Van ‘t Schip: “Players in this country can play aggressive football”
In a recent interview, John van ‘t Schip spoke about the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers and the direction in which he wants to take the Greek national team.
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Last week, Greece took a big step forward under the guidance of Van ‘t Schip, defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-1 at the Olympic Stadium with their best performance so far in Euro 2020 qualifying. With young guns Vangelis Pavlidis, Konstantinos Galanopoulos and Dimitris Limnios taking a leading role, the Greeks showed the kind of free-flowing football which has rarely been seen in the country.
Since replacing Angelos Anastasiadis in the summer, Van ‘t Schip has been at the helm for four games, losing two, picking up one draw and beating Bosnia. In a recent interview broadcasted on ERT’s Athlitiki Kyriaki show, the Dutchman spoke about his experience working in Greece so far:
Recent performances: “We were very pleased with the performance against Bosnia. We’re continuing to work hard.”
The previous matches in September: “I don’t agree that everything was bad, I believe that we showed positive signs in the match with Finland. It takes time for the players to play in the desired manner. The past? I can’t speak about that because I wasn’t here.”
Giving younger players a chance: “Yes, this is a part of our plan. Pavlidis and Pantelis Hatzidiakos? We want quality players in our squad. However, at the same time, we must remember that they are still developing. Pavlidis, for example, will have plenty of ups and downs because he is still young. The same goes for Galanopoulos of AEK. It is difficult for them to consistently play at a stable level at the moment.”
Difference in quality between big teams in Greece and the smaller ones: “There is a big gap between the big and small clubs. Nevertheless, I watched OFI play against Olympiacos on Saturday, and they’re a great example of a smaller team who try to play good football. Teams like OFI have good players too.”
Whether it makes a difference if a player competes in a foreign league rather than the domestic championship: “No, I wouldn’t say that it affects our decisions when picking the squad. However, if a player competes in a championship of a higher level, he will be more used to playing in the big matches. That doesn’t play a decisive role though.”
Situation concerning Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Kostas Manolas: “We had to change something after the previous results. We needed to look to the future. No one has excluded them from the national team set-up, but we wanted to see other players. Our minds are now on Plan Qatar.”
His overall goal with the Greek national team: “I want to leave my legacy on Greek football. Players in this country need to understand that they are capable of playing good, aggressive football. We are trying to change the fact that Greece have always been a defence-minded team. Look at the Italians who have managed to change their approach. We want to do the same.”
Discipline within the team: “We have rules within the team, of course. The players must be on time, keep a low profile, work hard and remember that everybody is equal. If the match starts at 21:00, you can’t turn up at 21:01!”
