Dean97

We can still come 2nd. We have to win the 4/6 matches and at best draw the games against Italy and Bosnia. It’s up to us...

So if we want to think of it logically and eliminate variables then we are all in agreement we are good enough to beat Estonia, Finland etc. Even though our players are limited we should be getting the job done against teams like Armenia. The coach isn’t a world beater. He is a 4.5-5/10 manager for me. He should be still good enough to coach these players and gets results. So these things didn’t happen. So the problem doesn’t start with the players and coach. If we are to believe the culture in the club is toxic then the EPO are the ones that should be held accountable. There lack of care have cost us 5 years of embarrassment for our standards. If anything needs to be replaced it’s the EPO first then everyone else. Why has it been a recurring theme of losing to teams lower than us? Something is not right and it could get worse if things are not changed. There’s no excuse losing to Faroe islands twice and losing to Estonia and Armenia. The Italy game could have been handled better but it’s more excusable because they have more quality than us. Still we could have given them a run for their money just like we did with Belgium and Croatia in the past. Everything starts at the top. And then slowly goes down to team. We need more professionalism and better facilities. If we start acting the part as a whole then we will start playing the part. Corruption is killing the team. Instead of choosing players on skill, merit and form. Football is no longer looked at as a sporting competition where you get the best players to win. It has become a business and money is the root to all evil.

I also believe Anastasiadis is handicapping players who already handicapped. The Greek players are already limited so the best way to get the best out of them is by playing them in positions where they will succeed. A 4-3-3 is good or a 4-4-2. Samaris is useless. Our midfield needs fixing. Our wide players need to be actual wingers.

Big changes are needed. Not only the coach and players but also the federation. I remember Sokratis did an interview a few years ago (2016) and said that we don’t have midfielders in the mould of Katsouranis and Basinas. By the way Sokratis spoke it looked like he was to that but not only that everything else too.

Greece never had money to invest in all those things you stated. We were never a superpower in football. Greece won a Euro in 2004 with a very good coach with average to good players. They were the underdogs. What I’m saying is you can still achieve success. Now our players must be really bad, so bad that we dont realise it. I just don’t want to believe it because of the teams our players play for. Roma, Benfica. Arsenal, Leverkusen and so on. I think the tactics and player selections are all wrong. Why are we playing 2DMs and no real wingers. We lack real midfielders and you need speed as speed has become a real factor in winning games. To go even deeper our players don’t play well with each other and are limited in the first place.

I agree. The Greek league itself is in shambles. Where did all the money go from 2004-2014? What did they use it on? If we can get the call ups right then we would have any issues with who starts. But I feel we won’t ever get the right call ups.

I would’ve kept Santos.

Putting money in youth developments can happen, but will it. Our players are not good enough on the ball. At least play players that have real ability and can control the ball well and play good football with each other.

Settle down. If he gets fired what then? We will probably get an even worse coach. The EPO don’t care. They haven’t got money to spend. If they did we would’ve qualified in major tournaments the last 4 years. We will not see change. I’ve said this since I’ve been a fan the call ups are what kill this team.

Kotsiras is heaps better than Mavrias.

Zeca and Samaris are crap. Seriously. Siopis should have started at least. Bouchalakis and Kourbelis would have been better. Masouras is working his ass off. Imagine if he had quality players around him. He would look way better.

The reason we can’t do anything is because if our midfield.

Italy like a normal team should. They weren’t anything spectacular. They did the simple things right. We couldn’t even hold the ball. Some of our players first touch is atrocious. Even Fortounis is delayed by 1 second. He had a player open on the right one stage and instead of giving it like a normal person would he held onto the ball and made life harder. Samaras 2.0??

The coach played a system that didn’t benefit our players. Fortounis played in the wrong position. Zeca played at RB where you needed his hustle in the centre. Manolas and Sokratis didn’t play well and that’s what happens when your midfield is non existent defensively then the defence would be under pressure (in this case a lot) and eventually make mistakes, which happened. There was no excuse on the 2nd goal where Manolas let the Insigne score like that. By his standards he should have done better. The coach is to blame for starting the game the way he did. Our players are not good enough to be playing different positions. They haven’t even mastered their own position let alone play anywhere else. Italy have quality players. Bosnia have a few quality players. Who do we have? Sokratis is on the decline. Fortounis and Samaris are too slow and make silly mistakes. Manolas is close to quality but still needs areas to improve on. Our players are one dimensional. Masouras worked hard and tracked back a lot and helped out Zeca.

We don’t have any quality players. If we did then our players can play anywhere. It’s mind boggling that we leave out players who have glimpses of quality eg. Fetfatzidis, Lamprou - and call up players who are D+ level at best eg. Valerianos, Bakasetas, Mavrias. It will be the end of Anastasiadis having a job with Greece if we lose our next match. I’m more than happy for him to be fired and bring in a foreign coach who knows what to do. He played a system that didn’t suit our players. Fortounis dosent press, Pelkas would have been great in that role. Kourbelis and Samaris as deep lying number 6s/CBs. They have limited to no skill on the ball. That’s why our midfield is non existent and can’t get things going. Fortounis cant take on players. He relys in playing in tight spaces and moving side wards. Instead of beating a player and putting the ball on a platter for the striker. Fetfatzidis is capable of doing this. Gianniotas can play the wingers role almost perfectly.

Post of the year for me!

I like that line up a lot! Full of energy and better CMs. Alphonse touched on point and said that we need midfielders who can brake on players in the middle and have the vision to play it out. This is so important as other countries are have this. Samaris and Fortounis are slow and don’t work hard enough. Hopefully with a new coach soon he will understand what needs to be done.

That’s true but I don’t like the way he conducts himself. Sometimes it looks like he dosent want to be there. He preserves his energy when his energy should be up to standards and it’s not. Fortounis throws his arms in the air and gives up. I don’t like that.

Logically the coach is to blame. Putting out a formation that the player are not used to and players out of position won’t help us. What’s wrong with playing 4-2-3-1. Vlachodimos Kotsiras Manolas Sokratis Koutris Kourbelis Zeca Masouras Fortounis Kolovos Koulouris You can’t go wrong with that. What we should of seen is: Vlachodimos Torosidis Manolas Sokratis Koutris Kourbelis Zeca Lamprou Fortounis Masouras Koulouris

Yeah they didn’t look up for it.

If our players play in their positions and play a system that everyone is used to, with added passion and determination then yes. We have a chance. Also we need players with high energy and work rates also fast players.

One of the main reasons Leece got promoted? Because Samaris is excellent and so is Zeca. We have no creativity from our midfield. At least Siopis can run and close down and has the energy. What does Samaris have. Nothing. Karagounis and co played with passion. You can’t also expect Valerianos to do well at CB when he hasn’t even mastered playing at LB. Our quality is not up to standards and it showed today. I agree with you about Kyriakopoulos.

Kolovos and Masouras are not bad. Fortounis delays our attack. Samaris destroys our build and can’t take control. No real substance. Kolovos can keep possession well and Masouras makes good runs and likes to work. Our midfield is non existent and our RB is weak. So is our LB. This team is always sabotaged by selections and tactics. Samaris and Fortounis don’t deserve to start let alone get a full 90. Pelkas and Siopis should have started instead. Fast players that like to hustle. Wrong mindset and attitude of the players as well. The coach is too blame for sure.

Players from the u21s... Tachtsidis, Lykogiannis and a few others should have been called up.

I agree 1000%