Dean97

We've got a decent squad, but depth is lacking in midfield, particularly at CDM/CM. Up front, we're fine, with players like Ioannidis and Tzimas impressing. I think Ioannidis should be the one starting but that’s me. With Tzimas even taking his place when the time is right. On the wings, we have options like Karetsas, Kostoulas, Konstantelias, Tzolis, and Pnevmonidis. In the younger players, Mouzakitis, Zafeiris, Triantis, and Alexandropoulos stand out. However, it's time to move on from experienced players like Kourbelis, Mantalos, and Siopis. A new captain is needed, someone with top-level experience. Tzolis and Mavropanos are potential candidates, with Koulierakis also in the mix. Bakasetas's time might be up; while he's passionate, his overall play hasn't been impactful enough. Since Ivan took charge, the young players have stepped up, showing promise in attack. However, individual mistakes have cost us, and the older players haven't consistently delivered. A clear-out might be necessary to make way for younger players and bring in fresh talent from decent leagues.

Everything you said is correct. What’s so annoying is when they start hyping up for the World Cup next year and then you realise that Greece won’t be part of it again. 10 years straight and he we haven’t qualified. If they keep the same old guard like Bakasetas, Kourbelis etc then things will be the same like you said. We literally have to clear these old players out. What’s the point of having them? These new young guys that have come in have made Greece look like an real attacking force. Our team was even younger against Scotland in the nations league and that’s been our best result and performance in like 5 years.

Ioannidis is not bad. Don’t know why some criticise him. He puts himself in great positions and makes great runs. He created the most chances in the match. Ok he didn’t score which he should’ve but it wasn’t as clear cut as some think. He made the assist. Thank God we have Tzolis aswell. Rota in for Vagiannidis made no sense to me at all. Vagiannidis could’ve been useful going forward. But players like Kourbelis, Siopis, Mantalos and later on Bakasetas should be out of the team. Masouras aswell. There time is up. All players over 30 haven’t gotten us to a major tournament. Should never change the winning team that beat Scotland 3-0 in the the nations league.

I hope players like Bakasetas, Kourbelis, Mantalos and that age group choose to retire from the national team. Not saying it’s there fault for today game alone but they haven’t helped or lead this team, over the course of 10 years to any major tournament. Just play the youth now and build a solid team for the future because the talent is there.

Nothing but 3 wins now. I hope we can do it. 🙏

I also don’t see what Kourbelis has done so special in the last 3 years either. Ever since leaving Panathinaikos he has hasn’t done anything significant for the clubs he’s played for. Alexandropoulos is more of a box to box than a defensive midfielder and statistically has better defensive contributions this season. Also better going forward with the ball. Just look at both players goals they both have scored in their careers in the past. Alex has better quality goals. Not saying Alex is the answer but I would say he’s better and he’s the same size. You’d rather go for the better option. Also Triantis 2 goals and 2 assists this season plays in America ok, but still contributes more as a player in both defence and attack. All 3 don’t play at the highest level but we have to make improvements in that area. Point is we have other players of the same size that can do the job he is doing and possibly better. Seen too many errors from an experienced player. Mouzakitis is better than all of them I agree.

Also there are players in the Greek league who play CM that can be more serviceable in midfield for Greece.

Theres already 3 DMs I can name that are better than Kourbelis. Alexandropoulos, Triantis and Liatsikouras (potentially) are better and have more height to them aswell. Siopis isn’t the answer although he has high stamina and a lot of running in him. We had less height in the game against Scotland in the nations league and won comfortably in there home stadium. Mouzakitis awareness and intelligent positioning helped us that game and his attacking ability and playmaking is also superior to all of our mids. Zafeiris covered a lot of ground that game too which is important to note. You never change a winning team. That team in the nations league game that won 3-0 should’ve been the starting lineup going forward.

I don't think we should fully blame the coach. This team is mostly made up of youngsters, and they're the future – and the future looks bright. I really think Kourbelis is the weak link in this team. He's declined a lot, and Masouras is slowly declining as well. We used to have a great defense and a captain with loads of experience at the top level. We're missing those aspects. The coach has a ceiling, but isn't totally to blame. The only thing to blame is the selection of Kourbelis. I'm not singling him out – he's been okay in the past, but nothing more. This is a wake-up call for the Greek league. There needs to be a rule in place regarding the number of foreigners being signed. All teams, except Olympiakos, need to start integrating young Greeks with talent. It would benefit their clubs financially and help the national team in the long run. I still think we should've started the same team that beat Scotland in the Nations League. Out with the players who are 30 years old, and use the team that beat Scotland as the starting 11 going forward. Then, tinker when things need to be tinkered with. I'm disappointed that this could mean we miss another major tournament. If Scotland somehow miraculously draws against Belarus, there's still a chance – that is, if we win our remaining three games.

I agree. Now that you mentioned it I believe we do play better with him not saying Tsimikas is bad or anything but I think Giannoulis adds something else to our play especially going forward and links up well with Tzolis. I’m hoping Triantis can he useful for us. Time will tell.

I wouldn't have subbed out Konstantelias and Karetsas straight away in the second half. Konstantelias looked out of it, but I would have waited until around the 60th minute mark to make changes. It was only 0-1 at that point, and these guys can create something out of nothing. It was too early to sub them out. I agree that Kourbelis shouldn't have even been in the squad, but the fact that we haven't got anyone else with height and quality yet shows that we lack real depth in this position. It's inexcusable to leave out Mouzakitis in this game; he would have brought something. He's our most creative central midfielder at the moment. I thought Zafeiris played well. He ran, covered, tackled, and even produced some individual brilliance with the ball. He's been a great addition. We need to replace Kourbelis in my opinion, and hopefully, some young player emerges soon and takes his spot. Mouzakitis should start, but we also need another player with height and quality. I expected more out of Pavlidis; I thought some of his touches were off, and the same can be said about Tzolis. We still played well, and the attacking intent is there. Also, to Denmark's credit, they were on it defensively today, getting to the ball as quickly as possible. It's a great learning curve for the young guys, as this team is mostly young, and so it should be. It's all still to play for. We have great players and should learn from our mistakes. We need more depth in some positions and quality depth. Let's all be patient with the team, as the right pieces are mostly in place with a few adjustments. I believe in this team.

Correct. Now Kyriakopoulos has just been called up.

Apparently they are in the match day squad for the EFL cup. Hopefully this is the start for them getting more game time for the 1st team. They’d both be useful for the national team. I’d have them both now in the team. Both have had great seasons.

Yeah. I can’t seem to find any decent highlights on the internet.

Totally agree. The young ones have proven they are ready. They turned the 1st leg around against Scotland and dominated in the 2nd leg! The 3-0 win could’ve been more. We are still waiting on the inclusion of both Kostoulas and Tzimas too.

I really hope this player joins us. We need a tall CDM that can tackle well. Also someone to provide back up to Zafeiris and Mouzakitis. I believe he can replace Kourbelis soon, since he’s getting older and playing in Saudi. https://greekherald.com.au/sports/nectarios-triantis-withdraws-from-socceroos-training-camp/ He has also withdrew from the Australian squad. We have friendlies coming up so let’s see if he has decided to represent Greece.

I believe if your good enough your old enough. As shown in our last game the young guys can go. They’ve even lifted the team at a higher level. Χριστός Ανέστη

Looks promising. He’s the captain for the u19s for Inter aswell.

EPO and Jovanovic are looking at possibly bringing in Nectarios Triantis in. He’s a CDM/CB that plays for Hibernian in Scotland. On loan from Sunderland. Born in Australia to Greek parents. We need someone tall and physical in the 6 role. Would be good for depth too. He has been called up for Australia but didn’t play. So let’s see. https://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/football/sunderland-afc/sunderland-player-international-tussle-snub-5053715

We are all hoping Tzimas makes it in the epl with Brighton. But I agree that the young Greeks should go to a Portugal or Holland etc to build themselves up more before going to a higher level league. Germany seems like the best destination for Greeks for some reason. Italy not bad either. England has been the most challenging.

I actually thought Giakoumakis was always good but he’s hitting 30 so better off going to Pavlidis, Ioannidis, Douvikas and Kostoulas. Kostoulas can play ST. Thats where he’s played his whole youth career but Olympiakos he used more as a 10 or wide player. I think we should use him out wide for Greece we need more depth there. Agreed about Tzolis. He’s our best and will be a lock on the wing years to come. I think Zafeiris has replaced Siopis in the line up. Also Mouzakitis showed he’s a bigger upgrade to Mantalos. I don’t see Mantalos in the squad for much long.

Players like Bakasetas, Mantalos, Kourbelis and Siopis should be done. Some should leave completely and some should be benched. You can’t bench Delias or Karetsas. How can you? Both help each other and overall make the team better. What I know from the young guys is that Tzolis and Koulierakis are permanent starters and rightly so. Tzolakis also has made case for himself. Zafeiris were most people’s 2nd man of the match after Delias. Mouzakitis is our best midfielder in my opinion. He’s only 18. I don’t think any could get past him. The only time was when he got a yellow. Also look at Karetsas goal. Was started by Mouzakitis with his nice pass down to Giannoulis. Great team goal. Gives us hope that these young guys made this team win 3-0 away against a very physical Scottish team and they held their own. Could’ve also been 4 or 5-0 too. For Greece your better to trust the younger players than the experienced, it’s the way it is for us.

Just curious, will the coach put out the same starting 11 that beat Scotland 3-0(with everyone healthy ofcourse) in the next game. I would. I know the next game is a friendly but when it comes to the qualifiers I would put the same team. Players like Karetsas, Zafeiris, Delias, Mouzakitis have cemented there spots in my opinion. What does everyone else think?

Such a great win! It could’ve been more. I’ve been saying this for years… trust our youth! We looked so much better this game. The best players should always be in the starting 11 and it just so happens that our best players are our youngsters. This team that started should start again next game. Some of our experienced players are not good enough and don’t have the quality to make this team go to tournaments. Some should be on the bench and some not even included in the team.

I was impressed with the team's performance in the second half. Karetsas was outstanding and deserves a starting spot in the next game. However, I felt that some of our more experienced players underperformed. Siopis, despite his energetic efforts, struggled with passing accuracy and decision-making. Mantalos seemed sluggish and failed to provide sufficient support with his forward passes. While Mantalos showed promise, his execution was lacking. In my opinion, Tsimikas is no longer an effective player, and it's time to consider replacing him. Similarly, Masouras had a slow start and was correctly substituted at halftime. Konstantelias, on the other hand, brought a refreshing energy compared to Bakasetas. Delias's ball control is a valuable asset to the team, and Karetsas's talent enhanced the team's overall performance. Tzolis was unfortunate to miss his chances, but he, along with Delias and Karetsas, should be considered for starting roles more often. Although I liked the substitutions, something was missing. It's clear that we need to upgrade our midfield. With Siopis suspended for the next game, I'd like to see Alexandropoulos given a chance. Alternatively, Zafeiris would be a decent replacement. I've heard criticism of Ioannidis, but I believe he's a valuable player. His pressing, timing, and positioning are excellent, despite an off-day with ball control. I'm confident he'll bounce back in the next game. For the upcoming match, my preferred lineup would be: Tzolakis Vagiannidis Mavropanos Koulierakis Tsimikas Mouzakitis Alexandropoulos Karetsas Delias Tzolis Ioannidis