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It was nice to finally see a coach make the proper adjustments and bring in the right personnel to help turn the game around. We obv had some luck with the red card, but we had already started to turn the tide before that. 2nd half and end of the 1st half, we were a different team. Fortounis was dog s#it in the last 15 mins, gave the ball away at least 8 times, but he busted his a$$ all game and was doing everything he could to make things happen, so I don't blame him. The only thing is he should have brought kolovos and koulouris on sooner to help support fortou and donis so they didn't wear out cause you could see it happening with all the running they were doing early on and into the start of the 2nd half. Hopefully our coach learned today not to play stupid m@lakia line ups, cause it almost cost us. Put on your best starting 11 and f'n go at it. Non of this bs we've seen in the past against Sweden in '08, Argentina in '10 and Germany in' 12. Unless everyone is out injured and you have no choice, play a proper and your best line up, end of story! If this was Skibbe, he would have subbed fortounis and donis off to start the 2nd half! Honestly all I kept thinking today was "don't bring on bakasetas please!"

Biggest surprises for me: Siovas and Samaris. Was very amazed with their excellent play today. Zeca is all heart. Not even Greek and hustling like his life depended on it! Like others said, we didn't play perfect and my God, those first 20 minutes were like deer in headlights BUT (and this is huge) I loved how the team did not stop running, fighting, chasing balls and the opposition. They hustled like the teams we grew to love before the collapse of the past 3-4 years. This is important and hopefully they carry today's momentum into the next games later this summer. PAME ELLAS!

Overall, I really liked the team these two games. Masouras/Siovas/Donis really impressed, something to build on going forward. Wouldn't be surprised to see a three man back line. We can finally have speed to counter with Masouras/Donis and hopefully Lambrou. Vlaho is our keeper for the next 10 years, he will only get better. We took more shots on goal these past two games than we did the entire campaign the last time out. We looked more energetic and hustled, while our finishing is lacking, it will improve.

Huge result, directly after the game I felt we let a chance slip away to take all 3 points and although that may be true everything considered how the game started it's a fantastic result. In terms of playing 3-5-2 moving forward I'm not sure on it. Siovas is good enough to be starting but not over Sokratis and Manolas. So the only way to fit all of them is to switch to 5 at the back. The issue with switching formation so drastically is most players don't play this formation at club level (Only a few top teams around the world do and even then the manager picks and chooses when to play it) so it's difficult to expect players to be able to adapt straight away, especially against quality teams. Our full backs are an issue, defensively. Koutris as good as he was in attack in the 2nd half he has issues when defending. Bakakis on the other hand should only be playing against Liechtenstein and possibly Armenia. The Bosnian winger (Duljevic) on his side of the pitch plays for a bottom 6 club in Germany's 2nd tier and was running rings around him. We desperately need a right back, until then Toro/Retsos are our best options. All in all it was great to see the Ethniki playing some conventional football for a change, as others have mentioned the most impressive thing overall was our heart and fight. Bravo manges, now hopefully all our internationals have good ends to the season and we have no injuries by the time June rolls around and we are fit and firing heading into a big 2 matches

You know what, even with a “super power” I think we need to start going with balance. Greece has shown it can’t do what it used to do in terms of being defensive, every time we try it now days we get owned. If we go out there all defence with Italy they will have a field day. We lack technical skill on the ball but we hussle and don’t give up, teams got much hunger for success, nothing like what we have seen the last 4.5 years, time to back ourselves and look even the better opponents in the eyes instead of letting them do what they want.

I’m hoping Bosnia drop points in finland without Pjanic... That being said you can’t count out Finland either.. Guys beside the disastrous nervous start this is the first time I seen this team with speed and create chances and are finding away to get shots on target something we never were able to do.. I think guys like Masouras, Donis Koutris and now a reborn Samaris in the mid can help us be more creative and use there speed.. Hopefully when we play Italy we don’t come out nervous and scared, yes we need to be solid defensively but we can’t be afraid to attack.. Donis is better on the wing he produces very weak headers...

Here. I've been here for a while though. I don't know why you have this impression in every post, no one thinks we are a big team, we are a mediocre team who fights for 2nd and 3rd place in qualification groups. No one thinks we're a superpower. Today, we played a horrible game and closed down after leading 2-0 and got what was to be expected. In the end, lucky to keep it at 2-2 and not concede a 3rd goal. That's football. Anyway, until October 15th, peace out

Did you guys check youtube on the ethniki's official channel ? Here you boys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-hppZ3dx9w

This was like the old fighting spirit. I like that very much.

can't wait for retsos and torosidis return from injury. Bakakis was pretty bad this game. (He's decent though overall the hate is a bit unwarranted. He's pretty engine and was key in the AEK double) Koulouris needs to get the respect he deserves and be our striker when mitroglou isnt performing Donis needs to play as a winger. His headers are so weak and he's not tall enough to be an aerial threat anyways, it's his pace that makes him great, which is utilized on the wingz.

The one thing I will say about the way they play is that this version of the ethniki def hustles more than the one from the past campaign..

Samaras was also the man, as much as people hated him and called him lazy and useless, he really did offer us that little spark in creating goals.

This game will end 2 2.

Samaras was a creative option and we rode of that for years. When he stopped playing we didn’t know how to create except on the odd occasion we have guys like Ninis time in the middle

Τι να κερδίσεις μέσα έξω βρε κακόμοιρο... Δες κάτι aspirations που έχει το παλικάρι... Για γέλια.... 1) Όταν το μπάσκετ είχε νόημα και το έβλεπε όλη η Ελλάδα έκανες πεολειχία non-stop σε ομάδα αντίστοιχου μπατζετ με τη δική σου. Εσύ βέβαια αυτά δεν τα πρόλαβες, αλλά αυτός που σε μύησε στον ΠΑΟΚ πρέπει να έβλεπε τόσο πολλούς εφιάλτες με τον Άρη για να βγεις εσύ τέτοιος κομπλέξας. Δεν τον αδικώ βέβαια.... Τέτοιες και τόσες πολλές φάπες είναι λογικό να σου μεταφέρει όλη τη χολή και το δηλητήριο.... 2) Kαι τώρα που έχεις δεκαπλάσιο μπάτζετ μιξοκλαις σα κοριτσάκι για ένα οφσάιντ που δεν δίνεται ΠΟΤΕ και σε ΚΑΝΕΝΑ γήπεδο. Και στο Χαριλάου ισοφάρισες με πέναλτυ-φάντασμα. (ΥΓ Αλλά θα ξαναέρθεις του χρόνου.... Καθε μέρα πασχαλιά δεν είναι....) 3) Και το ΑΚΟΜΑ πιο γελοίο: Μας μιλάς για βόλλευ και χαντμπολ. Πότε πήγες να δεις εσύ βόλλευ της μπαογκ ρε; Αμα έχεις απ αυτά που κρέμονται, πες. Την αλήθεια, όμως. Πότε;

That's what I said alot of these Bosnians have this mentality that they are so superior in football to us when they have accomplished what one wcup appearance? As I said earlier I doubt they will ever reach a semi final of a major tournament and will never come close to what Greece did in 2004 and for a decade after that.

Look at these stats. Possession -Bos 38% - Gre 62% Shot Attempts -Bos 12 - Gre16 Shots On Goal -Bos 4 - Gre 6 Crosses - Bos 12 - Gre 20 When have we ever finished a game with these number against a good team?? Yes inunderstand they were a man down but after 25 minutes we started controlling the play and were by far the better team way before Pjanic went off. Also even tho they came out hard fast and attacked us the first goal was unlucky as Zeca cleared it right to there guy lucky bounce and the 2nd goal is something that would not happen if we had a wall it was mental block.. Kolovos goal was much more deserved and prettier then their goals..

Speed kill and we are starting to see that. Imagine if half of those shots we took were closer to the goal. As they develop chemistry and improve, I can see better results. Also we do have more guys to call up. I am liking the new coach and loved his press conference. A Bosnian reporter asked him that he felt that Greece wasn't even on the pitch until the penalty, what were his thoughts. He answered, well, that's his opinion, he's entitled, but if he wants, he can go back and look at the video to see what happened.

Μετά τον μοναδικό Νίκο Γκάλη, άλλος ένας παίκτης του Άρη θα έχει την τιμή να εισαχθεί στο Hall Of Fame της FIBA! Η Διεθνής Ομοσπονδία ανακοίνωσε τις προσωπικότητες του παγκοσμίου μπάσκετ που θα εισαχθούν στο δικό της Hall Of Fame και ανάμεσα σε αυτές βρίσκεται ο Χοσέ Πικουλίν Ορτίθ, ο θρύλος του μπάσκετ στο Πουέρτο Ρίκο. Ο Ορτίθ υπήρξε βασικός πρωταγωνιστής της κατάκτησης του Κυπέλλου Κόρατς για τον Άρη το 1997, ήταν από τους “πυλώνες” του έπους της Προύσας και έχει γράψει το όνομά του φαρδιά πλατιά στην σπουδαία ευρωπαϊκή ιστορία του Άρη. Με την Εθνική ομάδα του Πουέρτο Ρίκο αγωνίστηκε τέσσερις φορές σε Ολυμπιακούς Αγώνες και τέσσερις φορές σε Παγκόσμια Πρωταθλήματα. Η ομοσπονδία μπάσκετ του Πουέρτο Ρίκο έχει αποσύρει τη φανέλα με το Νο 4, που φορούσε ο πρώην σέντερ του Άρη. Με την παρουσία του Ορτίθ στο Hall Of Fame της FIBA ο Άρης έχει δύο παίκτες στο Μουσείο Μπάσκετ της Διεθνούς Ομοσπονδίας, κάτι που αναδεικνύει και την μπασκετική οντότητα των κίτρινων στο παγκόσμιο στερέωμα. www.pressaris.gr

Pretty sure he’s out for both games...

We have to go into the game vs Italy without any fear off them and will be fine. Samaris was fantastic today. With Manolas back he will calm things down in the back, he was a huge loss today, I was so pissed when he got that injury in the CL game With a healthy lineup Lord willing we will be fine going forward. I think Finland will be tough test especially away were we have trouble there. Bosnia goes there next without Pjanic I can see them losing that game. Is Pjanic out 2 games for the red card?

The result is big. Fair to say we should be happy with a score draw. As for the goals we conceded, the players committed sins today. Those goals should NEVER go in at that level. 1) The first goal, why isn't there one man around the "D" ? Seriously, my junior coaches taught us these basics when I was a kid. If you allow the opposition to just shoot like that, you deserve to concede. I've read comments the goal was lucky but I don't agree. We allowed the corner taker to see the option, he played it, and the BH player had a shot. After that, anything can happen, and behold it did. Worse than a school boy error on our part. If you simply position a man to guard the "D" this goal doesn't happen. 2) The free kick from Pjanic. Same again. School boy defending. Sure, he's not that good. I mean, he only plays for Juventus and is being courted by Real Madrid. Here mate, we don't need to setup a wall because you're just a no name player that couldn't score to save your life. And for the people that said it's Vlachodimos mistake, that is ridiculous. That shot would not be saved by any keeper in the world. It was perfect. But if you setup a wall, it's 95% no goal. So we concede two goals from defending that is Kastoria FC level. Unacceptable. Moving forward hopefully we tighten up because we will definitely not qualify conceding stupid goals like this. The plus (and this is a BIG plus) is that the team didn't fold and showed heart. That is all on Ange. His team selection I don't understand but his motivational skills have always been good. Overall, considering the first 20 minutes and at half-time we 2-0 down this is a great result.

yeah so I found an article about it. Vranjes is more pro Serbia/Russia as he's orthodox according to this article which has friction from bosniak fans http://www.sarajevotimes.com/ognjen-vranjes-disqualified-from-bih-football-team/

Ya maybe but I think if they had won they would have been back here quickly after the match.

vre ton angelo me tsabouka

I hope Anastasiadis sees now that he is useless. He didnt play against Bosnia so I suppose the coach recognized his limitations. ?

He's always had the skill. Just training with the class of Benfica should be good enough technically to earn you starting role. It was upstairs that was plaguing him. Hopefully he has matured into the player that we all anticipated.

As much as I criticized the coach for the mistake to start the game I give him full credit for making in game adjustments and changing the style to at the very least give us a chance.. Hopefuly now he sees unless we are playing a superpower we need to come out with speed and creativity and not just sit back and take the pressure..

Bosnia should be embarrassed to have come out with even that point. They had no right. Red card or not, the tide had turned a while ago. Their goals were both flukes. We cannot start scared anymore. Get the right players on and make a game out of it right away, for god's sake! How many times will we concede early before we wake up. Same thing vs Croatia last year.

Italy at home next game, bring it on!

New favourite player. Leonardo Koutris. He could be a star player for us.

Koutris has been excellent over the two games. A real stand out for me. Don't even miss Staf. Or Holebas.

Their defense is nothing special. If we could only apply some pressure we could possibly get a goal and get back into the game.