paokarag4
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Posts posted by paokarag4
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Take a point considering for large portions of the game AEK was the better team. As Dutch says, we do not match-up well at all with them and they seem to have our number. Lucescu has one win in 7 games against Almeyda. Lucescu will have to navigate the 2 playoff games against them and find a way to at least get one win from those games.
Not being able to start Konstantelias hurt us, he would've been able to break through their press and create more. Either way the subs did help, and we improved throughout the 2nd half. We stay top for now but we have a big week coming up. Bring it on.
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Add to our average record, they have been greatly improved since changing managers and are making a run for the top six (loss to Asteras last weekend hurt them). They've taken points off Olympiakos and PAO, as well as beating the latter in the cup last week. It will be tough, as always in a game like this an early goal is super important.
You imagine Atromitos will park the bus, so with that in mind this is a game where Konstantelias needs to start over Murg. Get all our attacking power on the pitch from kick-off to break them down.
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For me, Murg staying is predicated on Lucescu staying. Lucescu has worked out how to use him and has him playing the best football he ever has for us. I don't think another coach would get the same output from him. Given all the noise is that Lucescu has agreed to an extension and it is merely a formality in actually signing the paperwork, I'd be happy if the club offers him a 2 year deal. With an option for another year.
As for Taison, he is having a great season and has been superb for the year he's been here. Clearly he deserves another contract with us, the issue is commiting a 2-year deal (as he reportedly wants) to a 36 year old is just a no-go. 1 year + one more if he meets some performance bonuses seems the most logical offer. Hopefully they find a compromise and he stays on because he is a very good player and is fantastic to watch.
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Much tougher opponent for him next up, he does own a 3-1 H2H record over Fritz. They played at the Australian Open back in 2022, with Tsitsipas prevailing in a 5 set epic.
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Don't be embarrassed beautiful boy, it's being widely reported that we are into him. It does seem tough to get done but no doubt we are interested in him and there has been contact between the 2 parties.
I read the only way it gets done is if he becomes a free agent, which seems possible given Wolves want him gone due to a brawl with a coach and teammate which old Jonny had.
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Seems like Bakasetas is on the verge of returning to Greece and joining Panathinaikos.
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After a tough start, Tsitisipas overcomes the Belgian qualifier 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3.
Next up he'll face an Australian, the winner of the Thompson-Vukic match-up.
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No more drinking pash!
The reason we are a round ahead is because the first legs of the Aris-AEK and PAO-Olympiacos ties were postponed at the request of the police because that same day Erdogan was visiting Athens.
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Yeah seems like a strange one, don't think we are in desperate need of another winger atm. Right-back probably a more pressing concern, I'd personally be after a center back too.
All the noise around is that we weren't going to sign anyone for depth, it would only be a difference maker coming in. Lucescu is generally happy with the state of our squad and seems to trust most of the players.
So interesting to see how it plays out with Kaschuk, given his CV doesn't scream someone who is going to come in and displace one of our current attacking mids/wingers.
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PAS always has a way of troubling us, you can see that in our recent history with them. Only four 2-goal wins since 09-10 season against them. Everything else is either a squeaky 1-goal win or dropped points.
I am a little surprised that Tzimas is going to start as is being reported, not used to Lucescu giving a youngster responsibility like that. But I'm excited to see what the kid can do!
Just need to win here even if it is by our favourite one goal, AEK-PAO also playing at the same time so one of them will drop points meaning 3 points here will see us skip past at least one of them on the table.
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No chance pash, we are fools if we do. Tzolis was sold for 11 million, Konstantelias is a level above in terms of both output and his potential ceiling.
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For us, sell to the highest bidder. Kid is a talent and has the ability to play in a top 5 league for 10 years if he wants it. Remember he is still only 20. He is having a good season for a club that is competing for a league title and is having a good run in Europe. 20 million should be attainable, can't see the club letting him go for 15 but I might be wrong.
For the player himself, England now isn't the right move IMO. I think history has shown in order to succeed in England, Greek players need to go a little later in their career when they are more mature as players.
Obviously every individual case is different, but if I was Konstantelias I'd be pushing for a move to either Germany or Italy first up. Develop there for a few more years and then take the step to the EPL as a more seasoned professional.
In saying all that I think he should stay until the end of the season and move on in the summer(if he is to be sold). He is a key part of the team and as mentioned, we are in the mix for plenty of trophies as it stands.
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I think Tzimas will rotate through the starting XI with Samatta gone, agree with you pash maybe it will only end be being 20-30 minute cameos off the bench but still some solid minutes for him.
I think Despodov can play as a striker too (think I've read he has done so for his old club and occasionally for Bulgarian NT) so he may also come into calculations.
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Just another example of a Greek club knee-jerk reacting to a couple of results. Awful management from PAO. On the other hand it bodes well for us that 2 of our competitors are having an unstable few weeks and changing managers heading into the new year.
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After about 2 months as the starting left back (due to Andy Robertson's injury), Tsimikas has broken his collarbone in an unlucky incident where he was shoved into his own coach and landed awkwardly on his collarbone.
He will be out for a while, early reports are at least 3 months which would put him in big doubt for the playoff against Kazakhstan and any potential subsequent playoff final.
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Great win, dominate performance. Murg really has been a revelation and giving us quality minutes when covering Taison.
Special mention to Despodov, appears to be finding his feet a goal and 3 assists is a brilliant game regardless of opponent!
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He has definitely overtaken Nasberg as the back-up to Koulierakis as the left-sided center back. It seems Lucescu doesn't want to overload Koulierakis and he rotates him quite regularly, so Michalidis will continue to get a good amount of game-time in the 2nd half of the season.
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Always a tough game in Tripoli, and they have been in solid form lately and find themselves 6th. Far from the game you want Taison and Zivkovic missing. Opportunity for Konstantelias to really take over and run the game with those 2 out. Will be a tough one that's for sure.
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I don't think they can stop European competitions, they don't have that jurisdiction. It would be domestic football. As we know that won't solve anything and really how many match days were left this year, 2-3?
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I think only group E would have been better than the draw we got. In saying that Turkey and Czechs won't be easy by any stretch but you would say we are relatively evenly matched, at least on paper. Portugal breezed through qualifying, but I don't know I have a feeling they aren't going to smash the group and will drop points.
Remember, 4 of the 6 best placed third placed sides will also qualify for the round of 16!
We have a way to go until worrying about that though. Let's get to March with all our key players fit and in form.
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Seems Baba won't be fit for this game, as of yesterday he was still training individually. Reports saying he is in a race against time to be fit for Frankfurt in a weeks time.
I believe Zivkovic is suspended for this game, can't remember if anyone else is set to miss to card accumulation.
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Yep it's confirmed. We will take on Kazakhstan on the 21st of March at OPAP Arena.
The other semi is Georgia v Luxembourg.
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8 hours ago, Athens4 said:
This may be the case in normal everyday life but it just isn't the case in football. Do you honestly think that Baldock would be putting on a Greek jersey if he were good enough to play for England? The same goes for Zeca - he shouldn't even be playing for Greece in the first place as he isn't Greek. It becomes a joke when players can pick and choose which country they represent. It might as well be club football.
His parents are from Togo so he should play for Togo. The fact that he was a product of German football does not mean he should play for the German national team. His blood is Togolese. Going by your logic, European clubs can bring in 11-12 year olds from Africa or South America, train them up then say "Well, we taught them how to play so they should play for our country". I thought the whole idea of a national team was to display talent that is native to the country, not imported or inherited.
I agree on your first point, those cases as well as other across the world are clearly the player seeing an opportunity to play international football and potentially go to a major tournament. While a bit of a joke, until FIFA alter their rules this will continue to happen.
The 2nd point here I strongly disagree with. A national team should demonstrate a nations' ability to produce footballers. While of course there is room for players who are ethnically from that nation but have grown up somewhere else I disagree with what a national team should be.
Messi almost played for Spain, because he had been there from 13. Again wouldn't be the first time that happened. It is also very rare that it happens so I don't think it's a pandemic or anything to fret about. Clubs don't go about signing youth players in the hope of strengthening their NT, they care about number one, themselves.
As you said Athens, we have to agree to disagree. Nothing wrong with that mate!👍
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Our playoff path continues to take shape, with Luxembourg confirming their place in the play-offs with a huge 4-1 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. We may face them in the final or even the semi (if Kazakhstan manage to qualify directly)
On paper they look like tough match-up, they have multiple players who ply their trade in the Bundesliga. Plus a few who play in Turkey and Russia. They have 14 points in qualifying with 2 of their 3 losses coming to Portugal (heavy 6 and 9-0 losses).
As it stands the playoff picture for League C looks like this:
Georgia v Luxembourg
Greece v Kazakhstan
Winners playoff for a spot at Euro 2024.
As noted earlier Kazakhstan may directly qualify meaning we play Luxembourg, and Georgia would face Azerbaijan (most likely)
Euro 2024 Qualifying Play-Offs - Greece - Kazakhstan (21 March 2024 21:45 EET, Opap Arena, Athens)
in Greek National Teams
Posted
Our biggest game in almost 7 years. Still over a month out but some things to keep an eye on in terms of player availability/form.
-Tsimikas returned to the Liverpool bench and was subbed on to a play the last few moments on the weekend. He is fit again which is good news.
-Chatzidiakos, since Christmas has only played 45 minutes for Cagliari in Serie A. He last had a full 90 on the 2nd of Jan, in a 4-1 cup defeat to AC Milan. As one of the prefered CB's it is a concern. He was hurt in training over the weekend, not sure on prognosis at this stage but assuming its minor Poyet will have to a decision to make if we get to this game and he's still riding the bench.
-Vlachodimos: Nottingham Forest brought in another keeper, so he's effectively been relegated to 3rd choice. New keeper (Belgian Metz Sels) hasn't been setting the world on fire, which hopefully means Vlacho will get another shot at some stage. He hasn't played a Premier League game since early December and last played all-together in the FA Cup almost a month ago. Again Poyet will have another decision to make if he continues to not play come March.
-Baldock has been injured the last month or so, I believe he is expected to be fit for this game. If fit he is a starter for Sheffield United, so if his body is right he will come with some game time under his belt.
-Kourbelis was loaned to another Turkish club (Karagumruk) in January, and was injured after one game. He returned over the weekend and played some mins of the bench. Hopefully he continues to play over the next 5 weeks and is in some good form come the 21st of March.