Jump to content
Phantis Forums

Croatia - Greece ( Round 2, 1st Leg, 9 Nov. 2017, Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb )


Greekaroos

Recommended Posts

Whenever we have the ball on our feet we don't know what to do it we are a team with 0 creativity to catch them by surprise their defenders are mediocre not terrible. If I were Skibbe I'd go 15 minutes dull and then hit with a counter or two. With the line ups I see we re gonna be way taller than them. Set pieces and corners could get them out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i guess my point is ----- dont sit back and defend defend defend ------ u cant absorb attack after attack  after attack......the belgium example is a good one ----for one good reason and one bad one....yes we played tight and scored but we also moved forward a good amount of the time.....and, the bad one, once we were up 1 - 0 we backed up, stopped attacking, and played "not to lose" and eventually ate the tying goal.... i strongly believe we cant get a favorable result if we dont keep them honest and attack so they have to fear eating a goal on their home field....we MUST get them to respect our possibility to score so the whole croate team doesnt simply push up to put pressure on us...

and yes, creativity has always been our problem, but this team has shown some ability..donis and mantalos out REALLY hurt us in that department......with all due respect, i would not go dull then turn it on...i would come out with pressure and guns blazing to attack attack attack....they wont expect it --- it will rattle them, take the crowd out of the game, slow down their offense and maybe even get us agoal....at least you set the tome early  ------- dont **ck with us and send your whole team into our end, because we will not hesitate to attack....

 

remember defending and falling back into that style comes very naturally for us...attacking doesn't ---we need to set the tone early and keep them honest.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Rockafeller Skank said:

The only weird thing about it is the timing which I agree with u seems a bit corrupt. They were waiting all the time he was injured without even announcing they re looking into the subject and the week he played for Roma and got called (aka was healthy) this happened.

Don't care dude. Taking a result without him is gonna be a better + for the team chemistry. Others need to justify their call ups too.

If Greece can go into Croatia and pull out a win without Manolas that would be huge and then have him come back on Sunday all fired up and shut down the Croats.

  • Like it 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Ellada2004 said:

If Greece can go into Croatia and pull out a win without Manolas that would be huge and then have him come back on Sunday all fired up and shut down the Croats.

What happens if KPap plays a monster game that he is clearly capable of doing? Is Manolas place locked for Sunday? Some serious thought would have to go into that one.

Edited by Argy
  • Like it 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, J1078 said:

I understand what you are saying but how about the fact they they let almost a month pass and only until Manolas was cleared to play and chosen on the squad was the suspension then brought down 6 days before? Also a suspension like this has never been given out before. Do you honestly think If Ronaldo did the same thing that Fifa would suspend him from a playoff game? Not a chance in hell does this happen to another top end player on a big team.. This is absolutely bullshit... The fact that Fifa didn't even reach out to the Epo to let them know they will review what happened within a few days after Monalos received the yellow stinks even more. 

Ya imagine Ronaldo, Messi or even Modric being suspended for a playoff game? Never would happen, its a total rip off by FIFA.

  • Like it 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Ellada2004 said:

Ya imagine Ronaldo, Messi or even Modric being suspended for a playoff game? Never would happen, its a total rip off by FIFA.

I don't doubt that they had planned on making an example on this kind of fair play, but they definitely picked their shot with Manolas. Two birds with one stone. I wouldn't be surprised if it was payback for some behind the scenes stuff from the past. Bottom line, they knew what they were doing. 

  • Like it 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Ellada 24
The only one to blame for the defeat vs. Portugal is the former coach. Late reactions. He was not bad with preparing the game, but during the match he would get completely lost and would almost never react on time.

@Rockafeller Shank
The new coach definitely made an impact, and it was a psychological one more than tactical. Yes, we're a better team than Ukraine, but we are also a better team than Turkey (against whom we lost a month earlier) and Finland (against whom we played 1:1 in a home match). I suppose your coach is superior than ours in tactical sense, but as I said, before anything else, Croatian team needed a mental boost. Regarding „self sacrificing“… You've got  the wrong info ;)

@Brklyngrk
He (Rebic) is one of the two potential surprises for the Thursday match.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, Argy said:

What happens if KPap plays a monster game that he is clearly capable of doing? Is Manolas place locked for Sunday? Some serious thought would have to go into that one.

It would be a tough call if that were the case but I can’t see Skibbe not playing Manolas. Only scenario would be if he was not 100%.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sick of hearing negativity on this forum of our beloved national team. Seriously what is it that makes people bash our own team. Be positive. Even a Croatian journalist said that how is it that we do so well but not have one top star in the team. I want everyone to have a look at the video and specifically that question. Sokratis couldnt have said it any better. Have some belief for god's sake. I always hear we don't have depth, our players are not good enough, we have to play like this, we have to play like that. Enough! We are not a perfect team we will probably never will be. But as Greeks we have heart and the one thing we know is pulling through when our back is against the wall. Just be positive and if we don't succeed accept it and say something positive about it. This goes to everyone who is always whinging and complaining, im to blame as well but some people just don't stop. I believe we will win both matches. Be proud and look forward to the match!

 

  • Like it 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This team 18 months ago would not have been able to defeat Croatia, but through the hardships the players had faced, the lack of Euro's, has helped them all gel together. Gone are the uptight and c*cky players like Holebas, we have a strong outfit who can break down the weak croatian attack, but with the right movement forward, their defence will peel open.
I have no doubt that we can pull of 1-2 goals tomorrow.

ZHTO H ELLAS!

  • Like it 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@dean97 Couldn' have said it any better. This was the reason I dropped the forums until yesterday because there were people crying and crying and crying. Even if we don't make it we re literally in the last 18 Uefa teams for the 13 Spots. Everyone had us written off finishing behind an , as it seems mediocre at best Bosnia.

Croatia is  full of excellent players who are nothing more than mere professionals. I do not believe they have the sacrifice and the team spirit we do. I know my argument sounds clownish but have u bothered checking our players' instagram photos? Even when the NT is not together (club duties) they re posting about it. 

Let's warm up a bit by remembering this. The Romanians, as well as the Croats, missjudged us and said they had a favoritable draw against us. The Romanians, probably as the Croats will do, also played all-out attack against us. We had not scored 3 goals in a match for over 5 years before that night. Survive today with conceding 1 goal maximum, and it's ours.


 

Edited by Rockafeller Skank
  • Like it 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We will start with four center backs if Gazzetta's information is correct. Starting XI can be like this: Karnezis - Torosidis/Retsos, K. Papadopoulos, Papastathopoulos, Tzavellas - Maniatis, Stafylidis - Zeka, Tziolis/Samaris - Fortounis - Mitroglou.

http://www.gazzetta.gr/prokrimatika-mundial-2018/article/1158936/i-skepsi-gia-maniati-extrem-kai-foyl-amyntiki-thorakisi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tzavellas plays Left Back in Turkey. THe fact that he can be a centerback as well due to his marking abilities and physical attributes tells me nothing. Tachtsidis had played Centerback for 10 minutes in Olympiakos- Sporting game. Maybe count him as a CB too?
Retsos plays there because of his pace and because our only other decent RB (Bakakis not called) is injured.

Also I agree with every1 saying it;s gonna be huge if we take a result without Manolas. It just sticks the team togther proving that our back up solutions are equally important. Besides Kyriakos played both vs Bosnia and vs Belgium and the team did not look any more flawed a single bit with missing a CB starter. 

  • Like it 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

u cant depend on one player ------ sure u prefer to have manolas, but if he is the difference between going through or not, then we dont deserve to go through....donis, to me, is a much bigger loss and void to fill...

we are tough to beat, everyone know its. we MUST walk on the field with confidence and show them right away who is the boss, set the tone and keep them honest with offensive football whenever possible.

 

gotta love game day !!!!!!!!!!!!! im psyched !!!!!!!!!!

  • Like it 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

we have good players, and, some very good players. the problem is the greek style, combined with EPO shenanigans and club owners who are $$$$ driven  does not really allow for "showcasing" our players........for example: Machlas leaves Greece and LEADS the Dutch league in scoring more than once....Gekas goes to Germany and leads the league in scoring....why? they get fed the ball by tactics that Greece does not embrace....many of our guys play very effectively overseas against the best talent....so this BS about not having good players is just that, BS. 

how many messi/ronaldo/neymars/maradonas/pele are there?  ok, so how many guys can Bend it like Beckham? seriously now. people that know soccer understand the subtleties of the game, especially the decision making that creates opportunities --- a beautiful goal could have been started three passes ago by a decision by a midfielder to reverse the play after spotting a weakness on that side....something like that, a great "soccer IQ" play goes unoticed by most but is very significant in the big picture. 

would it be nice to have a guy that can breakdown defenders and create their own space ?  sure. thats why i said Donis a bigger void to fill than Manolas. but one guy cant dribble the entire opposing team...the perception that we lack individual skill, we make up for in team, soccer IQ skill. 

just because you can run a bit faster, or have a bit more accurate shot does not make you a good "soccer player"....wayne gretzy was not the fastest, biggest or strongest but is arguably the best player ever.....Franz Beckenbauer was not the fastest, biggest or strongest but is considered one of the great midfielders....there are many example like this...

so, we have good players....probelm is the way we play, we must ALWAYS bring our A game to be successful.....so our determination and will to compete is the intangible that you hope is there today......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lol...agreed...it is written in our DNA. Was the Romanian clip unexpected? thats a clip you posted.....

"We had not scored 3 goals in a match for over 5 years before that night. "      that sounds pretty unexpected to me....

my point is we have good players, and some very good...but we dont play offensive minded football -  for a varierty of reasons beyond the scope of this discussion. but when we have to, we seem to prevail more often than not....

again, it would be nice to have some more "fire power" and our lack of it may costs us against Croatia...but, our players are solid, smart and have skill....but we play a certain way and that style suppresses our offensive potential. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The reason defense is written in the DNA is because the youth academies not being top notch don't develop players properly. Also if you want to play midfield or striker in Greece there is a xenomania to play foreigners who are mediocre at best half the time. Any smart\talented Greek player gets transferred at a fairly young age or else he will be destroyed in the SL. 

 

Back to the Game we can beat Croatia. Like I said before Belgium are a superior side and we we had two tight games with them. Mitro just needs the service and we need to counterattack well and we will be fine. A lot of teams don't play with the heart we do that's our X factor. 

Edited by jason
  • Like it 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Rockafeller Skank You keep insisting our team spirit is bad. Yes, it was, as it is always with teams who lose trust in their coach. It has nothing to do with patriotism. The only player I can agree with you about being a mere professional who is in the national team just cause he is supposed to be is Rakitic. Others are there for patriotic reasons. I understand your morale is being boosted by believing the other side is underestimating you, but generally speaking (with the exception of Rebic and our 1998 coach), it is simply not true.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@tantra129 If we take "individual+individual+individual", Croatia is a better team. However, no doubt Greece has better teamwork. If you ask me, chances are 51/49 in favor of Croatia. I believe this playoff will be decided by one goal.

My prediction for tonight's game is Croatia winning 2:1.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

jason - 100% mitro needs service..

we need to push forward to keep them honest or the barrage will be too much over 90 minutes...we cant sit back and absorb, giving them space to dictate the pace and tome of the game. we MUST get them to play our game..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Lazarus featured this topic
  • Lazarus unfeatured this topic
  • Dutch Eagle pinned, unpinned and locked this topic
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.


×
×
  • Create New...