Van ‘t Schip: “We need players fully committed to the national team”
In a recent interview, John van ‘t Schip shared his initial impressions from working with the Greek national team, setting out the goals for the future.
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It hasn’t been an easy start for the Dutchman at the Ethniki Omada helm. In his first two matches as head coach, Van ‘t Schip’s Greek national team conceded a 1-0 defeat to Finland and could only play to a 1-1 draw against Liechtenstein, with the players barely showing any improvement. Greece languish in fifth place of Group J in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying with a mere five points from six games.
In an interview with Documento, Van ‘t Schip spoke about working with the Greek national team:
The main goal moving forward: “We must achieve qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. At the moment, the situation surrounding the team is not productive. We have to be realistic, working step by step in order to become better.”
What positives he saw in the matches against Finland and Liechtenstein: “As coaches, we are interested in building up team spirit within the team and having specific values and rules. I felt positive energy during my first few days with the team. The players must realise what we demand from them. It is crucial to create a productive atmosphere. In my opinion, it is very important that players drop their egos when representing the national team. This is an ongoing process.”
Low level of the overall Greek national team: “Let’s look at Denmark 1992, Greece 2004 and Leicester 2016 who were all successful because they were good teams. Players can improve individually when they play for the team. I want the players to be fully committed to the national team when they are here.”
The next two years with the Ethniki Omada: “We will find players who have the required characteristics and passion to play for the Ethniki. We must be creative, patient and have great team spirit.”
Clubs which have a positive effect on the national team: “We’re happy that Andreas Bouchalakis, Konstantinos Tsimikas and Giorgos Masouras will all participate in the UEFA Champions League this season. When a player competes at the highest level, it can only be a good and positive thing. On the other hand, we were disappointed to see all Greek teams fail to make the UEFA Europa League group phase. I will choose the best players to represent Greece.”
Whether the development plan has been discussed with the Hellenic Football Federation: “Yes, this was part of our agreement. At the moment, all of our attention is on the men’s team, but we will soon begin to speak with coaches of the youth teams as well. We will make decisions as to how we implement our development program.”
Sokratis Papastathopoulos: “I have spoken with Sokratis, he was unhappy with certain aspects of the previous regime. However, we have a new situation now, and he has to stay in the team. He is a great defender.”
Decision to leave Carlos Zeca out of the line-up in September: “After playing in a lot of matches with Copenhagen this summer, we could see that he was very tired. That’s why we chose Bouchalakis and Dimitris Kourbelis for the game against Finland in Tampere. In the second match, we played with Bouchalakis and Andreas Samaris purely because of tactical reasons. Konstantinos Mitroglou? He will join the team when he’s back in form.”
His thoughts on Greece as a country: “I love Greece! My wife and I travelled to Mykonos for our honeymoon in 1989. It’s been 30 years, and as you can see we are still together. We have also been to Rhodes, Kos and Athens of course. I have great memories from travelling to Greece. How can I forget the 1987 Cup Winners’ Cup final, when Marco van Basten scored the winning goal at the Olympic Stadium to beat Locomotive Leipzig?”
