Van ‘t Schip: “It is an honour for players to represent their country”

Head coach of the national team, John van ‘t Schip, recently shared his impressions from working in Greece, speaking about his philosophy and hopes for the future.

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Van ‘t Schip, 55, has offered Greek fans real hope for the future. Since taking over the senior national team, Greece have suddenly started displaying free-flowing, exciting attacking football, producing great performances to end the ultimately unsuccessful UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with well-deserved wins against Bosnia, Armenia and Finland. 

Recently, the Dutch manager held a meeting with all head coaches of junior Greek national teams, eager to make sure that all of them are working in accordance with the same philosophy and ideology. The creation of one single philosophy, which will be used for every national team of all ages, is crucial for Van ‘t Schip.

In an interview with Greek media, Van ‘t Schip spoke about his first few months with the Ethniki Omada, while touching upon the issue surrounding Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Kostas Manolas:

Philosophy with the Greek national team: “The key is to have as much possession as possible, but, when the opponents have the ball, our players must have discipline. I like protecting the ball and attacking with intensity. The new attacking style of Greece? I want to change the perception that Greeks can only defend. So far, I believe that the guys have done really well, and I think that we are capable of continuing to play aggressive football in the future.”

Kostas Fortounis: “When we had matches, I met with Kostas at the team hotel. I know the hugely important role which he held in this team. We’re really looking forward to when he returns, because we understand his quality.”

Pride which players should have on the pitch: “It’s an honour for players to have the opportunity to represent their country. It is also an honour for me to coach Greece. If I see a player here who does not have pride representing the Greek national team, he will not return to the group. Sometimes, players might have bad games, this happens. However, I want to see players who are playing for the flag on their chests.”

Situation concerning Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Kostas Manolas and Andreas Samaris: “After the match against Finland, I wanted to change things. We understand what kind of player we need with the national team. Nevertheless, we have a long time before we compete in an official game again, so it’s unfair to speak about possible exclusions from the list of players available to play for Greece. It would not be fair to say that someone has been excluded. Both Papastathopoulos and Manolas will be in contention for selection again.”

Situation concerning Konstantinos Mitroglou and Vangelis Pavlidis: “At the moment, Pavlidis always plays for Willem II, and he has performed very well with the national team as well. He is a player who we are relying on for the future. On the contrary, Mitroglou hasn’t found any rhythm. He isn’t playing with Eindhoven.”

Great form of Konstantinos Galanopoulos: “He’s young, works hard, possesses great technique and ability, helps the attacking line and has lots of potential. I like it when players in my team can play well with little space available.”

Other players eligible to represent Greece: ‘We are aware of Okan Chatziterzoglou, Cristian Vassilakis and George Baldock. However, if the latter is to play for Greece, he needs to acquire citizenship.”

Decision to permanently live in Greece: “This gives me an opportunity to learn more about the domestic championship, but also about the Greek mentality. I think I made a good decision.”

FOUNTAS MAKING AN IMPRESSION

In Austria, Rapid Vienna forward Taxiarchis Fountas is continuing to attract attention with his excellent performances, scoring an impressive 12 goals in 17 matches across all competitions. According to reports, Van ‘t Schip will summon the 24-year-old to the national team for the next international break, with the Dutchman eager to see what he is capable of. 

Fountas moved to Rapid as a free agent from St. Polten in the summer. Rapid currently occupy third place of the Austrian Bundesliga with 32 points from 18 games. 

Image Source: sportfm.gr

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