Greece’s Next Three Friendlies Aren’t Dead Rubbers
Usually, football fans hate the international break when there is nothing on the line. For Greece, the next three fixtures for the men’s international football team are friendlies, which means you could be forgiven if you believe they are going to be a snooze fest.
Sure, international friendlies are ruined by the constant chopping and changing of the team, and the fact the players are going through the motions, yet Greek supporters shouldn’t be fooled. With a big summer of football coming up for Ethniki, it’s imperative that they use these “dead rubbers” as springboards. Here’s how they can achieve this.
World Cup Qualification Isn’t Out of the Question
The table doesn’t make for excellent reading at the moment, and the odds of qualification reflect that fact. To put it into perspective, the football betting market currently has Greece as 16/1 to make it into the top two. John van 't Schip’s men’s hopes are even slimmer when you take into account that they are 250/1 to win the World Cup outright.
Of course, we know that squads can pull together to beat the odds because our boys did it before in the 2004 European Championships. Plus, we have only played two games so far in this World Cup Qualifying campaign, which means there are plenty of ties left before the top two teams in Group B are announced. Considering we haven’t been beaten yet, including drawing with Spain away from home, the Blue and Whites shouldn’t be underestimated.
This will be especially true if we can put in three quality performances before a crucial match against Kosovo away from home. After all, playing and competing with the likes of Belgium and Switzerland is a healthy confidence boost.
The Level of Our Opponents Is a Solid Combination
It wouldn’t be good for us to roll over three teams just in the same way that it wouldn’t be healthy if we were soundly beaten by fantastic opponents. So, the fact that the three outfits differ in quality is something to praise in many ways.
Unfortunately not winner of our Group. Proud of the whole #NationsLeague cycle of the Greece nat team. Enough good things to take with us. The future looks bright.@EthnikiOmada
— john van't schip (@johnvantschip7) November 19, 2020
For example, pitting our young team against Belgium is a yardstick of our performance because they are the number one ranked side in the world. Whether we win or lose, we can hold our heads high if our performance is good, especially as they have odds of 9/1 to win the tournament in 2022. Switzerland is 13th in the world, which is a long way above our position of 51. However, we are in with a decent opportunity if we stay solid and counter-attack with purpose. Finally, Norway is only nine places above us, which means we will get a true representation of where we are in the footballing landscape.
World Cup Qualification means taking on teams that are better, worse, and on the same level. So, the friendlies should set us up nicely for our first competitive match in almost six months in September.
It’s More Experience for a Young Squad
In some ways, a bad start to the 2020 Euro Qualifying campaign was a blessing in disguise as it meant Schip decided to blood-in some youngsters for the final games. New players contributed in games against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia, and Finland.
With quick and aggressive players, we gelled much better all over the pitch, but particularly in attack since we played with extra intent and style. Still, we can’t expect young men to maintain a high level of performance and carry the weight of the nation on their shoulders. They need as much experience as possible against top sides to ensure they aren’t fearless in the big games.
When they get to share space with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Braut Haaland, they’ll only learn more about their trade and how they should perform on the world stage. For Greek fans, that’s an exciting prospect as they have already highlighted their talent.
If the friendlies give our boys confidence, expose younger players to experience, and set Greece up for a bid at World Cup Qualification, then these ties are crucial to the international team.
