Dean97

He is on fire like to see where he plays for the national team. It seems as though he is succeeding at ST. He can easily play CAM and Wing. A good player who has turned his career around and is only 24-25 years old.

For the 1st paragraph, if your talking about Hatzidiakos then for me he has proven he’s got what it takes. The goals we copped were mostly from Stafylidis errors in my opinion. The goals Italy scored was from Bouchalakis hand ball and a shot from range which should’ve been closed down from our midfielders. Giannoulis has convinced me that he is good. Before I didn’t think he was good but after seeing him play I can say he has got a big future ahead of him. We are lucky to have a good amount of depth at LB. RB is the problem. Ive always likes Fountas has got energy and is capable of scoring goals. Also he has a lot of courage. He can play many positions like CAM, Wing and ST. He is also very fast which is another positive.

No doubt Manolas and Sokratis are at the highest level of all Greek players. But sometimes just because they are good doesn’t mean they are good for the team. Both had problems with Anastasiadis and EPO. We don’t know what happens behind the scenes but with these guys we haven’t got anywhere since Karagounis and Katsouranis retired. We started playing better football without them. They are not bigger than the team. Hatzidiakos has convinced me that he can take Sokratis spot and do an even better job. The problem lies with Stafylidis at CB and Bakakis at RB. Both of these guys aren’t great defenders and with them in the same backline we could be asking for trouble. Manolas or Mavropanos have to take Stafylidis spot. At RB we need to find a more capable replacement in my opinion. Mitroglou is washed up. Time to move on. Samaris hasn’t been influential for Greece for the past 4-5 years. With Vasiliadis in the team I think Zeca’s days are numbered. I am assuming JVS is trying to find a replacement for Kourbelis. That’s if Kiomourtzoglou decides to play for Greece. I think he likes Hatzidiakos, Galanopoulos, Pavlidis and Limnios. They all played well.

I think we should give JVS a chance. We did well against Italy the second time around with a different team. We had our chances to score and didn’t take them. We lost to Italy at home 3-0 with Sokratis and Manolas. We’re better off having players who are humble and willing to fight for the jersey. I agree Stafylidis shouldn’t be at CB and Manolas is needed. But I like said before if Manolas is not willing to give his best than it’s better to have him off the team.

Good points by everyone. All I want to say is that Hatzidiakos has proven to be a very good CB. We looked much better playing out from the back. It’s mostly because of him. He is good technically which helps with our build up play. Sokratis should be done with the national team. I see Mavropanos, Retsos and Hatzidiakos all competing for that spot now. For me Manolas is a must in the team. His speed and all round play is needed. If he doesn’t want to play then don’t worry about him, if he does then he has to abide by what the coach wants. Out of the 2 Manolas is needed most.

I think they are done. Every time he’s asked about them he talks about having passion and they have to want to play for the team. I get this feeling that Manolas and Sokratis don’t want to be in the team anymore. Mitroglou is propably the same. Haven’t heard anything in the news about how they want to come back and give 100%. I think others like Zeca, Samaris and Fortounis nights have a chance of returning. If Fortounis comes back he has to give 100%. This team gives 100% effort and they don’t stop running. Fortounis has to do the same, otherwise he shouldn’t play. We look like we are going into the direction of playing players in the age region of 18-26. A few exceptions maybe here or there. Most of the players he was going to call up were players in that age region.

I like how he said that “clubs don’t give young talented players a chance and that we have to work on this.” This is very important. We have recently seen the emergence of Tsimikas who has improved and performed very well this season. Has Champions and Europa Legaye experience and major sides are looking at him. We need the big 4 to trust the young Greek youth. I hope players like Androutsos, Risvanis, and even the players coming up form the youth side have more of an opportunity to play European football. It helps this with there growth and will help the national team. This is key in my opinion.

Yeah I wouldn’t bring Sokratis back. I believe Hatzidiakos should take his place. Hatzidiakos could be our future captain. I would bring back Manolas though. The reason being is that Retsos and Mavropanos haven’t done enough to warrant a starting spot. Also Stafylidis isn’t made for CB. Also we have too many talented LBs and Stafylidis isn’t one of them. Maybe he should be a bench player. Fortounis to me is lazy. He needs to do more and that’s the one thing that’s holding him back. Podence has said on Instagram. Talented player but is lazy. We don’t need that in this new Greece squad. I’d only be willing to have Fortounis back if he works harder.

Hey guys I just been wondering for a while and would like to know where everyone stands on this topic... What do you guys think of Stafylidis as captain? Should he be captain going forward? Where do we put him if Sokratis and Manolas do return? Should he change position? Maybe LW or even CDM/CM? I know some like him here and some don’t but I’m just going to say that I do think he has a place in the squad. I don’t think he should be at LB because we have a lot of good talent there such as Tsimikas and Giannoulis. Even Kyriakopoulos is up there. He’s also made mistakes there. I wouldn’t put him at RB. Wouldn’t seem right to put him there since he is left footed. I also wouldn’t put him on the wings. In my opinion I think he can be a great CDM or CM. Maybe he should come off the bench and provide some of his great long shots as that is his best attribute in my opinion. He isn’t a bad passer either. He has great energy, determination and seems to really care about Greece. I don’t think he can be overlooked. At the same time I’m 50/50 on whether he is starter or a bench player. I do see some good qualities. I think we should put him somewhere where we could best utilise his strengths. What are everyone else’s thoughts and suggestions?

Are the friendlies definitely cancelled??

Thanks for your reply. It makes sense the way you put it. I trust JVS. I think he sees the bigger picture and knows what he has to do. We have seen a massive improvement with the teams performances and that’s without our “big stars”, which says a lot. I’m very eager to see what he has planned later this month.

@AchillesHeel What do you think the reason is for JVS having played Bakasetas at CAM and Mantalos on the left? Even though Bakasetas has done slightly better under JVS I still think Mantalos or even Fetfa should’ve been the 10. I personally would’ve played Mantalos at CAM and someone else on the left. Maybe Fetfa or Masouras. From what I saw in the last 4 games Bakasetas is strong physically and doesn’t get pushed off the ball easily unlike Fortounis. Bakasetas has a great shot and is capable of playing a simple game. He also works hard off the ball. The things that I don’t like about him is that he loses the ball most of the time either misplacing a pass or losing the ball when it’s at his feet. He is also a slow player physically and also mentally. I find it a bit hard to justify the reason for him being in the 10 spot for the last 4 games even though we’ve been playing better.

This is spot on. This is why I have praised Hatzidiakos. He’s able to build play from the back. Stafylidis is good at this aswell. Manolas and Sokratis seemed inadequate in this aspect of the game. Defensively they are untouchable. But as time goes on it makes more sense playing Manolas next to Hatzidiakos in the future. There are a lot of question marks regarding Manolas and Sokratis attitude towards the national team. I was hoping back then that Tachtsidis would be the type of DM who can build play from the middle but he is way too inconsistent and very limited in most aspects his game. Anyways I believe JVS knows what he has to do as he has plans in place.

Yeah I know. Siopis or Vasiliadis should take his spot in the starting 11.

I agree with what your saying. He hasn’t been playing bad either. He does seem like a good leader. The team needs good leaders and he could be one of them. I just don’t know if he should be taking someone else’s spot just because he is a good leader. Clearly JVS knows what he’s doing and I trust his judgement.

I agree with what your saying. Hatzidiakos to me has earned a spot in this team. I see too many positives with this guy and will get even better. I can’t see how Stafylidis fits in this team. We are stacked at LB with Tsimikas and Giannoulis having great seasons respectively. Koutris is another solid option but unfortunately is injured for 6 months... I’d go with either Tsimikas or Giannoulis. At CB we have too much talent there as we have mentioned. The only option available for Stafylidis in my opinion is if we play him at CDM. Has got a great shot, decent passer and can be aggressive when needed. I don’t think he will play there though. It confuses me how he has been chosen as captain as we have plenty of other players who are better than him. I don’t mind him as a player I think he can offer some good things like I mentioned, but I don’t think he should take someone’s spot, especially at CB and LB. Siopis has something to offer in midfield. But with Galanopoulos and Vasiliadis at our disposal I don’t think it’s a good idea to have 3 CMs who are 5ft7. I don’t know I have this thing where you need at least someone who is tall enough to win headers in midfield and someone who can wi those battles and not leave it all to the CBs. All 3 are not that much different. I want to see more of Vasiliadis play. At the same time I don’t think Bouchalakis and Kourbelis are the answer. Donis is great on the wing and at striker. I believe we are lucky to have a player like him. By far our fastest player. We’ve got heaps of wide options but we fail to use them. Limnios has been fantastic for us. I know Mantalos is important to have and he is but can’t we try him in his natural position at CAM... Bakasetas has done better in his last few games, but that’s because you can’t put him anywhere else. Fortounis needs to continue where he left off. Then we have players like Fetfatzidis and Lamprou who offer plenty of speed and skill with the ball. More so than who we’ve been playing in my opinion. They are lacking in defending which is the reason why I think they haven’t been fully trusted. I say give these 2 proper chances for Greece and you won’t be disappointed. Other players like Pelkas, Samaris, Mitroglou and Tachtsidis need to do better with there clubs before they can be reconsidered in the team. Also Pavlidis is a great player. Give him time and you’ll see what he’s about. Koulouris is alright. Not the biggest fan but I will give him more time. Fountas is on fire lately he should be called up.

I think everything happens for a reason. Most likely for a good reason. Sokratis has given Greece a lot over the years. I still think he has something to offer after watching him lately. Manolas should be a lock in this team even though we shouldn’t be saying that. Everyone has to earn their spot. I wouldn’t mind having them back.

I think both have problems with upper management. It would be a travesty if both don’t return. Sokratis has lots of experience and still playing at a high level and Manolas is in the prime of his career in a decent league with Napoli. Manolas speed alone is essential for the team. I hope they return but if they don’t I have faith in Hatzidiakos and Retsos. Mavropanos has a lot to do to convince me that he can be our top defender but he is getting there and if it wasn’t for injuries he would be still at Arsenal and might’ve been an important player for them in my opinion. Hopefully all 3 stay injury free for the majority of their careers as they have great potential. Its unfortunate what has happened lately with K.Papadopoulos.

If they care about their country and heritage they should want to come back. They can’t do anything about changing the EPO. It is what it is, hopefully there is a change of management soon. Manolas would definitely be key to our success going forward. Sokratis, I don’t know. It seems like he isn’t where we need him to be anymore and Hatzidiakos or Mavropanos are good enough replacements in my opinion.

I’m surprised Nikolaou is not on JVS list. He is left footed and a CB. Maybe he is needed for the u21s. Kyriakopoulos could do well there. He’s got the height for it aswell, unlike Stafylidis.

Well, if we are going to be more dangerous with Chatzigiovannis on the left, does that mean Mantalos should go in the middle at CAM? I wouldn’t mind that. Im surprised Kitsiou hasn’t been talked about as he has been playing well lately.

Good move for him in a good league. Hope he excels there and gets the exposure to play for a team in the La Liga next season. He’s probably Greece’s best left back at the moment in my opinion. Now that Tsimikas and Giannoulis have performed this season there will be a good battle for the Greece LB spot.

Fountas scored 2 goals...

Did you watch the games?? Hatzidiakos is way more composed with and without the ball and better at positioning than Sokratis. His passes out from the back were very effective and even put us into dangerous attacks. Defensively Hatzidiakos can read the game very well and is aggressive when he has to be. Sokratis is not the same player he used to be. He was never comfortable on the ball. He also doesn’t make smart decisions with it, unlike Hatzidiakos for his age plays very maturely and has an idea about the game. At 22 I would play him for the next 10 years when fit. Also with Mavropanos and Retsos slowly coming back we won’t need to have Sokratis. As he is on the decline due to his age. I do agree that Sokratis saved the team with his speech and I thank him for that.

I believe Hatzidiakos is the perfect replacement for Sokratis. Hatzidiakos has proven to be better. Manolas can take Stafylidis place. Manolas adds pace and chasers back and actually puts a saving tackle or wins the ball. He can be very vital to the team. That’s if he has the right attitude. I am proud of the career Sokratis has had for Greece. I don’t think we should completely drop him because I still think he has something to offer. We could use him off the bench.