hope the Ethniki can switch into gear.
I think we need some youth and hunger on the team, wingers and guys that will run into space, need to start playing with some tempoComment
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If we play a team according to planet earth footballing logic - ie wingers as wingers, strikers as strikers etc.. we stand a chance. If we play a team according to Greek logic - ie wingers as strikers, AMs as wingers, FBs as CBs and around 6 LBs included in every squad for the sake of lunacy, we will finish bottom.Comment
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^---- but this is what makes Greece so entertaining. Anyway lets be realistic, not a chance of qualifying at the current state.Comment
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If this was the Greece of old I would have said we have a shot to top the group, or to play well enough to be in 2nd comfortably, but with the current situation, I'm unsure if we'll even be 3rd. I'm trying not to be a pessimist about the ethniki but nothing they have done as of late speaks to success against tough competition.
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Let's take things the way they are now.
Italy are in weakened state, but they are still the strongest side in the group. Realistically they should finish 1st.
We haven't beaten Bosnia for over a decade ago. In Dzeko and Pjanic, Mitroglou and Fortounis are beat for quality. The Bosnians are the likeliest team to finish 2nd place and, beside us (assuming we play to our potential), probably the only team in the group capable of beating the Italians for 1st.
Finland have no quality to speak of and have no chance to finish 1st place. I can't even see them finishing 2nd, but they're a team that plays for one another which is more than I can say about us. Against us, they play with real belief. They have managed two wins and a draw in our last four encounters since 2014. The one loss they suffered was hardly anything for us to write home about. We'll have to do a lot better if we want to beat them again. Realistically we will need to beat them twice in order to at least finish 2nd place in the group.
Armenia have been hit and miss lately in terms of their form, but unlike Finland they do possess a little bit of quality. I mean they lost to Gibraltar and then beat them easily. They seem to lack motivation as of late. Given how we and they have been performing in the current state of things, we are likely to compete with them for 4th place.
Liechtenstein are a team of primarily lower league players. They conceded 39 goals in the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. We need to beat them. At this point I've given up on the prospect of outscoring the Bosnians. It will not happen. So two wins, no matter how marginal, is what we must hope for. I don't think 1-0 is good enough as it keeps the game too close. We must at least aim for 2-0.
Realistically we will need to win at least one match against Bosnia and earn a draw in the away match if we are to qualify for Euro 2020. We must try to nick points off of Italy too. And we must win all our matches against Finland, Armenia and Liechtenstein. If we can do that, we will most certainly finish either 1st or 2nd place. It's certainly possible, but it's a matter of self-belief and playing hard for one another. I also think we must make big tactical changes. We need a three-man defense and make those three players more involved on the pitch. We need to press higher up the pitch. We need to look at dropping Mitroglou and playing a strikerless system because our alternatives to him are lacking (like having a big-body CB get forward instead of playing Koulouris). We need to try and bring Holebas back. He can be a big star for Greece. These are the changes we need to look at and must try to introduce.Last edited by Don Giovanni; 12-08-2018, 04:29 AM.Comment
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We need to forget about Holebas now. It’s not going to happen. Plus he is 34. Any time now he will start declining. I’d be very shocked if he can continue at this rate all the way until 40. We need to move on in my opinion.
I agree we should change the formation. Sokratis and Manolas are glued to this team. Vlachodimos should play for the next 10 years. We need to start playing at a higher tempo with the right players. I’m happy with either Tsimikas or Koutris at LB. At RB Torosidis is ageing but can still produce great crosses and we can be dangerous from them. Other than that he is declining. We need to look at a long term option eg.(Masouras) and not a temporary one eg.(Bakakis)
I would go for a 3 man midfield in the qualifiers. You would need a work horse and someone tall to challenge headers in that CDM role. Kourbelis can play and shield the defence in that position.
You then would need to have to attacking minded/creative type players. One spot should go to Fortounis and the one should be debated.
With the front three I d have Donis one side and Chatzigiovannis on another. Yet again we need to build in these position for a couple of years. Lazaros is 32 I believe not a long term option. There are also younger more talented wingers than him with higher potentials I believe. Upfront would have to go to Mitroglou. I don’t know who else we could have there. I wish we had a striker like Macheda. Someone who can control the ball and distribute well. As well as score. Mitroglou is on and off all most of the time.
I strongly believe we can get 2 draws out of Italy. We did it against Belgium. We almost did it again against Belgium and Belgium are better than Italy. Bosnia will be tricky. I think Greece should go into this game thinking as the underdog. Whenever we are the underdog we don’t dissapoint. Aside from the odd match or 2. I am more confident in the bigger games than the ones against Armenia and so on. We can’t rest on our laurels whatsoever in the upcoming qualifiers.Comment
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Quick question guys, does anyone know what the process for tickets is?
Looking for tickets vs Italy & Armenia.Comment
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https://www.pame-ethniki.gr/gnfc/showProductList.html
You can buy them from the link above. They're not on sale yet. They should go on sale about 7-10 days before the game, probably between May 29th to June 3rd they should start to go on sale. Make sure to hold a huge sign that reads "hellas-football.com" when you're there LOL.
It looks like they're going to play at OAKA. It's too bad they couldn't play at Karaiskaki until the move to Pankritio. It is what it is.Comment
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Thank you for the info, really appreciate it.
Really agree with Against Italy Karaiskaki would have been perfect, probably would have sold out. Against Armenia, OAKA is going to look pretty empty.
A hellas football sign would be incredible. Who remembers the Greeksoccer.com banner at the world cup in 2014?Comment
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Btw guys, is it normal in Europe for tickets to go on sale so late?Comment
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That does surprise me, would be a mad scramble for tickets and logistically things can get hard but anyways, it is what it is. Hope to see an Ethniki game in Greece one dayComment
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