Van ‘t Schip purrs over Greece performance
Greece boss John van ‘t Schip was satisfied with his players’ performance in Friday’s 1-0 win over Armenia, and said the team’s second win in a row shows that he and the players are “building something good.”
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Dimitris Limnios scored the only goal of the game after 35 minutes to seal victory in their Euro 2020 qualifier for Greece, who produced a classic, professional away performance which could and should have been by a greater margin.
And although Greece can not qualify from the group, Van ‘t Schip showed that his new-look team is showing promise. "It was very important after the match with Bosnia to show that we are working on something good, and that is clear to see I think,” Van ‘t Ship told reporters.
The 55-year-old Dutchman added: “The guys have shown today that they understand what we want to do as a team, and how we want to play. Of course, we still have much to improve, such as our efficiency in front of goal. Today, we should have finished much better than we did with all the chances we created.”
The Greeks, who lost 3-2 to Armenia in the corresponding fixture amid a woeful start to the qualifying campaign, were dominant against the home side, controlling much of the possession and once again demonstrated some fluid, attacking football.
“Overall we examine the performance,” added Van ‘t Schip. “In the first half we were very good with the ball; we played with speed and created chances. In the second half, we had to battle more, as Armenia tried to attack and apply pressure on us. However, even then we still fashioned the best opportunities. I'm pleased with the performance and the result, but we have to keep going and produce this every time.”
From the players’ perspective, midfielder Petros Mantalos spoke of a marked change in the mentality of the players following the arrival of Van ‘t Schip to take the helm.
“The important thing right now is the performance of the team; just like against Bosnia-Herzegovina, it’s another step which fills us all with optimism,” said the AEK captain, who hit the post in the first half.
He added: “The improvement is a result of the goals that have been set by the new coach. I think at the moment the national team needs wins on a consistent basis over time to get our psychology up. Today we have shown that.”
“There have not been major changes, but some rules have been put in place and we’re showing out on the pitch that everyone is giving it their all, and are playing for each other, and this is slowly bringing the results."
Greece’s win is a welcome filip in what has been a very poor qualification campaign overall, and it helps Greece to keep their recent positive momentum going, while Armenia, who had to win the match to have any hope of staying in the running for qualification, struggled to create chances. Finland, however, easily defeated Liechtenstein in Tampere 3-0 to secure their ticket to their first major tournament in the country’s history.
Next up for Greece is a home match against Finland on Monday, while Armenia face Italy away on the same night.
