Van ‘t Schip looks into the future with refreshing approach
AGONAsport looks into the latest statements made by John van ‘t Schip, with the Dutchman firmly focusing on the future rather than looking towards the past.
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Van ‘t Schip has been a roaring success since becoming the head coach of the senior national team in late July of last year. When he replaced the bumbling Angelos Anastasiadis at the helm, the Dutchman was initially greeted with plenty of skepticism, but he subsequently won the fans over with the team producing impressive performances towards the back end of UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying. With the players displaying a new positive, attacking brand of football, Greece defeated Bosnia, Armenia and Finland in the concluding three games of the qualification process, offering supporters real hope for the future.
In March, Greece were due to compete against Mexico and Costa Rica on American territory in preparation for the 2020/2021 UEFA Nations League, but the friendlies fell foul of the coronavirus pandemic which has halted sport across the globe.
Nevertheless, in a recent interview with Nova, Van ‘t Schip revealed that he was preparing to give Tasos Chatzigiovanis a chance in the US games while once again leaving out Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Kostas Manolas, Kostas Fortounis and Kostas Mitroglou: “Chatzigiovanis was on the list. Fortounis wasn’t on the list, however, because he needs to get back to top form after injury. Papastathopoulos and Manolas weren’t on the list either. As I have already said, our goal is to choose players who fight for Greece. Each player must give 100%.”
“Mitroglou? In the Netherlands, a young striker has been scoring goals in the Eredivisie,” stated Van ‘t Schip as he referred to Vangelis Pavlidis. “Mitroglou has not done so well in recent years, he’s barely played this season. We can’t look back in the past.”
Van ‘t Schip’s quote about the past is particularly telling. In recent years, players were picked for the Ethniki Omada purely based on previous achievements, but Van ‘t Schip quickly decided to stamp that mentality out once and for all. In a refreshing approach, Van ‘t Schip is only choosing players who are currently in good form, regardless of whether they play in Greece or in one of Europe’s leading championships.
Before Van ‘t Schip was employed by the Hellenic Football Federation, the experienced pair of Papastathopoulos and Manolas had caused a number of problems within the camp with their behaviour, and it must be said that the centre-backs haven’t been missed at all. Looking to the future, Van ‘t Schip has given the talented Pantelis Hatzidiakos a chance to display his ability at international level, with the AZ Alkmaar star catching the eye with his shows in the centre of defence. It has also been suggested that Van ‘t Schip is preparing to select Konstantinos Mavropanos and Stratos Svarnas for future games.
Papastathopoulos and Manolas had previously been accused of putting their egos above the team’s overall interests. Van ‘t Schip, however, has regularly emphasized that the importance of respect and treating everyone as equals, letting players know that they won’t be picked if they disrespect teammates, coaches or staff members.
As for Mitroglou, his national team days are a thing of the past. This season, the 32-year-old striker has flattered to deceive on loan at PSV Eindhoven from Marseille, only scoring three goals across all competitions for the Dutch side. Pavlidis, on the other hand, has shone for Willem II by netting 13 goals and dishing out four assists. The gifted 21-year-old grabbed his maiden marker for the national team during the 2-1 triumph over Bosnia in Athens last November.
However, on a more negative note, it seems that George Baldock won’t be eligible for selection: “This case is very unlikely because of bureaucratic reasons, you can ask Mr. Konstantinidis about that,” revealed Van ‘t Schip. In the Premier League, the 27-year-old right-back has shone for Sheffield United, and he is of Greek heritage through his grandmother. Nevertheless, in disappointing for many fans, Van ‘t Schip effectively ruled out the possibility of Baldock representing Greece.
Furthermore, Van ‘t Schip touched upon the subject of Christian Vassilakis, suggesting that the young Real Madrid needs to compete at a higher level before he can realistically be in line for national team selection. The Dutch coach is also continuing to track the progress of German-born Sebastian Vasiliadis (Paderborn) and Orestis Kiomourtzoglou (Heracles).
It now remains to be seen who gets selected by Van ‘t Schip when the Nations League eventually begins. As it stands, the games against Kosovo, Moldova and Slovenia are due to begin in September, but they are likely to be put back to a later date because of COVID-19. Some fans would surely be happy for the likes of Papastathopoulos and Manolas to be left on the sidelines again...
