A look into the Ethniki future

In connection with the experimental team named by John van ‘t Schip for the two upcoming UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers, AGONAsport takes a look at what the future could hold for the Ethniki Omada.

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The rapid demise of the Greek national team has been impossible to ignore. Since reaching the Last 16 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Greece have embarked on a never-ending downward spiral with the team regularly suffering poor results against the likes of Luxembourg, the Faroe Islands and Liechtenstein. You could liken to the situation to a bleeding wound which is yet to be covered by a bandage.

Van ‘t Schip is determined to turn the situation around. This month, the Dutchman named an experimental squad for the games against Italy (October 12) and Bosnia (October 15), as the 55-year-old decided to use the matches as an opportunity to see what different players are capable of ahead of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying.

Let’s take a closer look at what the future holds for all positions on the pitch with the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in mind:

GOALKEEPERS

Although he still has his doubters, AEK representative Vasilis Barkas seems to have firmly become the first choice for the national team, with both Angelos Anastasiadis and Van ‘t Schip choosing him ahead of Benfica’s Odisseas Vlachodimos. Barkas, 25, is solid for AEK and is reportedly on the radar of a handful of European clubs.

Alexandros Paschalakis has constantly been knocking on the Ethniki door in the last couple of years, but the 2018/2019 Super League champion is out of form and has even been dropped by PAOK boss Abel Ferreira. Sokratis Dioudis has been included in the squad for the games against Italy and Bosnia, however it is unlikely that the Panathinaikos custodian will ever challenge Barkas and Vlachodimos for a place in the starting line-up. Marios Siampanis (Nottingham Forest/Olympiacos) and Antonis Stergiakis (Slavia Sofia) are players to watch in the future.

DEFENDERS

Many fans were happy to see that Kostas Manolas and Sokratis Papastathopoulos didn’t receive a call-up to the national team for the two matches in October. However, in a subsequent interview, Van ‘t Schip confirmed that he simply wants to give the younger players a chance in games which don’t hold a lot of competitive meaning.

Pantelis Hatzidiakos of AZ Alkmaar has been summoned to the Ethniki for the first time in his career. The centre-back has quietly been progressing in the Eredivisie, a league which is becoming a hotbed for Greek talent with the likes of Konstantinos Tsimikas, Marios Vrousai and Vangelis Pavlidis having also created a name for themselves there. Interestingly, the Rhodes-native had previously been a part of the U16 and U17 Dutch national teams, but he subsequently played for the U17 and U21 Greek teams.

Injury-prone Panagiotis Retsos still boasts bags of potential and is hoping to get back on track with Bayer Leverkusen. Deportivo defender Vasilis Lampropoulos, a 2018 Greek champion with AEK, has earned a re-call to the Ethniki with his showings in the Spanish second tier. Konstantinos Triantafyllopoulos is pushing for a place in the national team as he performs well in Poland with Pogon Szczecin.

There are still high hopes for centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos, but his progression at Arsenal has been badly stunted by injury.

It is widely assumed that veteran Vasilis Torosidis won’t play on the international stage again. Dimitris Nikolaou, Giorgos Antzoulas, Konstantinos Dimitriou and Lefteris Lyratzis are prospects who are involved with the under 21 team.

MIDFIELDERS

Greece do have plenty of depth in midfield. To the delight of several Ethniki supporters, AEK star Konstantinos Galanopoulos has been included in the team to face Italy and Bosnia this month, with the gifted 21-year-old having developed into one of the most competent midfielders in the Super League. While also possessing good technical ability, Galanopoulos always puts himself about and makes life difficult for the opponents. He could, and maybe should, become a key player for the national team.

Gritty, pitbull-like midfielder Manolis Siopis needs to feature for the Ethniki more often. When at his best, Carlos Zeca provides a productive link between defence and attack, Andreas Bouchalakis is in form at Olympiacos and Dimitris Kourbelis (capable of playing in defence too) does have the potential to grow into an international-level player. Andreas Samaris has surely had his day with the Ethniki and will no longer be a part of the team.

Panathinaikos talent Giannis Bouzoukis, arguably the hottest prospect in Greece, is a future star and will eventually break into the senior team if he continues impressing. As usual, the main problem for the Ethniki is the obvious lack of flair and creativity, but that will improve to a degree when Kostas Fortounis returns from injury in 2020. AEK captain Petros Mantalos, Giannis Fetfatzidis, Giorgos Masouras and young Vrousai are the other attacking threats.

Tasos Bakasetas is back in the national team after a strong start to life in Turkey.

FORWARDS

Let’s immediately take Kostas Mitroglou out of the equation here. Yes, the 31-year-old has a proven track record, but his best days appear to be in the past and he is unlikely to be considered by a forward-thinking Van ‘t Schip. Mitroglou is currently playing on loan in the Eredivisie with PSV Eindhoven.

Efthymis Koulouris will be the starting striker for at least the time being. Even though he is yet to prove his worth with the national team, Koulouris has been a consistent goalscorer at club level for the past two years, becoming the 2018/2019 Super League top scorer with 19 goals and scoring four markers in nine Ligue 1 games for Toulouse this season. Here’s hoping that he transfers that prolific form to the international stage.

20-year-old Pavlidis of Willem II is a major talent, Anastasios Donis needs more time to realise his potential and Fjorin Durmishaj could force his way back into Van ‘t Schip’s plans. Asteras Tripolis forward Anastasios Douvikas, 20, is regarded as a bright prospect.

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: to10.gr

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