Baby Bombshell
AGONAsport’s national team contributor, Greg Gavalas, talks about the changes in the Ethniki roster and the tactical shakeup needed in order to see an improved performance against Italy and Bosnia.
Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage with Go Greek TV!
Dutchman John Van Schip (JVS) has had much to say since taking over one of the toughest jobs in world football – coaching the Greek National Football team. The Ethniki is a team that has been in an unprecedented downward spiral since the heights of a FIFA World Cup campaign in 2014 - which 20 years on from the USA ‘94 disaster did Greeks proud. The 2014 success was preceded by a consecutive string of major tournament appearances since 2008.
Sadly, as I have covered over the last few years, Greece’s performances and results have been for the “skoupidia” as we say in Greek with not one, not two, not three but continuous poor results against minnow teams. To make matters worse, there are very little signs of improvement.
After a brief high in the 2-2 draw away to Bosnia early on in the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign - a game the Ethniki could have won - Greece returned to “losing” ways, including an embarrassing defeat at home to Armenia, a loss away to Finland, and a draw at home to Liechtenstein. Greece’s disastrous form was enough for JVS to decide it's time for some bombshells.
The new coach has spoken much about what he has found within this team and has especially made a big deal about what needs to change. Some key points include making the Ethniki a priority and to be focused on the goals at hand.
He has gone on many times to speak about “egos” and a mentality that needs to change within the team. I think the mentality item is a Greek one that Greek omegenis can understand. The motherland has a mentality of “this is the best we can do” or “only in difficult situations we can do our best,” There is a real lack of killer bite, fight, and most of all – belief. JVS wants and needs to change this if the national team is to snap out of the black sinking hole it finds itself in.
The first bombshells have been dropped and a new crop of players were picked this go around. The biggest news is none other than Greece taking on Italy and Bosnia without the team’s two best players – Kostas Manolas of Napoli and Sokratis Papastathopoulos of Arsenal.
The subtraction of the Greek twin towers and the inclusion of Vasilis Lambropoulos, Pantelis Hatzidiakos and the return of Panagiotis Retsos, adds huge amount of intrigue to the matches with Italy and Bosnia.
The changes do not stop there. Also dropped, and about bloody time I say, is Andreas Samaris who has been truly horrific the last 12 months with the national team. In his place, and much deserved, is Kostas Galanopoulos of AEK. The young holding midfielder has a chance to really make a claim to the holding midfield position if given a run. With Petros Mantalos also returning to the team, plus Tassos Donis and Manolis Siopis, JVS could play something new instead of the failed status quo.
Who is played in the place of Manolas and Sokratis will build on how much change we see. A Dimitris Siovas and Dimitris Kourbelis pairing can do the job with Italy, since the match in Rome won't be easy and Greece we need a trusted pair in the starting XI.
I don’t know if Andreas Bouchalakis is the answer in the midfield anymore. The more I see of him, the less impressed I become. Although, with good runners near him, like Zeca and Manolis Siopis who can run all day as well, he could perform better.
One thing is certain: If the Ethniki are to do something special, the wings must be utilized. Greece have options for the flanks in Giannis Fetfatzidis, Dimitris Limnios, and Tassos Donis. With Mantalos in the middle of the park and Efthymis Koulouris up front, we may just see a team that can make a game of it, play some football, and give Italy and Bosnia a good run for their money.
Another option available is playing good runners like Siopis and Galanopoulos in the middle of the park along with two strikers up front, such as Koulouris and Vangelis Pavlidis. Again, with good wide players, we hope to see a Greek team with fluidity and speed that could even be deadly.
There are many possibilities to shake up the squad as well as room for potential disaster if Italy come out looking for blood against an inexperienced team that could fall apart. That being said, Greece need to try something new. There is no good in doing the same thing over and over only to be left with the same result. JVS has a vision and we will get a first view of this over the next week.
Fingers crossed.
