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Euro 2020 Group J - Italy vs Greece (12 Oct. 2019, Stadio Olimpico, Rome)


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How good was it to see a Greece side play the last week.

First we keep Italy at bay until the penalty and to be honest if Koulouris bagged his chance anything could have happened. Then we come out and play football, with Bosnia. Like a steam train. I could not believe Masouras had 7 chances in 30 minutes of football. Incredible.

So to say I'm excited is an understatement.

Here are my big takeaways.

  1. Hatzidiakos is a class back. He's positioning in set plays is good. His passes out of defence are smooth, crisp and hit the target. He was nervous with Italy, but he makes passes which allow mids to transition into attack better. The clearance off the line with Bosnia was brilliant.
  2. Stafylidis was compact and solid, and for me has just played his two best games for the NT. Nothing was getting through the LH side of the backline. His shot that hit post shows that he will be a threat outside the box. Worthy captain.
  3. Kourbelis had his best two games for Greece. He's got a good engine and we need that. Together with Galanopoulos their link up play with the other mids and forwards was something new and one of the main we reasons we created many chances with Bosnia.
  4. Limnios has great pace, is talented and is only 21. He can take on defenders and that is something we haven't seen much in the past. Hard to see him not get a big contract to one of the big leagues in Europe in the future. He is a strong boy too. He is a big introduction. Together with Bakakis they can be a formidable tandem on the RH side.
  5. Pavlidis is a class act for me. A real target up front. He is more than just a striker but links well with the other forwards and can defend when needed. His finish for the goal was top draw, and so to was the dummy which led to a golden opportunity for Mantalos. He is only 20.
  6. Bakasetas strength, and his run and movement was quite good. He didn't score, but in the Italy match he was in great position to score on 2 occasions and also made a brilliant pass to Limnios. He needs to get better at finishing at NT level which should be a strength but is not showing. A fit and healthy Fortounis would come straight in to his position.
  7. Area we need to improve is in finishing. Koulouris, Masouras, Bakasetas and Mantalos all had chances they should have scored and we need to get better.
  8. Depth in attack. There is nothing better than having options in attack or off the bench. Fetfatzidis and Donis are two players on their day are good enough to start and impact a game but if not, then they are also good options of the bench. Their weakness I think is the defensive side of their game.

There are other players I am excited about also, such as Giannoulis and Vrousai who are both young and skillful. Vrousai they say is one to really look out for. 

Slowly, the Greece team is starting to show it has a heart beat and there is plenty to look forward to. I can't wait for the next two qualifiers, which we can win and then it's onto the Nations League which by then should bring our FIFA ranking back up and set us up well for World Cup qualifiers.

 

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On 10/17/2019 at 11:24 AM, kbxk508 said:

How good was it to see a Greece side play the last week.

First we keep Italy at bay until the penalty and to be honest if Koulouris bagged his chance anything could have happened. Then we come out and play football, with Bosnia. Like a steam train. I could not believe Masouras had 7 chances in 30 minutes of football. Incredible.

So to say I'm excited is an understatement.

Here are my big takeaways.

  1. Hatzidiakos is a class back. He's positioning in set plays is good. His passes out of defence are smooth, crisp and hit the target. He was nervous with Italy, but he makes passes which allow mids to transition into attack better. The clearance off the line with Bosnia was brilliant.
  2. Stafylidis was compact and solid, and for me has just played his two best games for the NT. Nothing was getting through the LH side of the backline. His shot that hit post shows that he will be a threat outside the box. Worthy captain.
  3. Kourbelis had his best two games for Greece. He's got a good engine and we need that. Together with Galanopoulos their link up play with the other mids and forwards was something new and one of the main we reasons we created many chances with Bosnia.
  4. Limnios has great pace, is talented and is only 21. He can take on defenders and that is something we haven't seen much in the past. Hard to see him not get a big contract to one of the big leagues in Europe in the future. He is a strong boy too. He is a big introduction. Together with Bakakis they can be a formidable tandem on the RH side.
  5. Pavlidis is a class act for me. A real target up front. He is more than just a striker but links well with the other forwards and can defend when needed. His finish for the goal was top draw, and so to was the dummy which led to a golden opportunity for Mantalos. He is only 20.
  6. Bakasetas strength, and his run and movement was quite good. He didn't score, but in the Italy match he was in great position to score on 2 occasions and also made a brilliant pass to Limnios. He needs to get better at finishing at NT level which should be a strength but is not showing. A fit and healthy Fortounis would come straight in to his position.
  7. Area we need to improve is in finishing. Koulouris, Masouras, Bakasetas and Mantalos all had chances they should have scored and we need to get better.
  8. Depth in attack. There is nothing better than having options in attack or off the bench. Fetfatzidis and Donis are two players on their day are good enough to start and impact a game but if not, then they are also good options of the bench. Their weakness I think is the defensive side of their game.

There are other players I am excited about also, such as Giannoulis and Vrousai who are both young and skillful. Vrousai they say is one to really look out for. 

Slowly, the Greece team is starting to show it has a heart beat and there is plenty to look forward to. I can't wait for the next two qualifiers, which we can win and then it's onto the Nations League which by then should bring our FIFA ranking back up and set us up well for World Cup qualifiers.

 

Let's hope they can keep it going into next months qualifiers. The team hasn't played that well since the 2nd half in Bosnia when we pulled back 2 goals and could have had a winner. 

Hatzidiakos, Limnios and Pavlidis were fantastic and Stafylidis has been solid in the last two games. 

Having Fortounis back healthy and his quality in the squad will make us even tougher to beat. Donis I hope can stay healthy he is very dangerous in attack was taking on the Italians with great pace as we saw him do to the Belgians. Throw in Fetfa and the team looks fantastic. What could have been if the EPO had hired JVS at the start of this euro campaign. 

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I hope the Skip does not allow the two CB's back for Armenia match. Next year, they can then be considered.

There is a good feeling amongst the playing group now and Sokratis won't be captain.

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