Van ‘t Schip: “We want to play in a specific manner”

Ahead of the concluding UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier against Finland, both John van ‘t Schip and Pantelis Hatzidiakos shared their expectations.

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The turbulent Euro 2020 qualifying campaign is coming to an end. Tomorrow, the Greek national team will complete the ultimately unsuccessful Group J effort with a game against Finland in Athens, who have already qualified for Euro 2020. However, if Greece do beat the Finns at the Olympic Stadium, they could move up to Pot 3 for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.

John van ‘t Schip is eager for the positive momentum to continue:

If the performance will be more important that the result against Finland: “They both go together. We’re working with the team on a way which we want to play. Until now, I’ve think we’ve shown some really good steps with good performances. As a result of those good performances, we also gained two positive results. However, a good performance doesn’t always mean that you will win. We have a plan, we want to play in a specific way. If we can do this again tomorrow, we will be satisfied with the development of the team. If we win, it will be an extra bonus.”

Factor of playing against a stronger team than Armenia: “No, the only thing we need to address is the fact that we played away on Friday and travelled. We’ll see how the players’ fitness is after the training session today. If need to refresh the team, we will, but if the same players feel fine they can play again. We will make a decision after training. Our goal is to play our game with a lot of ball possession, playing between the lines with a lot of pressing. Finland have a lot of good qualities, so that’s why they probably deserve to finish in second place of the group.”

Poor recent results against the Finns: “This could be one of the motivations, but the most important one is our own; how we want to play. We think that we have a good chance to win this match if we play our brand of football. Every game is new, it’s not about the results of the past. It’s a big challenge for us to compete against a good opponent.”

If Greece would have qualified with him in charge from the start of the campaign: “I can’t answer that question. We came in after four qualification games. Now, we are in a process of building a new team. The only thing which I can say is that I am happy with the development of the team. The past doesn’t count, this is the truth. We have to be focused on what is ahead of us, not on the past.”

Message to future opponents of Greece not surrendering: “It’s normal that if you achieve good results, the opponents are aware of it. We need the support of the Greek fans, because we must have everyone behind us. We want a full stadium. Yes, we understand that this won’t happen at the moment, but that is our goal. We want to see how far we can go, we’re in a building process. Focus is required. If we lose this momentum, it will be difficult to get it back again. If you achieve a lot of good results, the opposing teams will treat you differently.”

Appreciation of his work: “My Greek isn’t that good yet, so I haven’t read anything. It’s nice when you speak to people and they express their satisfaction with the improvement and the players which are giving the team something new. Pantelis, for example. Hopefully, all of these things will help create a new period with the national team with a lot of support. We must have a team ready for the UEFA Nations League challenge.”

Build-up to new Nations League campaign: “We would like to continue with more games, of course, but we have to deal with this situation. We have to work on the relationship with the players, watching their matches with their respective clubs. The players must be deserving of a place in the national team. We want to keep a base of players who are selected. It’s all about following the players and creating relationships with them, keeping that momentum going. The idea is clear.”

Defender Pantelis Hatzidiakos wants another strong performance after the victory against Armenia in Yerevan:

Feelings after beating Armenia and expectations for Finland: “Against Armenia, it was important to show that we are improving. Now, we want to produce against a good performance in this game with Finland. We must work for each other.”

Goal for the game against Finland in Athens: “We want to show that we are better than them.”

How to cope with Teemu Pukki: “It doesn’t matter who the opponents are, the main thing for us is to do what our coach says.”

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: to10.gr

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