Van ‘t Schip: “The egos have to be put aside”

Ahead of playing Liechtenstein on Sunday in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, John van ‘t Schip and Andreas Bouchalakis spoke with the press.

Having conceded a bitter 1-0 defeat to Finland on Friday, the Greek national team require a miracle to somehow qualify for Euro 2020, but the main aim for this game is giving a better performance. Liechtenstein, who lost 2-0 to Greece on home turf at the beginning of the qualifying campaign, visit the Olympic Stadium in Athens.

Ethniki Omada head coach John van ‘t Schip is still considering the game against Liechtenstein an important one:

Thoughts on the upcoming match: “Looking back at the game against Finland, I felt that we did well as a team, and we deserved more. However, you don’t always get what you deserve in football. I was pleased with how we played on the pitch after only training together for a few days. Our priority is now playing Liechtenstein tomorrow; this is a very important match for us. We still have a small chance of qualifying for the Euros, so we have to take advantage of any opportunity we have. Regardless of that, we must perform well for the Greek people and fans. I’m aware of the situation concerning the Greek national team in the last few years. We must become a team again, putting aside the egos. That must be a priority for every player. Those players will be selected, and we’ll work on achieving better results.”

If he expected the situation to be so difficult: “Yes, I was aware of the problems. Things weren’t going the way the federation wanted. I don’t want to speak too much about the past. We have created clear goals for the players, because if you don’t have targets, you don’t even have to talk about tactics. As I have already said, the egos have to be put aside. We will work hard to achieve the results we want.”

Tough situation in qualifying: “We have had very limited time together, so that’s why it’s important to let the players know what we expect. This shouldn’t be about them having a nice trip back to Greece to talk and see their families. They must have a professional attitude. All other matters should be put aside; they have to be professional and be proud to play for the Greek national team.”

His system: “We won’t change the way we play, but we might change some players because these matches have come in quick succession. There aren’t any injuries, and this is a good chance to see how fit the players are.”

Motivation for this match: “We’ll prepare as usual, having the strongest team possible on the pitch to achieve a positive result. We’re not going to use this game just to try out players for the future. There is still a chance to qualify. We will approach every match like it’s a big one, and we will go out there to get a result.”

Andreas Bouchalakis also shared his thoughts when speaking to the media:

Mindset for playing Liechtenstein: “We played well in Finland, but we didn’t manage to achieve the desired result. We must focus on the upcoming match. Let’s make a new start tomorrow and create the foundations to move on successfully.”

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: to10.gr

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