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This is the first time I've been able to bring myself back to the forum after we went out! I opened my laptop yesterday and it was still on the stream from the match in the 85th minute (when I stopped watching) and it started to play it, I was like nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In retrospect I think Skibbe should have played with two strikers and dropped a few of the 'invisible players' (Tziolis, Bakesetas, Tachtsidis) he chose. This is the line-up I would have gone with: __________________________Karnesis ____Torosidis_____Sokratis_________Manolas______Retsos Lazoros___________Zeca____________Fortunis______Stafylidis __________________Mitroglou________Pelkas I really think the penalty decision going against us was the turning point in the game, if we'd have got the penalty then the players would have had a lot more belief, and it would have rattled Croatia. Its just a shame dodgy and corrupt officiating again screwed us over. I also think our crossing really let us down on the night, a game Stafylidis would have really excelled in, I can't understand how Skibbe couldn't see this and at least bring him on for the second half?

Santos and Karagounis and Katsouranis have nothing to do why we suck now.... its football culture and a losing mentality. Also Greece does not have professional structure for development. Iceland population is 335,025... Croatia 4.29 million. Whats our excuse? Maybe the passion to act like a hooligan at SL games needs to be converted into playing pro football....

As long as he continues to play 30+ epl games a season for Watford he's a definite starting 11 player for our national team, he has a big engine and can run all game, age won't slow him down as much as it does others, unfortunately as mentioned we needed him now.

It's just sad to see us miss the World Cup and will sting once the draw is held and in the coming months before the tournament kicks of in Russia. Croatia is a talented team but not a powerhouse like Germany, Spain or even Belgium whom we battled very hard. So to go out 4-1 and look totally unprepared in Zagreb with our solid defense looking in shambles is hard to swallow. Skibbe and I like him personally and during the campaign had done a fairly well in some matches, but what was he thinking during the first leg starting Maniatis who could not keep up and going with 3 at the back and the team looked so confused. Throw in Tziolis and Samaris and a rusty Karnezis who had not played much recently up until the week before in Watford were he made another horrible mistake coming out of his net for a ball not getting there and getting beat for a goal. Then he sets us up to play for a draw in Greece when we need goals or we are OUT of the World cup? Most of his call ups and selections were wrong a long with his tactics. The only thing out of his control was the ridiculous suspension of Manolas, but there is no way we should allow Croatia 4 goals in one match they had scored less goals in qualifying than us.

The lack of creative midfielders has killed us. if I was epo I would go searching for them in the academies. This is the only way up we produce defenders but unfortunately no creative midfielders since ninis and feftazidis.

2004 - 100% agreed....its funny that even those guys were criticized lol lol lol .... but compared to now they are head and shoulders above this crop of statues. santos, coaching in greece for years, had more insight into players abilities and i though he did a great job of mixing nd matching players abilities with tactics. COMMAND THE GAME ................ u must put your stamp on it - impose your will on the field....to do that, you must have an identity as a team....a few things that define you, that you execute well all the time...only then can you command the game. this team had no identity. ..it did not know what it wanted to be...you saw that alot --- indecision, hesitstion...no purpose...that is 80% coaching and defining to your players what you expect... but u cant expect a donkey to win the kentucky derby...if u pick the wrong guys, you are doomed from the start

All good points I watched the match again that should have been a penalty but we are Greece and we will not get those calls.Kuipers was never going to do us any favors, he did not give us a few free kicks and an obvious deliberate hand ball on Strinic should have been a yellow. Toro was ready to go at him. Our crosses were pathetic too from Toro just blasting the ball out of play and Lazaros on an early Free kick in a dangerous area he hits it low at the first defender. Corner kicks were not good either but then again you have Skibbe leaving Fortounis off? What a debactle.

Iceland qualified.... Let that sink in for a bit...

I completely agree but as long as Skibbe stays this will never happen.. We need to pray that the EPO gets rid of him.. if he stays we will never see the likes of the players you mentioned above and that's exactly what who need..

I agree alefantos in that video said why doesn't Kourbelis play in Tziolis spot. So.ethi g we have all been saying. Most of the stuff he says makes sense. I didn't realise he put Torosidis as striker in the last 10 minutes. Holebas should have not retired. Tziolis and Tzavellas should be the ones retiring. It's time to give Fetfatzidis a call up. He is our best technical player we have got. Also Ninis. Also this team can do with a lot of technical and fast players. Players that come to mind are: Fetfatzidis, Ninis, Holebas, Kourbelis, Siopis, Gianniotas, Pelkas, Zeca, Donis, Stafylidis. If we have these players playing in the team, we will see a big difference. Most them are hardworking and talented with the ball. Bakasetas and Diamantakos have horrible first touches along with Tziolis, Tzavellas and Maniatis. They all need to be out. Fortounis and Mantalos are our best attacking midfielders currently but even they have trouble with their first touch sometimes. I believe if we had Manolas and Donis playing in the first game it would have not been 4-1. More like 2-2.

Completely agree with all the points raised here. We need to move on from the old, slow style of play in which we have played for the last decade. Players like Tzolis, Maniatis, Tzavellas need to go immediately. We must start playing quick, exciting football then absorbing the pressure for 90' and playing for a draw. no good side plays well when they play for draws. We need change immediately.

Alefantos rates the players of the NT and i literally am 100% with him Mostly agree with both the criticism on Skibbe and the players. The "Taxi is tebelis" and "Tzioli just stop responding to the call-ups" literally were on my mind. Skibbe critiscism is strange in my opinion because we simply weren't going for the 3-0. It was obvious we had settled with a decent result against them at our home and not qualifying. I don't think it was only a matter of Skibbe but hte player mentality possibly wasn't on par with a 3-0 result. I sure hope things change with the new campaign. I just hope the draw does not f*ck us up this time.

You guys need to read this as this article sums it up perfectly. This why Skibbe needs to get the F..k out he is not a competent coach at all. http://www.agonasport.com/agonasport-allnews/changes-needed-for-euro-2020

KOUTRIS

Hans Schäfer died on November 7, 2017 at the age of 70. He is leaving Horst Eckel as the last living member of the team known for the miracle of Bern (Wunder von Bern), the German team that out of the blue became Worldchampions in WC 1954, just 9 years after WW II. Schäfer scored four goals at WC 1954. He earned a total of 39 caps, scoring 15 goals for West Germany.