Attack-minded Greece rapidly developing
With the players believing in the new philosophy, Greece have won back the hearts of the fans in the concluding UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers by displaying free-flowing, entertaining football which has earned three precious victories.
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John van ‘t Schip is determined to quash the theory that Greeks are only capable of playing defensive football. When the Dutchman became the new national team head coach in the summer, the vast majority of fans greeted him with a wave of negativity, but he has since proved his doubters wrong. All of a sudden, Greece are competing in a slick, attacking manner which has resulted in the team picking up three consecutive wins to end a turbulent Euro 2020 qualifying campaign on a high. The positive 4-2-3-1 formation used by Van ‘t Schip has been highly effective.
The likes of gifted young guns Pantelis Hatzidiakos, Dimitris Giannoulis, Konstantinos Galanopoulos, Dimitris Limnios and Vangelis Pavlidis have all stood out with their superb performances on the pitch, offering the national team a well-needed burst of energy and enthusiasm which had long been lacking. Van ‘t Schip, unlike his predecessors, has been able to convince his troops that they are capable of playing in an aggressive style. The players are finally enjoying representing their country again, instead of looking as though they were forced to pull on the national team jersey.
Following the loss to Italy in Rome, Greece finished their Group J campaign with three deserved victories against Bosnia (2-1), Armenia (1-0) and Finland (2-1), playing an attack-minded brand of football along the way. Here are the statistics from the three games in question:
Statistics against Bosnia (Athens)
Shots: 25
Shots on target: 7
Possession: 51%
Passes attempted: 518
Passes completed: 448
Pass success rate: 86%
Statistics against Armenia (Yerevan)
Shots: 20
Shots on target: 5
Possession: 60%
Passes attempted: 593
Passes completed: 535
Pass success rate: 90%
Statistics against Finland (Athens)
Shots: 26
Shots on target: 6
Possession: 58%
Passes attempted: 636
Passes completed: 554
Pass success rate: 87%
As you can see, Greece have registered at least 20 shots at goal in all three of those matches, a statistic which perfectly displays the effect Van ‘t Schip has had on the team. Unfortunately, the poor finishing has somewhat let the team down at times, but if you don’t shoot you certainly won’t score. Players do now have the confidence to try their luck and apply heavy pressure on the opponents.
The Euro 2020 qualifiers have ended at the worst time possible for Van ‘t Schip. However, while there is now a long break before international football returns again in 2020, there is hope that Greece will be able to carry on in the same vein when the UEFA Nations League and 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers begin. The obvious potential is there for all to see.
