La Mendel

Tsimikas is perhaps world class... Giannoulis is just like a second Holebas.

Okay Hatzidiakos is good enough... I do not trust Giannoulis.

Nobody should mention the likes of Svarnas Lampropoulos Michailidis Tzavellas Hatzidiakos Bakakis Giannoulis... and they are in the squad of the Ethniki, while Mavropanos Manolas Siovas Retsos Papastathopoulos are not.

Retsos played only two games this year. He is injured now, on the last five occasions he wasnt in the squad. Mavropanos started three times in a row since 28 Nov for Stuttgart. Tzavellas is turned 33 now... he will be 34 and 1/2 years old during WC 2022... just saying.

Vrousai Limnios Masouras that would be at least three options for the winger position in the NT.

I guess Vrousai will be almost always called up in the next 3 or so years. He began recently to play regularly for Olympiacos - like Bouchalakis or Masouras, he will get a call up if he will be available. Cant he play in an AM position? Is he only a winger? TL;DR: Galanopoulos and the likes are only possibilities but Vrousai is a probability now.

Yes but we grabbed that EL spot, fortunately. Maybe they will play against a weaker opponent and then they have a chance. I hope they will be better. Todays performance was sometimes good, but overall Porto was unfortunately better. Bouchalakis did not lose the ball very often, Vrousai put up a good fight. Pity Valbuena wasnt available. Perhaps Fortounis should have been in the starting XI, he gave a good pass to El Arabi. Holebas was just an idiot like always. José Sá tried, he was among our better performers. Masouras was subbed off after missing a great chance - but he is like that, his fighting spirit is however good!

Vrousai isnt half bad, he should be called up next time by the NT head coach.

This seems to be almost hopeless. At least Vrousai plays now for Olympiacos. Another possibility in midfield.

This is a tough draw.

Stratos Svarnas

Fortounis being a starter probably means he will start on the wing while Bakasetas starts as a CAM! Fun fact: I called Skibbe a "tactically astute head coach" in a former post of mine in 2017! LOL 🤣🤣🤣

I understand now, thank you! I thought you called Tziolis arab (he played for a Saudi Professional League team).

But really guys, Samaris has not seen much playing time this season, he appeared in just two league games and played only 57 minutes. Last time (21 Nov) he was in the starting eleven against Paredes in what was possibly a Cup game and even scored the winner but Paredes is an amateur team. I would choose Zeca over Samaris. Zeca's work ethic is the best on the team, as PaokCT said here. Samaris tends to be lazy and slow (think of his performance against Croatia in the away loss in 2017).

Your words make me remember those days and I am smiling now! I am surprised you left out Maniatis who played often with Katsouranis and with Tziolis. Or Makos? He was really a terrific player and is still active I guess (he plays for a third league team in Greece, perhaps). Makos got thankfully only thirteen caps, tho that Makos - Katsouranis duo against Germany in 2012 was unforgettable. During that game, he was probably found out by Santos who then dropped him. Among all of our defensive/deep-lying midfielders/playmakers, he was probably the most mediocre. Even Patsatzoglou was better. Even Siopis is possibly better!

There is much truth in the post of gsots! Fortounis builds our attacks practically alone and if it is not he, then perhaps Tsimikas can give an assist. Apart from them, Limnios shows some REAL skills (not the "skill" of a Ninis or a Fetfatzidis) but he was not dangerous enough. Mavrias tried to help him, but Limnios often also was practically alone. Yes, Bakasetas should go. Fortounis should be CAM, and Bakasetas cant play on the wing. We saw that often under Skibbe. First, he is too slow. And he is lazy too. With Fortounis as a CAM and Masouras and Limnios as wingers we may perhaps create some chances, even score. The absence of any real center forwards (not wingers, second strikers etc. etc.) doesnt help the head coach. Lets face it, Pavlidis was essentially a bicycle kick yesterday. Giakoumakis is more dangerous on paper but couldnt score. Bakasetas: a good shot and one or two passes. Tzolis: a run on the wing and a dangerous cross (it went just wide). Masouras: another run on the wing. Apart from that, none of them could produce anything in offence. " Would rather play Fortou out of position than Baka. " - that is the essence of our offensive problems. Not even Pelkas (who plays for Fenerbahce) but Bakasetas should organize everything. In reality, he can hope Fortounis gives him a nice pass and then he can score. What he offers in offence is next to nothing. I do not understand this Bakasetas thing - he has already more than 30 caps under his belt, is obviously average and we have better options (yes even Pelkas is better).

gsots has a point about Bakasetas, Mavrias and Tzavellas. And yes, Bakasetas was a DM in the last 10 minutes. LOL. The individual efforts of Fortounis were indeed important. Without him, we wouldnt have won perhaps that Moldova game. Bakasetas is practically useless. Fortounis should be CAM, Masouras should also start on the wing. He has not many skills but he is a fighter. In the past, we got better results with zero skills and determination (for example, Salpingidis) than with "skilled" but slow and lazy players (for example, Ninis and Fetfatzidis). Tzolis is at this point far too inexperienced to be of any use against a stronger team. Same goes for Chatzigiovannis. Limnios is a neat and swift winger, I dont mind him. Lykogiannis or even Rota would have been a better right back than Mavrias. Also JVS chucked quite a few players out now. Manolas, Sokratis, Siovas, Fetfatzidis. I am not sure if even an unfit Mitroglou (who is clearly past it) would be as useless as Pavlidis and Co.

Great Mitroglou is no more... I am depressed, we sunk really to the level of Pavlidis/Koulouris/Giakoumakis. No one could score today, Giakoumakis was at times invisible. Whom should JVS choose?

I have a bad feeling about Mitroglou, his career seems to be petered out prematurely (like that of Samaras). He has not played a single minute for Marseille this year.

Its true. Thank you. Still, Fortounis would have to start against Kosovo.

Okay, I see now that we are in Pot 3. I guess this is some result - with an Anastasiadis type of coach we would have sunk into Pot 4.

Player ratings: Vlachodimos - wasnt really tested (0) Mavrias - was average (2.5) Hatzidiakos - was okay until that red card (2.5) Tzavellas - won a couple of headers (2.5) Tsimikas - okay but nothing really spectacular (3) Zeca - tried hard (2.5) Bakasetas - a shot, and some good ideas, but that was all (2.5) Kourbelis - he was not a jot better than Bouchalakis against Moldova (2.5) Limnios - skilled but was ultimately useless today (2.5) Giakoumakis - hardly touched the ball in the last 15 minutes of the first half (1.5) Fortounis - he should have been CAM during this campaign, good passes (3) Subs: Pavlidis was better than Giakoumakis, but not that much - and he also couldnt score (2), Tzolis was not above average (2), Masouras fought hard but he also couldnt dish out an assist or to score (-), Kyriakopoulos was on the pitch for 2 minutes (-). Van T Schip organized the team and we got some fine results but we will perhaps lose our Pot 3 position because of his Bakasetas mania. But for that hole in his conception, we could have won the second Kosovo game (I mean Fortounis would have converted that penalty). A good overall display from the team in Nations League, but results were not that great. Overall JVS is an okay coach even if he makes strange decisions (he practically kicked Manolas Siovas Papastathopoulos out of the squad, he chooses Bakasetas as team captain, penalty taker and regular CAM, uses unreliable Tzavellas as a center back) but we could not won this easy group.

What about the World Cup qualification? Did we remain in Pot four then? That would be sad...

great pass by Fortounis, bad shot by Kourbelis

At last!