MItsaras9

In case you missed this latest interview article by agonasport.com on papastathopoulos it is worth a read. http://www.agonasport.com/agonasport-allnews/sokratis-it-is-a-blessing-to-be-born-greek It talks about how the players feel, how they have become a team again, and the Greek spirit. I look forward to the draw, and of course the playoffs. "come and get them"

I think the Swiss would be toughest. Italy would be interesting. But when you get to this point, it just comes down to who wants it more and of course a little help from lady luck doesn't hurt. I think that the morale of the Ethniki is in a good place. I believe that anything is possible. It appears the squad is healthy. Defensively we match up extremely well. Our Midfield picture has become clearer. A healthy Mitroglou even not 100%fit, is a blessing. So far so good. As for the Swiss, they are going to have regain composure after their loss to Portugal. The Swiss are a quality side, so I think that they will regroup quickly and play strong. It appears the Italians are questioning themselves and have doubts. But they will go down swinging. Anything can happen, but it always seems that Greece rise to the occasion against stronger sides. We'll see, I hope the team battles hard, and punches their ticket to Russia.

Looking forward to the playoffs, I think looking back to both Belgium matches, if they fight like those matches....then Greece can battle with any of the higher seeded teams. When was the last time Greece got any favours, I won't say it never happens....but usually we get the difficult path. Some of the negative people in the forums, and in the Kafenia complain about the players, squad, formation, tactics, coaching, results. But we should all keep in mind that other teams are facing their own problems. For example, Italy as others mention. What about the Swiss, they had a reality check versus a fortunate (own goal) Portugal. So let the top seeds pump their tires, let Greece be lowly, underserving Greece. Now we are beginning to be healthy, and it appears that in regards to cards (red/yellows) we are looking in good shape. We finished 2nd in our group, where we rightful belong. Belgium were strongest period. I was pleased to see Messi score 3 today and punch Argentina's ticket to the world cup. ARGENTINA, to all the pessimists who week in week out moaned, and complained, and failed to realize that the ETHNIKI is what it is. This is what we have, this is the team the coach works with. He makes the decisions, and his decisions coinciding with the play of the entire squad have led us to this point. As well the National team is finally a team again. It is nice to see that there are plenty of other Greeksters in the forum who through the good and bad results remained positive. These are the Greekster that I would like to have a few fix beers, and some meze enjoying a match. A special shout out to Rockefeller Skank for your great posts.

Greek Nat. Soccer Team, Blogs FOR GREECE, IT’S ALREADY MISSION ACCOMPLISHED by George Tsitsonis After a whirlwind weekend, Greece is on the cusp of clinching 2nd place in Group H, needing only a victory on Tuesday against Gibraltar at home to ensure they are in the October 17th draw for the World Cup Playoffs along with seven other European nations. WATCH Greece's World qualifier against Gibraltar LIVE from AGONAsport on Tuesday, October 10th. Details here! Saturday and Sunday saw Greek supporters get exactly what they wanted. First, Belgium defeated Bosnia in Sarajevo 4-3 in order to give the Ethniki the chance to jump into 2nd place with a win over Cyprus. Michael Skibbe’s side then managed to make hard work of that task, but ultimately came away with the 2-1 win in Nicosia. Finally, on Sunday, the door opened to finish as one of the top eight 2nd-placed teams as Slovenia and Scotland played out a 2-2 draw, one of the possible results that Greece needed. Now all that stands between Greece and a playoff berth is a victory, by any score, against Gibraltar. For supporters who have endured losses to the Faroe Islands and Luxembourg in the last few years nothing will be taken for granted. With all due respect though, the result against Gibraltar, does appear to be a formality. The tiny British Overseas Territory located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula has had a full national side since 2013. The team has won one match in that time, a 2014 friendly versus Malta. They have lost 24 of their 28 official matches, scoring eight goals and conceding 120 in the process. Barring an upset the likes of which we have never seen, Greece will defeat Gibraltar on Tuesday. Then 180 minutes will separate the Ethniki from a place in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. But, whether Greece end up booking their ticket to a 4th World Cup or not, appears at this point to be fairly irrelevant. All Greek fans want their team to be at the world’s biggest sporting event next summer. Greeks around the world will be supporting their team in what will certainly be a difficult Playoff in November. However, what Greece have gained during this qualifying campaign is much more important than another berth at the World Cup. What we have seen over the last 18 months is a team coming together from the ashes of a catastrophic EURO 2016 qualifying campaign. It was not only the defeats to minnows during those qualifiers and friendly matches in the post-2014 World Cup period that upset supporters. It was the infighting (sometimes on the pitch) and descent from a unified squad to a loose collection of players that looked disinterested in representing their country. A team that had inspired so much pride and love since the turn of the millennium had been decimated from a lack of leadership. Whilst Skibbe has earned widespread criticism for his team selection, tactics, and game management, he also deserves at least some of the credit for creating an atmosphere where the team dynamic, so important over the years for Greece, was able to thrive again. The players have played a massive role in this for sure. The signs were there from the beginning of these qualifiers that the family atmosphere had come back to the team. When Giorgos Tzavellas struck a late, late thunderbolt a year go to earn a 1-1 home draw with Bosnia, it was former foe Giannis Maniatis who chased down the left-back first to celebrate with him. It was a sign of things to come. This moment, perhaps more than any other, showcased that the players were ready to put the past behind them and work on securing a better future for this team. In particular, Sokratis Papastathopoulos has proved to be a superb leader over the last 12 months. His leadership on the pitch has been mirrored in his social media posts and comments to the media. His tone has always been measured and the Borussia Dortmund man has incessantly invoked his desire that Greece would rebound in these qualifiers and show they are back to being a team. He consistently stated that was his goal, with qualification being an extra reward should it happen. Certainly, the rest of the old guard has helped. The new players called up during this campaign have been quick to mention the positive environment present in the Greek camp. The odds are that Greece will defeat Gibraltar handily to claim a playoff spot. After that, the odds are that Greece, as an unseeded side, will find it difficult in the Playoffs. But, the team has been here before with regard to these matches. Ukraine and Romania were both swept aside by the team in the Playoffs for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. Greek supporters will have hopes that this team can do the same regardless if they get paired with a team like Portugal, Switzerland, or Italy. That said, the Galanolefki have already won. This is a team again. One who fights for each other and sticks together regardless of result. And a side that supporters are ready to embrace again and have pride in. The football may not be pretty and they are not world-beaters, but Greece are back. After a disastrous few years, the Greek national team have rebuilt to give fans belief that better days lie ahead. Qualification for Russia would be a tremendous finish to these qualifiers, but even without that a great achievement remains. by George Tsitsonis Image Source: onsports.gr

tantra what were the positive times for the Greek National team since the last world cup? Please enlighten us. Begin with the Ranieri Euro qualification. Touch on the Greek National Federation Scandals, including the spying on the NT training facilities. As well expand on the infighting amongst the players. So please tell us of all the good times.

Always aways an interesting show.... love him or hate him, Georgiou often makes some great points. Molon Lave, South American qualifying in my opinion is much harder. Messi gets no respect, tally up the goals Ronaldo scores against the minnows vs the goals that Messi has had to get against south american sides. The point is that If Argentina is on the brink. The Whiners a.k.a. fair-weather Greek fans must understand that so many factors to make it to the world cup. Look how Portugal struggled to beat Andorra.

This is article captures what I have been saying in my posts regarding the Greek National Team. http://www.agonasport.com/agonasport-allnews/2017109 All the negative, complaining, whining so-called fans should read the article above. If you rewind to the end of the last world cup...To where the National team is right at this moment, someone with a functioning brain would understand that things are as they should be. Be grateful, the future of Greek football shows promise. The delusional so-called fans that whine about the team, the coach etc...must understand that the team has re-emerged after some very, very dark times. Personall

This is article captures what I have been saying in my posts regarding the Greek National Team. http://www.agonasport.com/agonasport-allnews/2017109 All the negative, complaining, whining so-called fans should read the article above. If you rewind to the end of the last world cup...To where the National team is right at this moment, someone with a functioning brain would understand that things are as they should be. Be grateful, the future of Greek football shows promise. The delusional so-called fans that whine about the team, the coach etc...must understand that the team has re-emerged after some very, very dark times.

Torontoblue, you are just the kind of Psefto-Greekster I would NOT want to be watching a game with. Yes "the guy" who knows very little about soccer, and does not understand the complexity of qualification for the world cup. Look back to the dark era of Ranieri, and the divide amongst the national team. See a transformation of a team that has begun a process of being a family again, which is was first importance to Papastathopoulos. Whine all you want, but we are in second...and we control our destiny. Don't point fingers, don't ask questions, just accept that the boys got to a game that through victory will enter them in the playoffs. I remind you Torontoblue and others who don't know what they are talking about....that there are going to be some very good sides that are also looking to punch their ticket via a playoff victory. So forget about soccer, go follow the NHL and oooh and ahh over the Toronto Maple Leafs. But knowing what kind of Geladia you and the negative uninformed, self appointed critics of Skibbe and the National team players you are.... After Greece beats Gibraltar...then gets their match up for the playoffs. Know that the team and the players will give their all on the pitch. If Greece play any opponent like the two games they played Belgium, then I like that. I like that, and if the Gibraltar final game and a chance for the playoffs as a second seed would have been offered from the onset of this qualification I would take it gladly. These teams are not going to Russia: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, FYR Macedonia, Georgia, Gibraltar, Hungary, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Moldova, Norway, Romania, San Marino, Scotland, Slovenia, Turkey

Greece vs Gibraltar, To all my Greeksters enjoy this game on Tuesday. To all those unwavering fans that understand Greek soccer, I stand by you. To all of those negative Greek fans that have been hitting the argile, or drinking "bomba" drinks at a very sketchy skiladiko and aren't making sense.......relax. Everyone must understand we are not the coaches, or the players. We are simply the fans. In the end, do your stavrouli, Make a Fredo cappuccino, wear your brightest fanella, and eat a delicious spanakopita as a tasty snack. Remember SO MANY OTHER TEAMS WOULD KILL TO BE IN OUR POSITION. So we'll take Gibraltar for our final do or die match.

Bravo J1078, For you I break out the Metaxa 5 star, and your positivity deserves a Loux portokalada

Rockafellar Skank, you tell it like it is. unless Zues is hiding some amazing prospects under his beard.....the reality is that this is what we got. I go back to my fifa PS4 example. All the complaining, questioning, insulting, negative chatter about coach Skibbe and his selections comes to this model example. A 1000 greek fans, have varying tweaks or insights on the Greek squad. formation, personnel, strategy etc. But if you give the power to each of these negative nancy's and they add there fetfatzidis, nines, and other players not chosen etc.....You then have them look at the current lineups used in each match vs each opponent, taking into account injuries, suspensions, etc. So then give these negative nancy's the PS4 fifa 18, and let them choose their Greek dream team. They swap this guy for that guy, this player for another player, and you see the surge in change when the 71 EA rated player is swapped for the 73 rated player. But then the 74 rated player is switched with the 73 rated player (because the negative nancy is olympiakos, or panthinaikos, or AEK, or PAOK, or Egaleo) My point with this model, is WE DON'T HAVE THE 85, 90, 88, 92, 93, 86 RATED PLAYERS. So when a coach comes in and looks at things pragmatically, and systematically as Skibbe has you have to understand the complexity and the challenges he faces in creating a squad. As well of most importance, the first thing that Papastathopoulos said yesterday that the National team has become a family again. The Ranieri experiment was a failed experiment. The coach was to blame, the players were to blame. But again, that is in the past. Moving forward, I have said it before and I viewed others in the forum mentioned it as well...but Greece has always performed in the clutch. Although we are not 86, 88, 90, 94 rated individuals.....What I believe Greece learned from Otto in 2004 that a series of 69-70-71 working together, playing for each other, and becoming a team...success can be had. Rockafellar Skank, concur with what you have been saying......I just would like to add that MANY other teams would love to be in the spot Greece have worked very hard for...albiet in some very interesting, bizarre circumstances. I can't wait for Gibraltar.

tantra129, tell us something that most of us already don't know. It is what it is, what are you going to do about it? Accept it. Greece's soccer federation is a disaster and a pissing match between the handful of big clubs. Soccer is a gong show in Greece. Corruption is a rife as Greek politics. What are you really expecting? Transparency, fairness, honesty, and good faith. Hell, they even were wire tapping and video taping the Greek players a their facility. If we all really, really, really want to be extremely honest about Greek soccer. Please give me odds what it would be for Greece to win another Euro or a world cup. I think you are dipping into your papa's tsipouro.

Ela re Torontoblue, I hear what you are saying.....But we don't have the talent that the big boys of Europe have the luxury of. Are you trying to imply that since Euro 2004 Greece have had comparable stud players littered through our lineup and we have just s%$#! the bed at a casual pace...then I don't follow you. today is a new day, the Greek National team controls what they can. We have Gibraltar tomorrow. What would you be saying if we had Belgium away instead as our last game tomorrow. Don't trim your pinkie nail, polish up up your oversize Stavrouli, drink 2 shots of Metaxa 3 star tomorrow, if need be light up a Karelia classic and just enjoy tomorrow's match and don't be that guy that is going to be revisiting all of the past errors of the Ethniki or else you might get a pandolfla from a cousin.

I Like what J1078 said in his last post. Relax for a moment fickle fans. Woulda, shouda, couda don't matter now, too many times I see negative posts on the "Ethniki". HERE WE ARE. We have a match at home vs Gibraltar, and it would just be a treat to see some goals. Had we been asked before a single game was played if we would be ok with Greece having the 2nd spot behind Belgium....I think that most of us would be alright with this. Belgium is Belgium. Yes we did nearly beat them away, and we unfortunately lost a good battle at home. All Greece can do is play the game tuesday. Forget the formation, the lineup, this squad will win. as for everything else, the Greek team, nor us the Greek fans cannot control that. Tuesday wake up, make a good strong Elliniko Kafedaki, iron your fanella, polish the komboloi, have a couple of shots of Metaxa "3" star and enjoy the match. As for the playoffs, once the dust settles....should other results push us into the playoffs. Greece can save their best for last. Clutch, as per usual....We never take the easy way, the hard way is the one we have always known.

Greece need only give us two solid performances. We cannot control the other groups or other games. As well it will be interesting to see who will step up. This has been a up and down ride, but now is the time for the leaders of this team to lead. Whatever knowledge, planning, and strategy Skibbe has offered must be carried out. I would like to see who is going to step up, and lead Greece onto battle.

In the end we must keep in mind that as fans we don't know all the reasons the Greek Federation and or coach choose the lineup. We all know that Olympiakos (Not Olympiacos, as the spelling somehow got changed 10 years or so ago), Panathinaikos, AEK, and PAOK all like to see their stars parade on the national team. Even more bizarre for me was the hidden cameras, and microphones at the Greek football Federation training center. That is weird, kooky, creepy stuff. http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2017/04/10/spying-devices-found-in-greek-football-federation-epo-and-training-center/ So, yes we are surprised often times about player selections, call ups, playing time, etc. But we really don't always know what the hell is going on. That said, I would like to see the chosen players, give their best, and It would be great to see a fight to the finish. If the Greek team plays well, and deserves a playoff game...Let's see what this team is made of.

Gentlemen, It's time. Bring Lazaros back from the dead, as he deserves to be in the squad. I have reserved comment on him up until this point. Primarily as in my opinion, he made a very selfish decision in the Brazil world cup. Prior to the PK's....Greece had an odd man rush and rather than make a simple pass.....he was selfish and s%$#! the bed. That type of play for me is unacceptable. I realize that we all make mistakes, and much time has past. I feel that as he has worked extremely hard resurrecting himself, that he deserves another chance. Say what you will, but that is my view. We need players that are in form, if we are to get to Russia.

"The Grbavica Stadium has a capacity of 13,785 and its field dimensions are 105x66m. This makes the stadium smaller in both capacity and pitch size than the Bilino Polje Stadium. Surely, the small dimensions of the pitch and intimate atmosphere of a smaller stadium played a massive role in selecting this stadium for the match against a quality side like Belgium." http://www.agonasport.com/agonasport-allnews/stadium-switch-in-crucial-bosnia-belgium-qualifier

Among the players on the "wish list" to bring back into the Greek squad, Fetfatzidis is among the highest talked about player. However that said I will recognize that he is gifted, but if he is AS good as people are saying.......why is he not playing on a big club somewhere. Or even in Europe. He plays in Saudi Arabia? I saw a super skills video of him scoring and passing...it looked great but It's a Saudi league. As well it seemed there were 14 people in the stands in each highlight. Again, I think he is good. But all the armchair managers are trying to select their squad. here is an article on Fetfatzidis from 2012, that is titled the Greek Messi. http://www.newstalk.com/The-Scouting-Report--The-Greek-Messi-Ioannis-Fetfatzidis Had I wish list, I think one player that would have been great to have had this campaign was Holebas. He was a very unique weapon to have in the toolbox. As far as new players, Donis stood out and was impressive. In regards to the other new players, there is work to do. Greece never takes the easy path, it's always the hard way & we claw and fight. As for the coach, and his selections and tactics....on the whole I really like this coach when you look at the big picture. Did he make mistakes-yes, did he do some very good things too-yes, and we must keep in mind injuries/suspensions. I noted what Papastathopoulos and Samaris mentioned in an interview...after a dark period of the National team....The team has become a family again. I said this in a previous post. It's like having all the Greeksters playing FIFA 18 and picking the Greek team, everyone is going to select differently. But outside of the few players ranked 75-82, the Greek depth reality is you are taking out a 73 for a 74 rated player. We need more Greeks playing proper fundamental soccer from an early age, boys and girls...period

Post game comments from agonasport.com (p.s I watched the Greece game online in HD off their site for $7.95. well worth it. better deal via monthly.) “WE DESERVED BETTER” - SKIBBE Greece coach Michael Skibbe believes Greece did not deserve to lose 2-1 to Belgium in Sunday’s crucial World Cup qualifier and is optimistic that his players can still make it to the 2018 finals in Russia. WATCH Greek Sports and much more from any device with LIVE GREEK TV from AGONAsport! Details and purchase here... Greece lost out narrowly to group favorites Belgium in a tightly-contested Group H encounter at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium in Athens, a result which secured the Belgians a place at nxt summer’s showpiece while jeopardizing the hosts’ hopes of qualifying in the process. “First of all I would like to congratulate Belgium on the win and reaching the World Cup,” said Skibbe. The German added: “From my point of view though, we played an excellent match today and showed that when we are on our game we can compete at a very high level and take on the best teams in the world. This is something that I’m very proud of a coach.” “Over the 90 minutes I think we were the better team and we deserved to win this match. Belgium’s first goal came from nothing, and although the second goal was excellent, we had more chances overall.” The result means Greece surrendered second spot – which gives Greece a shot at making the playoffs - to Bosnia and Herzegovina, who ran out comfortable 4-0 winners against section strugglers Gibraltar. That is a slender margin, however, and there are still two rounds of fixtures to play, so Greece still have time to turn things around and claim second spot which leads to a two-legged playoff for the place at the World Cup. Only one points separates the two teams, though, and Greece must now turn their attention to getting a win against Cyprus away from home in the next round of matches on October 7, and hope that Belgian can do them a favor when they travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina on the same night. “Of course we are in a difficult position right now but it’s not impossible,” added Skibbe. “We simply have to win the last two matches and hope results can also go in our favor. We have to believe that Belgium will continue to try and win their matches.” “I spoke with the players after the game and we agreed that we will have to repeat this performance in the final two matches and if we do that we know we will be in with a shot of reclaiming second place – and that’s what matters.” ‘OUR INDIVIDUAL QUALITY WAS THE DIFFERENCE’ - COURTOIS Goals from Gert Vertongen and Romelu Lukaku proved enough to seal a vital win for Roberto Martinez’s Belgian team on the night, with Zeca momentarily levelling matters for Greece, as they became the first European team apart from hosts Russia to book a place at the 2018 finals. While Greece were on top for long spells, Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois pointed to the individual quality of his team-mates as the deciding factor in explaining how the visitors came away with the three points. “We are all very happy with making it to Russia 2018,” said the Chelsea custodian. He added: “We knew it would be tough here but we came here to win and although Greece gave us a very difficult time we showed that we are the better team and are delighted with our well-deserved place at the World Cup.” “We showed a lot of quality and character. If you look at it closely, we have players who are playing at some of the best clubs in the world and I think the individual quality of our players in the one-on-one battles all over the pitch was what proved the key in helping us win.”

Forgive me, but I have not followed Kone's recent play. I know he resigned with Aek. I am not at all implying he is call up worthy based on I have no clue his fitness and recent form. What I will say I did like the spark, and style of play he displayed in the past. But we all know the past is the past. Has his form been good? Or is he winding down?

would some of you "squad selection" experts be so quick to criticize the performance of individuals today had the go ahead goal (which was a truly unfortunate lapse in concentration) be questioning all the selections. As a team, I am proud of how everyone played in this big game. like Rockafella said 2 games vs Belgium the combined scoreline was 3-2 Belgium. In my opinion, in Belgium the team deserved a win for that performance based on the make up of the squad. This game could have ended 1-1. With a little luck finally our way, would it not have been amazing for a 2-1 win. We had a post, we had some chances, we looked them in the eye and played extremely well. Defensively 2 misplays led to goals, but Belgium who really wanted to qualify today, were kept under control and it was an even match. These players that people want back from other years......maybe they are nominally better. But what we don't know what are they like in the dressing room. Some here, don't know as much as they think they know. We are currently ranked 38th in the world in Fifa rankings. Belgium is currently ranked 9th. Here is the 23 man squad from the last world cup in Brazil. Goalkeepers: Orestis Karnezis (Granada), Panagiotis Glykos (PAOK), Stefanos Kapino (Panathinaikos) Defenders: Kostas Manolas, Jose Holebas (both Olympiakos), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Borussia Dortmund), Vangelis Moras (Verona), Giorgos Tzavellas (PAOK), Loukas Vyntra (Levante), Vasilis Torosidis (Roma) Midfielders: Alexandros Tziolis (Kayserispor), Andreas Samaris, Giannis Maniatis (both Olympiakos), Kostas Katsouranis (PAOK), Giorgos Karagounis (Fulham), Panagiotis Tachtsidis (Torino), Giannis Fetfatzidis (Genoa), Lazaros Christodoulopoulos, Panagiotis Kone (both Bologna) Forwards: Dimitris Salpingidis (PAOK), Giorgos Samaras (Celtic), Kostas Mitroglou (Fulham), Fanis Gekas (Konyaspor). All the players in red as most of you realize are no longer on the team* I think if I am not mistaken Ranieri tried out/looked at 51 players. (I tried to find the exact number but to no avail, that is the number I recall). So that said since the end of the last world cup. Its been a long a bumpy road to say the least. All things said given what Skibbe inherited, it's not that bad. In fact i think all things considered it's ok. We all would like the team to be performing better, but we must accept the reality. The coach is working with what we have, and the players that are part of the squad are in the hunt.

Despite not having a star-studded line-up, the Greek team won the championship, conceding no goals in the knockout stage. Rehhagel adopted a defensive approach in playing his Greek side, using energetic midfielders to wear down the opponents and the policy of defending in numbers to numb the opposition's attacks. When charged with boring play, he said, "No one should forget that a coach adapts the tactics to the characteristics of the available players." His time at Werder Bremen, in contrast, saw play described as flashy and spectacular attacking football.[cit

Perhaps this player over that player....a lot of forum members talk about this... But we lack depth. Here's the best example. Play FIFA against a team like Belgium. Put in on computer vs computer. Hardest level, etc. Take out all the injured players. Use all the glorious depth Greece has on it's roster, and see what the result will be. Who are these head and shoulder superstars that Greece has that many pine over, that were not included in line ups. Oh, I see the FIFA example I mentioned.....take out the 72 rated player and use the 74 rated player. Then that 69 rated player take him out and put in the 70 rated player. IN the meantime regard Belgium's starting lineup, and note that their subs are rated higher than most of our starting players. The Greek team plays defence and can only succeed with a team pack approach.