Tachtsidis

[Dean97]

It seems as though Tachtsidis turns it up against quality opposition. Belgium as the example in the season at Oly where he had a bad season. In that season he turned it up against Belgium and grabbed an assist. He also played well against Inter recently as Don pointed out. Tachtsidis against lower quality is almost like he is not on the field. It’s weird.

Bouchalakis might get lost against quality opposition and that’s where the difference is between the 2. The other difference is Bouchalakis is playing better than Tachtsidis at Olympiakos. I think for Tachtsidis big size it makes him out to be a lazy player. His heaviness is the reason to his slowness and lack of desire. But he has a good left foot and fantastic height. He needs to run more like you say. He has to be more grittier and aggressive defensively. He has to use his size and bully the opposition because he can.

Bouchalakis isn’t as strong or smart as Tachtsidis but Bouchalakis is better when it comes to running and attacking with the ball I believe. Tachtsidis slowness is a major disadvantage for him. We are actually talking about 2 players who are not that great compared to other world class midfielders. Since Greece has a problem with developing elite midfielders we latch on to who we think is the best Greek midfielder and try to make out how good they are when really they are at very best average compared to other higher quality midfielders.

[Don Giovanni]

He has to use his size better and he needs to play with more urgency for the ball. He also needs to be smarter in winning fouls. I don't think that much separates Bouchalakis and Tachtsidis, but Tachtsidis is playing at a more intense level now than he was last season. That said, he still owns the midfield by at least directing players around him. He's finally getting a proper run of games under his feet and is an important piece of the Lecce puzzle. When he plays well, Lecce actually look like a half decent team that can dictate phases of games against quality opponents. Bouchalakis might not start tomorrow against Tottenham and I think if he doesn't take more ownership of the midfield, he'll lose his starting spot for OSFP and Greece. He has to own the midfield, take command of his teammates and dictate possession. Greece needs that too.

[Don Giovanni]

Tachtsidis may be slow, but he moves a lot. He currently ranks 8th in the Series A for kilometers covered. He has covered more ground than Matuidi!

[Greekfreak]

Tachtsidis may be slow, but he moves a lot. He currently ranks 8th in the Series A for kilometers covered. He has covered more ground than Matuidi!

That's only if you add up all his transfer and loan spells.

[LoneHorseman]

^^^

Seriously though, I saw the Torino game, apart from two wayward shots he had a very good game. His passing seems to be ON POINT, no mental breakdowns from that respect and one of his passes that was missed was him trying a one time pass to get his striker in a one on one with his marker or if he pulled it off would've sent his striker clean through, NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. He's a tempo player and his tempo is upbeat, looks straight ahead for a cutting player or someone trying to make a run, not his first instinct for a 5 yard back or side pass . That's where he differs with a guy like Boucha or Kourbellis. Even Samaris tries to speed up tempo sometimes, but his passing is erratic at best.

[Don Giovanni]

LoneHorseman, I'll give you credit, you're right. At least he tries to play those balls. Bouchalakis chooses too many safe options. We need a player who can take some risks with his passes to get us into promising positions and on the front foot.

[Don Giovanni]

I saw him today. He was subbed at the half on a yellow. He was at fault on Napoli's first two goals.

The first he reacted well and read the play, but he botched his challenge and lost his balance at the crucial moment, which allowed Napoli to break through the middle all too easily. There was still work to be done to score the goal, but Tachtsidis could have snuffed the play out at the bud. He has to do a better job of staying on his feet and making a better challenge. For a player of his size and strength, he needs to make better use of his frame.

On the second goal he was hapless. The attacker headed the ball into his arm from a foot away. You can't blame him for it. There was nothing he can do to prevent it and bafflingly he was given a yellow. I think the referee was very harsh to give that yellow, let alone what has to be considered a very soft penalty. Worse than that, Gabriel saved the penalty, but it had to be retaken because his trailing foot was marginally off his goal line. I can understand issuing the penalty, but retaking the penalty was too much for me and the yellow was absurd. Sometimes I think referees are afraid to call games against the top teams in Italy.

Beyond that, he was playing very well. A much improved performance from last week. He was winning the ball at both ends of the pitch. His passing was on point today. The best of his passes was inside Lecce's own penalty area, as the ball fell loose to Tachtsidis, he turned and played a no look pass wide that allowed Lecce to then break forward. I thought he was clearing the ball out of bounds, but it was a genius pass that was completely unexpected. He attempted a lot of forward passes and helped to put his team on the front foot.

He was unlucky today on the second goal and the yellow, but the first goal was the result of some poor defending and that is a problem area for him, the manner he loses his balance too easily. He has to stand his ground better and be more sure footed when he challenges for the ball. Bare minimum, he has to foul his opponent or win a foul himself.

I have to say it's disappointing that Napoli can play a number of B players, not play at their best, and be allowed an easy victory because the referee tipped the balance of the game. Italian football lacks credibility when it does this. The referee was setting Tachtsidis up for a red card and wanted to limit his ability to make challenges. The penalty having to be retaken was also extremely harsh. You could tell the referee was trying to tip the scales. A team like Torino didn't get the penalty last week against Lecce, but here Napoli get their way. You can tell they're trying to hurt Torino's chances of competing for a European place and helping teams like Napoli, Milan, and the other big boys to keep the status quo in Italy. For years Italy has struggled with this problem, especially with their favoritism towards Juventus back in the 90s and early 00s. The one season a team from outside the big boys had won was when Hellas Verona lifted the 1984/85 league title. At the time, referees were selected at random. By the next season, Italy reverted back to picking referees for certain games and I don't think it can be considered a coincidence that the status quo was restored the following season.

[Don Giovanni]

Here are highlights. The exceptional pass he makes can be seen from the play shown starting at the 0:10

Incredible pass. No time to think, no look, he has to turn 180 degrees, and some how puts Lecce on the front foot of the counter-attack with an inch perfect pass out wide. If you guys want to know why I keep making a case for this player to play for Greece, this is why.

But then at the 0:27 mark we see the mistake he makes. Liverani commented after the game that this was unacceptable of Tachtsidis. He's right. Tachtsidis is a big man, he should really be taking the ball and the man with it. Instead he tries to control the ball and throws himself off balance in doing so as he makes a clumsy challenge. He needs to be physical. He needs to use his body better. He's a big man and he's going into the challenge way too soft. He has to get stuck into his challenges. He needs to win fouls. That something his game is lacking.

As for the penalty, shown on the play beginning at the 0:41 mark, he's very unlucky and the referee was wrong to issue a yellow for that. No way was that deliberate. More bad luck than anything. No referee would ever call that if not for VAR. Even the Napoli players weren't protesting for a penalty.

[Dean97]

He seems like a liability in defence. Leece have to do more with in terms of his strengths. Just like Greece should. The pass he made was excellent. I firmly believe with Tachtsidis and Fetfatzidis in the same line up we can be dangerous. Both have some brilliance about them. Tachtsidis with his passing and Fetfatzidis with his dribbling and assists. But Tachtsidis is very inconsistent and does not always give you the same game. We truly lack a CM who can play passes the way Tachtsidis did in the beginning and f the video. We need more vision and technique in the Greece team and these 2 will give you it.

[Amorgos]

Was an unused sub on the weekend... see how he goes after the international break

[Don Giovanni]

Played against Milan, but he was poor in the first half and was slightly better in the second half. Milan pressed him well, but he also made unforced errors which contributed to his overall poor performance.

Last season, in Series B, he was excellent and against Inter at the start of the season he looked ready for Series A football, but now it's clear his quality of play has regressed back to the sort of player he was at Olympiacos. Awkward and lost at times. He had to dig in and find more resolve or else he'll go back down with Lecce to Series B, a level that looks more appropriate for him as things stand.

Lecce may also need to change tactically to adapt to life in the Series A. That could see Tachtsidis dropped.

[ThrylosG7]

Seria A these days is not the same Seria A of the 2000's . Its having a revival, especially with the rise of the italian super coaches - the teams are playing some really good football. I havent seen much of Tachtsidis this season only highlights - however I do know that he was always more about positioning and his mobility was always an issue as well. Mid table belgium or as suggested Seria B may be more his calling.

[Don Giovanni]

The Italian league is fatiguing, overly tactical, and very physical. It's also a league for old men. You must be mentally very strong to compete in Italy.

I think at this rate, Tachtsidis will end up staying at Lecce, going down with them. If he gives a proper account of his abilities, regardless of whether Lecce survive or not, he'll stay in Series A. If Lecce make tactical changes and survive, I think he's gone at the end of season and looking for another club, probably Series B or back in Greece.

I'd say his story very much resembles that of other Greeks who have tried their hand in Italy. Zagorakis was in much the same boat as Tachtsidis now when he was there (Bologna were relegated). Even Sokratis couldn't cut it at AC Milan. Karagounis was little more than a squad player for Inter, much like Choutos. Dellas only consistently played at Roma when the club was really struggling to perform and then he fell out of favor while also suffering a serious injury from which he never truly recovered. For the most part, he too was a squad player. Anastapoulos, Greece's all-time leading scorer, was something of a joke in Italy. Ninis was physically too small, too slow, and too weak to make any impression beyond a few neat plays. For all his talent, he still needed time to develop and mature, and his niggling array of injuries made it impossible to build around him.

Holebas, Fetfatzidis, and Lazaros had their moments, but never left a lasting mark. Vryzas, Moras, and Torosidis managed to make a decent career for themselves in Italy. Beyond Manolas, no Greek has really enjoyed much fanfare in Italy, although Kone gained some notoriety.

There were suggestions that Kourbelis and Bouchalakis would sign to clubs in Italy over the past summer or two, but those moves never materialized. I think if they were to go, it would take time for them to adjust and that they would struggle.

[Dean97]

Sampdoria I think were after Kourbelis and Bologna were after Bouchalakis. Not sure exactly if that was the case but it would’ve done the world of good if they went to Italy. Both would’ve progressed more and it would benefit the NT. I think the game has moved on and it seems you need to have more energetic and faster midfielders to succeed these days. That’s why Tachtsidis and Samaris are struggling lately with their clubs as their limitations are highlighted. Even having faster CBs these days is a big advantage.

[Greekfreak]

The Italian league is fatiguing, overly tactical, and very physical. It's also a league for old men. You must be mentally very strong to compete in Italy.

I think at this rate, Tachtsidis will end up staying at Lecce, going down with them. If he gives a proper account of his abilities, regardless of whether Lecce survive or not, he'll stay in Series A. If Lecce make tactical changes and survive, I think he's gone at the end of season and looking for another club, probably Series B or back in Greece.

I'd say his story very much resembles that of other Greeks who have tried their hand in Italy. Zagorakis was in much the same boat as Tachtsidis now when he was there (Bologna were relegated). Even Sokratis couldn't cut it at AC Milan. Karagounis was little more than a squad player for Inter, much like Choutos. Dellas only consistently played at Roma when the club was really struggling to perform and then he fell out of favor while also suffering a serious injury from which he never truly recovered. For the most part, he too was a squad player. Anastapoulos, Greece's all-time leading scorer, was something of a joke in Italy. Ninis was physically too small, too slow, and too weak to make any impression beyond a few neat plays. For all his talent, he still needed time to develop and mature, and his niggling array of injuries made it impossible to build around him.

Holebas, Fetfatzidis, and Lazaros had their moments, but never left a lasting mark. Vryzas, Moras, and Torosidis managed to make a decent career for themselves in Italy. Beyond Manolas, no Greek has really enjoyed much fanfare in Italy, although Kone gained some notoriety.

There were suggestions that Kourbelis and Bouchalakis would sign to clubs in Italy over the past summer or two, but those moves never materialized. I think if they were to go, it would take time for them to adjust and that they would struggle.

Sokratis wasn't given much of a chance at Milan--having spent two solid years at Genoa and formed part of a very imposing backline which was why Milan rated him in the first place. He would have cracked the starting eleven the same way he did at Dortmund had they given him enough time and opportunity but their principal defenders stayed healthy most of the season and he smartly moved back to Genoa before heading to Bremen.

I watched the second half against Juventus last night--he was very good but at one point went to ground when he could have drawn a foul just by trying to stay up. Players are stupid this way. Most refs will be more convinced that you weren't trying to dive but were fouled than if you dive onto the ground and play act.