Jump to content
Phantis Forums

The Preliminary Squad for the Euro 08


aekrossoponti

Recommended Posts

Still very early but i want to discuss our euro 08 squad. otto will nominate 23 players that will try to defend our title in Austria and Switzerland.

Judging from the squad otto used in the last two qualifying games, i put the players name in bold which i believe to have a sure spot in the euro squad.

Goalkeepers

Nikopolidis

Chalkias

Defenders

Dellas

Kiriakos

Antzas

Goumas

Kapsis

Vyntra

Toro

Spyropoulos

Giourkas

Patsa

Midfielders

Basinas

Katsouranis

Karagounis

Stelios

Tziolis

Strikers

Charisteas

Gekas

Lympe

Amanatidis

Samaras

Salpi

Probably Otto will take a third keeper. my prediction Sifakis or Kotsolis. I would also welcome konstantopoulos or eleftheropoulos but i dont really see them coming. A third keeper would mean, otto needs to leave one of his current squad at home though.

The players I am unsure about.

kapsis- has aged and plays in Cyprus. normally we should end the discussion there But he still is a good player. Should be dropped though IMO.

vyntra- good player, hasnt seen much playing time. was weak against spain. is rumoured with a german move. will probably make the team as a good back up.

spyropoulos- has never played BUT is the only left-foot at present. i would field him, unsure about Otto though because torosidis seems his left side fix and vyntra his replacement. Should make it though.

tziolis- defensive midfielder. a position where have tons of options although otto prefers basinas, katsouranis and possibly antzas. remember though that toro and patsa can also fill the spot well. hasnt seen much time with otto, is young thugh. 50-50 chance to make the team depending on the remaining spots on the roster.

salpi- is not ottos favourite. otto prefers tall strikers. salpi is a good player though and has been a ethniki regular in this campaign. the problem is otto will probably take at leat 5 striker. remember in the euro 04 we had 4, so a sixth striker could be too much. i think otto will keep him on though. since he can help on the wings as well.

possible replacements:

papastathopoulos- young but somewhat experienced defender. played a great u-19 euro. if he has agood season could make the team as a player for the future in case kapsis is dropped.

dimoutsos- could be an optiuon in the offensive midfield. besides karagounis and stelios we dont have any one there. we will have to wait how he develops but could be another option.

ninis- at the moment he is injured. considered the wonder kid of greek football. could make sense to take him along like the english took owen to the world cup 98 to get his feet wet. due to the injury perhaps its better to be more cautious with his fast career.

lagos- the player we lack on the left side. injury plagued. lets hope he has a great season so otto can consider him again.

third keeper...

players otto wont call up although they could help the ethniki:

stoltidis, eleftheropoulos, tavlaridis

who else deserves a chance? who would you take?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 168
  • Created
  • Last Reply

would be cool if they take ninis to get his first taste ad to showcase our countries young talent like england with owen, walcott, portugal with ronaldo and switzerland with whats his name...

the current team probably wont change...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing for sure is that Chalkias is the number one keeper at the moment.

Sure he didn't get a lot of work in Istanbul but a 1-0 shutout in a crucial game is still a shutout.

I would also like to see one or two younger players added to the team even they only ride the bench. That experience of being in a tourney like that will pay dividends down the road.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing for sure is that Chalkias is the number one keeper at the moment.

Sure he didn't get a lot of work in Istanbul but a 1-0 shutout in a crucial game is still a shutout.

I would also like to see one or two younger players added to the team even they only ride the bench. That experience of being in a tourney like that will pay dividends down the road.

riding ninis or papathasopoulos on the bench is alot better than riding kapsis.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing for sure is that Chalkias is the number one keeper at the moment.

Sure he didn't get a lot of work in Istanbul but a 1-0 shutout in a crucial game is still a shutout.

I would also like to see one or two younger players added to the team even they only ride the bench. That experience of being in a tourney like that will pay dividends down the road.

riding ninis or papathasopoulos on the bench is alot better than riding kapsis.
agreed
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like the 23 mentioned above with just a few changes which you also mentioned

Kotsolis in as #3 keeper - I think good old Kapsis has seen his last days - with Goumas, Patsa, Vyntra and Antzas - that is 4 defenders on the bench, and Otto has gone to each of these players ahead of Kapsis in the last few months

I think Salpigidis will be replaced by Papadopoulos, who will have a better season and is more versatile than his teamate

I love the young guys but I think for Otto that Spyropoulos, Toro, Tsiolis and Samaras are young enough

Plus Otto is king of loyalty and the u-19 and u-21 players have not contributed to the ethnikis run - so I dont see him taking them

That said I think that Otto would call on Lagos, he did before his injuries, if so Papadopoulos will stay home in my opinion

Now I bet injuries play some role in the selection - but sometimes that works out ok - look at Kapsis in Euro he Wally-Pipped Dabizas and the rest is history

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice topic.

I agree with your thoughts aekrossoponti. Good observations and analysis on the players.

In Euro04 Otto took 23 players. Maybe a comparison of who is still here and who is new would be helpful (disclamer: my Euro 2008 is still speculative)

Goalkeepers

Euro 2004: Nikopolidis, Chalkias, Katergianakis

Euro 2008: Nikopolidis, Chalkias, ?

Nikopolidis said he will retire after this season, but he will likely stay for the Euro games. He will probably be a substitute to Chalkias who is capable, and has been steady recently. Who will be the third keeper? Sifakis? Kotsolis? (what ever happened to Katergianakis?)

Defenders

Euro 2004: Dellas, Goumas, Seitaridis, Fyssas, Dabizas, Venetidis, Kapsis (Kyriakos was injured)

Euro 2008: Dellas, Goumas, Seitaridis, Kyriakos, Antzas, Patsatzoglou, Torosidis, Spyropoulos.

Dellas will stay but will probably see little play. I can see our defense settling to Giourkas, Antzas, Kyriakos, Torosidis. I hope Spyropoulos can work into the LB position, but it's highly unlikely as of now. Patsatzoglou and Torosidis can also play well in midfield. It looks like our defense is set for now.

Midfielders

Euro 2004: Katsouranis, Basinas, Zagorakis, Kafes, Lakis, Tsartas, Georgiadis, Giannakopoulos, Karagounis

Euro 2008: Katsouranis, Basinas, Giannakopoulos, Karagounis, Tziolis

It looks like Otto is settling for a lean midfield with up to three players being consistent starters. Here we can count on Torosidis, Antzas, and Patsatzoglou to contribute. Also, Lyberopoulos, Amanatidis, Charisteas, and even Samaras have been contributing in the midfield in the usual 4-3-3 formation.

Basinas, Katsouranis, and Karagounis will probably be starters.

One word about Antzas. I was as sceptical as anyone else to see him start as DM against Turkey, but he was perfect. Otto likes his DM to act as a sweeper in front of the stoppers, and either Katsouranis, Antzas, or Patsatzoglou can play this role with different strengths. Katsouranis and Patsatzoglou are good at moving forward and Antzas adds height and strength against strong offensive teams and set pieces. In reality, against Turkey he played as a third CB most of the time.

Forwards

Euro 2004: Papadopoulos, Vrizas, Charisteas, Nikolaidis

Euro 2008: Charisteas, Samaras, Gekas, Amanatidis, Salpigidis, Lyberopoulos.

This group has been completely re-built for the better since last Euro. I think Samaras, Gekas, and Amanatidis will be the starters if they continue to play at a high level in the next few months. Charisteas and Lybe will see a lot of playing time as well.

The Euro 2008 team will have more than 50% new players (I count only 10 of the champs who will be there in 08).

I would like to see a few of the youth team players like Papastathopoulos, Ninis, and Dimoutsos to be with the team next summer so we can prepare the next generation of players for high level play.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@loup:

you bring up a player i forgot with papadopoulos. otto seems to prefer salpigidis at the moment which really surprises me as papadopoulos was in the euro squad.

in any case i agree that taking papadopoulos will mean dropping salpigidis. i think thats a tough decision since both players are similar. i do rate salpigidis very highly but i also think papadopoulos is the better player. the problem is a t times he seems like a total no-show. which to be honest was the case with gekas as well in the ethniki and now he is a starter.

what is obvious though is the depth we have in our attack.

given ottos sympathy for the 4-3-3 acually taking 6 (!!!) strikers to the euro is not to be ruled out though.

lagos seems to be the great greek hope but we will have to wait if and how he returns. if he regains his form i agree with you to nominate him. i would probably drop tziolis to fit lagos. as we have enough defensive midfielders available.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@ aek66: nice lineup...too bad it will never become a reality with otto.

regarding ninis, my concern is he may need some rest in the summer. the kid played most of last years season, took part in the u-19 euro and is injured now. he could ve had too many games too quick. so my gut feeling leans towards letting the young boy rest in the summer. still it will all depend on how he returns afterhis injury. but i am against ninis being burnt out before he reaches 20.

having said what are your views on dimoutsos, who plays well with pao at the moment. could he be euro material for otto?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@ cyberfish:

i believe your squad will be pretty close to the actual one. the positive thing is, you still have two slots to fill.

katergiannakis was with iraklis last season. but from then on i lost his trail.

would anyone take vyntra along?

i think vyntra is somewhat underrated. he is actually a good player but tends to make stupid mistakes at times. it was very interesting to see the keen interest hertha berlin had in his metagraphi. in terms of fullbacks though with giourkas and patsa on the right and toro and spyropoulos on the left we are probably complete. unless we use toro in defensive midfield :tup: and start spyropoulos. in this case vyntra would be the ideal backup for spyropoulos on the left side. so the pro of taking vyntra is that he will add depth to the squad. the cons would be that he takes a spot of somebody who could actually contribute. perhaps otto nominates him so in case patsa has a relapse he will have another right fullback. you never know with poor patsas luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@ cyberfish:

i believe your squad will be pretty close to the actual one. the positive thing is, you still have two slots to fill.

katergiannakis was with iraklis last season. but from then on i lost his trail.

would anyone take vyntra along?

i think vyntra is somewhat underrated. he is actually a good player but tends to make stupid mistakes at times. it was very interesting to see the keen interest hertha berlin had in his metagraphi. in terms of fullbacks though with giourkas and patsa on the right and toro and spyropoulos on the left we are probably complete. unless we use toro in defensive midfield :tup: and start spyropoulos. in this case vyntra would be the ideal backup for spyropoulos on the left side. so the pro of taking vyntra is that he will add depth to the squad. the cons would be that he takes a spot of somebody who could actually contribute. perhaps otto nominates him so in case patsa has a relapse he will have another right fullback. you never know with poor patsas luck.

As a Pao fan I have watched Vintra for the past three years. I have said my opinion before, that the kid has the prototypical body, combining good strenght and speed for a full back, but he lacks the fundamentals. Every year he has regressed and he lucks confidence to play at a high level. That's my opinion of him. He does have one or two good games per year in him, but he also has 10 absolutely horrible games as well.

I think Otto will take him to Euro though. One think I admire about Otto is his persistence and loyalty to his players. I think he has picked the squad already, and it's unlikely we will see any radical additions unless there are injuries.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i never understood why pao has not tried to have vyntra and morris switch positions. morris lacks height which isn't a negative concerning a right fullback, but it can be catastrophic if you're a centerback.

we've seen seriegi the spaniard, have his moments at centerback in his brief pao career. vyntra is still young enough to make such a change.

Your observations are spot-on.

Pao tried this several times in the past. I think Vintra was a CB when we bought him from Paneliakos, and has played CB occasionally with PAO. However, he gets so anxious when he is isolated with a forward, and he makes so many fundamental mistakes during a game that no coach can trust him in this position. He would probably be good as a Libero but no one uses a Libero any longer. He has even played a couple of games as DM, and as a RM. The experiment was never repeated, and there is much more competition for these positions any way.

As for Morris, he has played as RB several times and I thought he was excellent. However, he had one horrible game in Europe (I can't remember against what team) as a RB, and since then he has not played again there. I think he has made it clear that he does not like to play as a fullback.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, my own thoughts align with ours AEK66. I think Morris would make an excellent RB, but I think Vintra would benefit from a change in scenery and team. He has the prototypical body for a modern football player, and it seems like he works hard. He just can't gel with PAO for some reason.

As far as the NT is concerned though, there is enough talent at both RB and CB to keep Vintra at the depths of the bench for now. I think Seitaridis, Patsatzoglou, and Torosidis are excellent choices there.

I think the biggest problem for our NT is the lack of left footed players. Someone at another forum mentioned how it's a handicap to play right footed players on the left and I agree. I hope Spyropoulos gets to play there, because it's more important for a LB to be left-footed than a LM. A LB would always need to tackle with their left foot, and always attack wide, where a LM has the option to merge inwards.

I saw Spyropoulos against Olympiakos this Sunday and he looked like a good player, but he had major problems with Galleti, so maybe Otto sees that he needs a little more time to develop.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

aekrossoponti - i didn't respond concerning dimoutsos. as far as euro material, yes, i believe so. not now. i think kone is has been given a better opportunity to shine and show his offensive skills. not that this is an issue, but i think both a definate future euro material. the greek side hurts at wide attacking midfield & forward, do you think dimoutsos or kone can help the side right now? to me, this is why ninis & lagos are very important.

well dimoutsos does play on paos right side in ninis position and from what i followed was pretty good. i think he has showed more to date than kone to be honest...

still i would prefer ninis over dimoutsos but there is just one point that prevents me. ninis is 2 years younger than dimoutsos and played most of paos last season, played the u-19 euro in the summer and at the moment is INJURED. to me this all the ingriedients of young players burn out. so i would say let the kid return (lets see when he does) and perhaps have a summers rest.

as far as lagos is concerned, to me he can make the greek squad significantly stronger.lets hope he returns and otto takes him along.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

regarding vyntra i was just curious about your views. i dont have a real opinion as i havent followed his career close enough. i heard that he is a good player and had the impression at first. i still remember him shutting down ronaldinho.l nut also remember how he denied himself applause for a great performance against a french side by commiting a silly penalty in the dying seconds of uefa cup game. he seems to have many highs and lows.

still the fact that hertha berlin really wanted this guy and even offered 1.75 million to pao impressed me. the deal fell through because pao were not able to find an adequate replacement for vyntra. so, there has to be something about vyntra that eludes me.

in ottos mind vyntra won have a chance at right fullback postion because ottos choices here are giourkas and patsa. vyntra seems ottos left side fullback alternative whom he prefers over spyropoulos. i just thought perhaps fielding vyntra on the left side could move torosidis into midfield which is a move i am greatly in favor of. i agree though that spyropoulos would definitely be the better choice at leftback but otto showed me he prefers vyntra over spyropoulos.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Don't need to worry about which players will go to Euro 2008. It will be the same as those who beat Turkey, minus those who will announce retirement.

We should expect Lagos back, as Otto trusted him before, and maybe spyropoulos on the bench. If Otto likes you, he will remember and you and give you a chance. Otherwise you are out, for good.

Don't expect Tavlaridis, Eleftheropoulos, etc. If there is a crisis during the qualifaction campaign for 2010 World Cup then there may be one or 2 changes, otherwise it will be the same players.

And yes, Otto wants to win the last 2 games to get us to the first group for World Cup 2010 draw. In that case, expect that he will continue to coach our NT after the end of Euro 2008, as he will be in a very advantageous position (unless there is a humiliation during Euro 2008...). It will be fantastic to be in the first draw group in the second competition on a row!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 man squad for Greece

GOALKEEPERS: Nikopolidis. Chalkias, Sfirakis

DEFENDERS: Dellas, Seitaridis, Kyrgiakos, Antzas, Patsazoglou, Torosidis, Spyropoulos, Goumas

MIDFIELDERS: Giannakopoulos, Tziolis, Karagounis, Katsouranis, Basnias, Ninis

FORWARDS: Samaras, Lyberopoulos, Gekas, Charisteas, Amanatidis, Mitroglou

:tup: :gr: :gr: :gr:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with Aek66. Perhaps we have a few friendles to also test a couple of new players in positions that we need strengthening (especially if any current player gets injured or retires), but I expect most friendlies to be tactical tests of the same squad, rather than tests of new players that were not called during the qualification campaign.

Otto will do exactly what he did last time around: will call the same players he used when qualified for 2004. I hope he gets the same results!!!

:gr: :gr: :gr:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My 23 man squad for the Euro 2008:

GOALKEEPERS: Chalkias, Nikopolidis, Kotsolis. Alternates: Sifakis, Ambaris.

DEFENDERS: Dellas, Seitaridis, Kyrgiakos, Antzas, Patsazoglou, Torosidis, Spyropoulos, Goumas

Alternates: Papathaspoulos, Av. Papadopoulos, Tavlaridis.

MIDFIELDERS: Giannakopoulos, Lagos, Karagounis, Katsouranis, Basinas, Ninis

Alternates: Tzolis, Dimoutsos, ???

FORWARDS: Salpingidis, Lyberopoulos, Gekas, Charisteas, Amanatidis, Samaras,

Alternates: Mitroglou, Papadopoulos, ??? Machlas, are u serious? lol

:D :gr: :gr: :gr:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i would like to see otto play these schemes in friendlies leading up to the euro.

----------------------------------------4-3-3-------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------chalkias-----------------------------------------------

torosidis-----------------------seitaridis-------kyrgiakos---------------------spyropoulos

-------------------------katsouranis-----basinas----karagounis---------------------------

stelios-------------------------------gekas--------------------------------------amanatidis

or, a 4-4-2 if lagos and ninis play inspired football:

--------------------------------------chalkias------------------------------------------------

torosidis-----------------seitaridis-------------kyrgiakos---------------------spyropoulos

stelios (ninis)--------------katsouranis-------karagounis----------------------------lagos

-------------------------------gekas---------amanatidis (samaras)------------------------

or, otto's comfortable 5-3-2:

--------------------------------------chalkias------------------------------------------------

-------------------------seitaridis-----dellas-----kyrgiakos---------------------------------

torosidis------------------------------------------------------------------------spyropoulos

---------------------------katsouranis----basinas----karagounis--------------------------

-----------------------------gekas-------------amanatidis (samaras)----------------------

i think these are greece's best options with the current talent pool, unless someone has a fantastic season and screams for a call-up. of course - i'm basing my 4-4-2 if ninis and lagos continue to impress and stay injury-free and stelios & samaras do get some match fitness.

for friendlies heading upto the euro i really like the second one and it will give alota young players tryouts
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everyone's choices are very interesting; but are they realistic? I don't see where Ninis and Mitroglou came from; I sincerely doubt Rehhagel will call them up, considering they did not take part in the qualification effort. Unless some tragedy befalls the current squad, there won't be much of a change. I foresee the following for Euro 2008 (a slight modification of darkhorse's choices).

23 man squad for Greece

GOALKEEPERS: Nikopolidis. Chalkias, Sifakis

DEFENDERS: Dellas, Seitaridis, Kyrgiakos, Antzas, Patsazoglou, Torosidis, Spyropoulos, Goumas

MIDFIELDERS: Giannakopoulos, Tziolis, Karagounis, Katsouranis, Basinas

FORWARDS: Samaras, Lyberopoulos, Gekas, Charisteas, Amanatidis, Salpingidis, Mantzios

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My 23 man squad for the Euro 2008:

GOALKEEPERS: Chalkias, Nikopolidis, Kotsolis. Alternates: Sifakis, Ambaris.

DEFENDERS: Dellas, Seitaridis, Kyrgiakos, Antzas, Patsazoglou, Torosidis, Spyropoulos, Goumas

Alternates: Papathaspoulos, Av. Papadopoulos, Tavlaridis.

MIDFIELDERS: Giannakopoulos, Lagos, Karagounis, Katsouranis, Basinas, Ninis

Alternates: Tzolis, Dimoutsos, ???

FORWARDS: Salpingidis, Lymberopoulos, Gekas, Charisteas, Amanatidis, Samaras,

Alternates: Mitroglou, Papadopoulos, ??? Machlas, are u serious? lol

Seeing as I can't fix this post (for whatever reason): I might as well explain my reasoning (mainly not being able to think of anyone else) for considering Machlas should we have major injury problems ahead of Euro 2008:

1. Leads Cypriot league in scoring (currently on 8 goals).

2. He's played on the Ethniki under Rehaggel before. There's no bad blood btw. him and Otto I think.

3. Otto calls Kapsis (same team, same league).

4. With experience he has, could be veteran mentor/leader to younger strikers.

Longshot really. I doubt he'll get called. God help us if he does. He's had an outstanding career though either way. Any other ideas for longshot/alternate strikers (mitroglou, mantzios, and pap)?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...