Greekaroos

Mitroglou is currently one of the form strikers in world football. That is CURRENT FORM! Now to become one of best 30 etc he would have to continue his goal scoring form. In saying that you can't continue using his 2014 form where he shouldn't of been playing unfit & injured at Fulham & with Greece at Brazil 2014 as the bases of his quality. Reminder before that injury a bit after the WCQ matches against Romania in 2013 & since recovering from the injury he has been in good form. If Mitroglou was in the current fit, healthy & confident state of mind back in 2014 I believe he would of bagged enough important goals for Fulham to keep them in the EPL & would scored that sitter in front of goal in the last few seconds before extra time for Greece against Costa Rica.

On FlashScore it has Gekas scoring two goals in the 7'min & 65'min in Sion's 3-1 home victory over Lucern before being substituted in the 73'min, replaced by Sierro. Sion's other goal in the 59'min was scored by Assifuah.

Only Fernando Santos would make surprise selections of recalling a 35 year old Gekas if he is in goal scoring form. Santos didn't care if you were 37 or 17 if thought you were valuable to the team for that match. Kapino & Mavrias played for the national team at the age of 16 & 17 while Lymberopoulos, Gekas, Dimitrios Papadopoulos, Kapetanos & a few others have had surprise recalls late in their careers. I'm not sure that the current coaching stuff wouldn't select a 37 year old Gekas if they qualify for Russia 2018 just like Santos selected Lymberopoulos & Chalkias in their late 30's at Euro 2012.

What f**k up & a waist of everyone's time. That's what happens when you do these last second deals.

Replaced in 63'min still 0-0. Zenit done well to stop good service to Mitroglou from midfield.

It's 0-0 at half-time between Benfica and Zenit in the UCL 1st leg Round of 16 match with Mitroglou & Samaris both starting.

A good manager will get the best out of his team by playing to it's strengths. The strengths of the current Greek national team is Kostas Manolas, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Kyriakos Papadopoulos & Kostas Fortounis. So you must play with Sokratis & Manolas as right & left stoppers & have K.Paps playing as a free man, covering sweeper when defending & libero in attack. This will also allow Holebas (left) & Torosidis (right) to attack more as wing backs & not tradition right & left backs. Two central midfielders must be hardworking & not playmakers whom will not win the 50/50 challenges & won't cover for the wing backs so you go for Samaris & either Maniatis or Tachtsidis depends on the opposition. Up front Kostas Mitroglou with attacking midfielders Kostas Fortounis & one other.

Kostas Mitroglou scored the opening goal for Benfica overnight in the Portugese Primeira Liga Classico against FC Porto & could of easy had another one or two more if it had not been for man of the match Iker Casillas making save after save for FC Porto whom came from behind to win 1-2. Mitroglou now has 13 League goals from 21 appearances so far this season & few more from the Cup & UCL matches.

Reminder that Torosidis just turned 30 which isn't old for a right back or wing back & will be 32 in 2018. Until 2018 Torosidis & Holebas will give Mitroglou the best service from the flanks like he is at Benfica. Beyond 2018 is another story & topic. Don't get into the Greek football fan syndrome where you are a "talendo" until 28 & at 29 you are washed up, too old & finshed.

In my opinion Holebas plays as a wing back anyway. I've never seen him being lazy but occasionally gets caught out pushing forward so you might as well have that extra central defender for cover & use Greece's most dangerous attacker on left in Holebas. IMO Holebas does not look like he is slow & could play into his mid 30's at a high level just like Roberto Carlos or Cafu did a few years back.

Torosidis on the right & Holebas on the left are both brilliant crosses of the ball & Greece need to utilize it's strengths by playing them as wing backs rather than traditional full backs. Germany played that 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1 formation at Brazil 2014. I've been saying this for a while now. --------------------------------Karnezis------------------------------------------ -----------Manolas---------K.Papadopoulos------Sokratis--------------- Torosidis-------------Tachtsidis-----------Samaris-------------Torosidis -----------------Fortounis-----------------------Fetfatziidis------------------- --------------------------------Mitroglou----------------------------------------- This I think would give Greece better attacking options & service for Mitroglou. Before you all start jumping up & down about putting Fetfatzidis there, it's only a example. If you want you can change it with Ninis, Kone, Samaras or Karelis. It would be whom is fit, in form or simply playing at the time.

A hat trick scored by Benfica & Greece international striker Kostas Mitroglou . http://hoofoot.com/?match=Belenenses_0_-_5_Benfica_2016_02_05

Samaras can't shake off a continues problem with his back otherwise he would of been a New York Cosmos player.

I think his back problems will end his playing career.

Sotirios Ninis scored Charleroi's first goal in the 29th minute to help Charleroi win 3-2 at home to KV Mechelen after being 0-2 down. Ninis was substituted just over the hour mark.

Hopefully he stays at Genoa & makes the starting central midfield position his or gets regular match time.

After so many major injuries he would be happy just playing at one of the top teams in a decent league trying to stay fit & healthy. The national team is the furthest thing on his mind.

I thought he played a major roll in Greece's qualification for the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup in that play off win away to the Ukraine back in November 2009.

The forgotten man of Greek football Vasileios Pliatsikas has recently signed with Slovak Super Liga football club Slovan Bratislava. Since his last major injury which kept him out of action for quiet a while Pliatsikas has had two stints in the Ukrainian Premier League with FC Metalurh Donetsk & FC Astra Giurgiu in Romania's Liga I.

I didn't know he existed until AZ Alkmaar's win away to Roda JC last weekend. Being a Greek-Australian I was looking to see how the three Australians were doing at Roda JC until I noticed Pantelis Hatzidiakos with a Greek flag next to his name playing for AZ Alkmaar.

Pantelis Hatzidiakos or sometimes spelled Chatzidiakos is a central defender whom has just turned 19 years (DOB 18/1/97) & is with AZ Alkmaar where he made his Eredivisie debut in a 2-1 away loss againt PEC Zwolle as a 70' minute substitute on 13 December 2015. I think Pantelis Hatzidiakos was a Panathinaikos junior. http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/pantelis-hatzidiakos/leistungsdaten/spieler/144244#ath

Just wanted to praise Orestis Karnezis for his consistency of playing in one of the top leagues worldwide & at a club of whom isn't winning trophies but trying to survive most of the time & having to his goals tested regularly. I thought it's been a bit quiet here recently! There are a few with not a positive bone in their body & that thrive on negativity.

Mitroglou is at Benfica for this season on loan from Fulham so there might not be a next season with Benfica. If he keeps scoring goals regularly & stays injury free there won't be a shortage of clubs wanting him for the 2016/2017 season. Fulham & Benfica would be playing cat & mouse at the moment. Fulham are trying to get back as much as they can for what they had paid Olympiacos for Mitroglou, thinking his value might go up with each goal he scores at Benfica. On the other hand Benfica are looking for a bargain & not wanting to spend anything near what Fulham paid for him.

A few years ago the Greek Super League was a much better league than the Belgian Pro League but in the last 4-5 years although Olympiacos has stayed at the same level the rest especially between the 2nd best til mid table have dropped big time that it's not funny & the Belgian Pro League is now a better league. http://www.sport-fm.gr/article/podosfairo/gkolara-me-guristo-o-karelis/3135463

Nikos Karelis came on as a 77' minute substitute for Alejandro Pozuelo when the score was 1-1 in his debut for Genk whom were also with 10 men from the 35' minute due to a 2nd red card & in the 88' minute Karelis scored the winner to give Genk a 2-1 home win over Waregem.