The Preliminary Squad for the Euro 08

[DUDE]

i think it all comes down to this 28 player squad.

Goalkeepers

Nikopolidis

Chalkias

kotsolis/michailidis

Defenders

Dellas

Kiriakos

Antzas

Goumas

kapsis

papastathopoulos

a. papadopoulos

Toro

Spyropoulos

Lagos

Giourkas

Patsa

Vyntra

Midfielders

Basinas

Katsouranis

Karagounis

Tziolis

Stelios

Makos

Strikers

Charisteas

Gekas

Lympe

Amanatidis

Samaras

Salpi

i would hope otto drops kapsis. we wouldnt really need vyntra as well. probably makos wont be included in the final 23.

which leaves us at 25 players. since i don t see otto taking both a.papadopoulos and papastathopoulos, i would hope he at least take the aek kid along. so we are at 24 players. of course dropping antzas or goumas could be a possibility but they are somewhat proven especially goumas and experienced. i think i d rather drop antzas instead of goumas. but id be surprised if otto does especially after the turkey game.

this should mean otto will have to drop either stelios or lagos or leave either salpi, lympe or samaras at home to complete his 23. in that case perhaps its wisest to drop stelios. i am unsure whether lagos is ready. but stelios seems to have little left to offer. otto on the other hand always loved stelios but as of late even he gave him little playing time. maybe a hint of a farewell?

your views?

He won't drop Stelios, Salpi and Samaras re file. I think your squad, but either Salpi or Stelios for Goumas, and Samaras for Tziolis will be Otto's choice.

[AEK-MTL]

picking only from the players that otto called up for cyprus tournament:

nikopolidis - chalkias - undecided - kotsolis, i guess

seitaridis - dellas - torosidis - kyrgiakos - spyropoulos - papastathopoulos - a. papdopoulos

basinas - katsouranis - karagounis - lagos - christodoulopoulos - makos - tziolis

amanatidis - gekas - charisteas - samaras - lymberopoulos - salpiggidis

I agree with your selections for goalkeepers and forwards. However, I prefer Goumas over A. Papadopoulos in defense, simply for the experience factor (plus I think he's better than Antzas).

In midfield, I'd drop Makos and Christodoulopoulos (these guys aren't ready yet IMO). I think Stelio still has his spot, as does Patsa (Patsa as a RM would make a good option coming off the bench). Lagos is another question mark for me. Again, if Otto does take him, I think it would only be as a sub.

OK, time for a game of fantasy formation! If Lagos can re-discover his pre-AEK form, he might make a good LM. Heck, put Spyropoulos as LB and Torosidis as RM and you've got yourself a flying 4-4-2:

--------------------------------------Nikopolidis---------------------------------------------

Seitaridis----------------Kyriakos-----------------Dellas--------------------Spyropoulos

Torosidis----------------Basinas-------------------Katsouranis----------------------Lagos

----------------------------Gekas-----------------Amanatidis-------------------------------

And now, back to reality...

[Guest TheLegend]

picking only from the players that otto called up for cyprus tournament:

nikopolidis - chalkias - undecided - kotsolis, i guess

seitaridis - dellas - torosidis - kyrgiakos - spyropoulos - papastathopoulos - a. papdopoulos

basinas - katsouranis - karagounis - lagos - christodoulopoulos - makos - tziolis

amanatidis - gekas - charisteas - samaras - lymberopoulos - salpiggidis

I agree with your selections for goalkeepers and forwards. However, I prefer Goumas over A. Papadopoulos in defense, simply for the experience factor (plus I think he's better than Antzas).

In midfield, I'd drop Makos and Christodoulopoulos (these guys aren't ready yet IMO). I think Stelio still has his spot, as does Patsa (Patsa as a RM would make a good option coming off the bench). Lagos is another question mark for me. Again, if Otto does take him, I think it would only be as a sub.

OK, time for a game of fantasy formation! If Lagos can re-discover his pre-AEK form, he might make a good LM. Heck, put Spyropoulos as LB and Torosidis as RM and you've got yourself a flying 4-4-2:

--------------------------------------Nikopolidis---------------------------------------------

Seitaridis----------------Kyriakos-----------------Dellas--------------------Spyropoulos

Torosidis----------------Basinas-------------------Katsouranis----------------------Lagos

----------------------------Gekas-----------------Amanatidis-------------------------------

And now, back to reality...

Yea back to reality.... Dellas can not play anymore... only on the bench.....He is a nutmeg dummy and gets burnt by players from the caliber of Norway's to the caliber of Moldova's... Antzas Kyriakos is the best at back they both have been playing well lately. Goumas to start? What?!??

[pao123]

kyriakos is a definite but im not sure about anztas...i dont feel 100% comfortable wth him in the back line...dellas on the other hand has great expeiernce but has definitly lost speed and agility..i think its a throw up between the two though with otto selecting dellas..

[Guest TheLegend]

exepreience matters up to a certain degree though. If he cant catch up with any players and players pass him like nothing in the SuperLeague he cant compete in Euro2008 as a starter. Especialy if we are serious about winning it again.

[IRAKLIS]

I belive the 28 man squad may look somthing like this, I dont think that this is the best squad however these are the players I predict otto to bring.

Goalies-

Nikopolidis

Chalkias

Kotsolis

Defenders

Dellas

Kyriakos

Seitaridis

Torosidis

Patsazoglou

Antzas

Goumas

Spyropoulos

Vyntra

Kapsis

Midfielders

Karagounis

Basinas

Katsouranis

Tziolis

Giannakopoulos

Kafes

Lagos

Strikers

Charisteas

Samaras

Gekkas

Amanatidis

Lyberopoulos

Salpiggidis

Papadopoulos

[cyberfish]

I like both the AEKtzides lineups.

I'll trhow mine in the mix since I find nothing more fun than football tactics :D

this is what I think will happen this EURO 2008 and it will find me in agreement:

------------------Nikopolidis------------------ ////// Halkias, Kotsolis

Seitaridis--Antzas--Kyriakos--Spyropoulos ///// Vintra, Delas, Goumas, Patsatzoglou

---Basinas--Katsouranis--Karagounis------ ///// Torosidis, Tziolis

------------------Samaras-------------------- //// Lyberopoulos, Giannakopoulos (on the wings)

------------Charisteas--Gekas--------------- ///// Salpigidis, Amanatidis

I am leaving out Patsatzogou, A. Papadopoulos, Lagos, Kafes, Makos, Melisis, Christodoulopoulos, Papadopoulos.

This is my thinking:

We are not going to this EURO to burn the nets. The old recipe should work again, except I hope we score with a little more ease.

I am looking at our strenths and weaknesses based on players in certain positions.

Weaknesses:

1 - We don't have any wingers that can win us games

2 - We don't have the creative midfielders that can win us games

Strenghts:

1 - Center backs

2 - Defensive backs

We are going there to frustrate the opponents in midfield, to control the ball as much as possible in midfield, and to pick our moments with our attack. Above all, we want to be efficient.

It all starts with a clean sheet behind, and it ends with a little goal up front. We've done it before, we can do it again.

I would focus on our strength which is what I call "the box" (don't google it, I am the only one calling it that :P ). The two CBs, and the area in front of them usually occupied by two DMs, in my case, and I learned this trick from Otto, I would put three of them in front of the CBs. They are all good ball handlers and tenacious when defending. They can be a great buffer for our defense and can cary the ball forward easily either with passes or epic runs. I chose Karagounis over Torosidis for the third DM because his antics and spirit can turn a game around.

I like to give Samaras space and let him be creative as an SS. He can hold the ball to allow the rest of the midfielders to advance, he can pass, he can penetrate, and hopefully he can score. Maybe I am over ambitious with him there, but if he can't do it, I am sure Lyberopoulos can, albeit at a slower pace.

I can't see us playing any games without an "air" threat. Charisteas is the only one so he gets the one spot by default. He is a hard worker, and he is not as bad as people think he is. Gekas is a lock for the other position, so we are all set.

Let's play ball :gr:

PS. I almost forgot. Some of the other players that were left out, will have a chance to shine in the next big competition when some of the current squad will retire. Besides, I don't see them as that much better.

[AEK-MTL]

picking only from the players that otto called up for cyprus tournament:

nikopolidis - chalkias - undecided - kotsolis, i guess

seitaridis - dellas - torosidis - kyrgiakos - spyropoulos - papastathopoulos - a. papdopoulos

basinas - katsouranis - karagounis - lagos - christodoulopoulos - makos - tziolis

amanatidis - gekas - charisteas - samaras - lymberopoulos - salpiggidis

I agree with your selections for goalkeepers and forwards. However, I prefer Goumas over A. Papadopoulos in defense, simply for the experience factor (plus I think he's better than Antzas).

In midfield, I'd drop Makos and Christodoulopoulos (these guys aren't ready yet IMO). I think Stelio still has his spot, as does Patsa (Patsa as a RM would make a good option coming off the bench). Lagos is another question mark for me. Again, if Otto does take him, I think it would only be as a sub.

OK, time for a game of fantasy formation! If Lagos can re-discover his pre-AEK form, he might make a good LM. Heck, put Spyropoulos as LB and Torosidis as RM and you've got yourself a flying 4-4-2:

--------------------------------------Nikopolidis---------------------------------------------

Seitaridis----------------Kyriakos-----------------Dellas--------------------Spyropoulos

Torosidis----------------Basinas-------------------Katsouranis----------------------Lagos

----------------------------Gekas-----------------Amanatidis-------------------------------

And now, back to reality...

Yea back to reality.... Dellas can not play anymore... only on the bench.....He is a nutmeg dummy and gets burnt by players from the caliber of Norway's to the caliber of Moldova's... Antzas Kyriakos is the best at back they both have been playing well lately. Goumas to start? What?!??

Dellas cannot play anymore? And what, Paraskevas "he of the many gaffes" Antzas is any better? Spare me. If you want the truth, I think Dellas is on his way out. He is old and slow and it wouldn't surprise me to see him get burnt by a speedy Swede or Russian player. That being said, once Dellas is fully healthy, Otto will start him. And I never said Goumas should start. Only that he'd make a capable back-up at the CB position (in the event Kyriakos or Dellas are suspended/injured). This is assuming that Otto goes with 4 defenders.

If Otto goes with 5 defenders, then it's a whole other story and Antzas will likely get a start (though again, I still think Goumas is more reliable).

[athinaios]

It's too late for Euro 08, but Malarz should be the next goalkeeper for the NT. He's a great talent, originally from Poland but he hasn't played for them, and wants to for the Greek team. I think it's a great option. Nikopolidis is getting old, and gosh, Halkias is not good enough. Today he coped 3 agaisnt PAOK. Very unstable.

The Greek NT's strength is its defense and a great keeper anchors it.

[cyberfish]

It's too late for Euro 08, but Malarz should be the next goalkeeper for the NT. He's a great talent, originally from Poland but he hasn't played for them, and wants to for the Greek team. I think it's a great option. Nikopolidis is getting old, and gosh, Halkias is not good enough. Today he coped 3 agaisnt PAOK. Very unstable.

The Greek NT's strength is its defense and a great keeper anchors it.

BTW, Chalkias is also up there in age. We'll need a new goalkeeper for the World cup Q next year...

[aekrossoponti]

He won't drop Stelios, Salpi and Samaras re file. I think your squad, but either Salpi or Stelios for Goumas, and Samaras for Tziolis will be Otto's choice.

i think my post was abit unclear. i meant that probably otto will have to drop one out of salpi, stelios, samaras and perhaps lympe as he doesnt have enough spots to fit everyone.

tziolis seems relatively safe. but who knows.

[aekrossoponti]

did anyone see chalkias today?

another HORRIBLE performance on the paok goals.

[aekrossoponti]

your 5-3-2 looks good, only i would switch samaras for amanatidis, and then play amanatidis with gekas. dellas is dellas...but, let's see if he's 100% fit for the euro.

my 5-3-2 hurts because i had to cater to ottos thoughts. i think a duo of samaras and amanatidis would also be a good idea up front if playing with two strikers. problem is gekas and perhaps even charisteas are also too valuable to not play. so we have 4 strikers that should play...greece starts to remind me of the netherlands in the late nineties :D

anyhow midfield is were we lack and i believe amanatdis or even samaras could provide more heat than karagounis unless the typara plays a la tourkey away. you are right in pointing out, amanatidis involvement in setting up the frankfurt offense.

what do you think of the new trend of only 1 forward?

i dont really have an educated opinion on that. my take is you need midfielders able to provide pressure and pose a threat to the opponent. we dont have them. probably katsouranis is our most dangerous midfielder in terms of getting goals. england have the likes of gerrard providing pressure from midfield. so there is mismatch there.

any greek 4-5-1 would therefore either be extremely defensive as in no offense at all or a disguised 4-3-3...

i really like AEK-MTL 4-4-2 but the big question for the day probably is karagounis again. should he start or can we afford not to start him?

[aekrossoponti]

hmmm...45 minutes of play today and christodoulopoulos has 1 goal and 1 assist.

ok, let's try to shoe-horn kafes or lymbe into the side for the euro.

you have to bring young talent, and this player should go.

let's see how christodoulopoulos and makos play in the super league - up to the portugal friendly.

his assist for the 3-0 was somethng our ethniki lacks coming from the left side and swinging a nice cross in for salmon. great move.

we will keep him on our watchlist ;)

you are right about kafes and probably lympe. but lympe did well in the ethniki games so that what holds him for me at the moment at least. but a 4-3-3 with the front three looking like this:

amanatidis...samaras/gekas...lazaros

look like modern football to me.

[Guest TheLegend]

our problem is not our fowards or defenders. we have plenty good ones... but the mid is attrocious

[paxiotis7]

what does "shoe-horn" mean?

[paxiotis7]

ya lol i guess that makes sence aek66 :P

[Guest TheLegend]

It's too late for Euro 08, but Malarz should be the next goalkeeper for the NT. He's a great talent, originally from Poland but he hasn't played for them, and wants to for the Greek team. I think it's a great option. Nikopolidis is getting old, and gosh, Halkias is not good enough. Today he coped 3 agaisnt PAOK. Very unstable.

The Greek NT's strength is its defense and a great keeper anchors it.

So Castillo shouldnt have played. Bouzanis should play and mallarz should play. hm....

Why didnt anyone want Castillo because he wasnt "greek" enough? But this guy is?

[cyberfish]

Ha ha,

shoe horn! It is a funny term. Here are a couple of quotes from the wikipedia description:

-- A shoe horn is a tool that allows the user to put on a shoe more easily

-- Shoe horns began appearing in the fifteenth century, used as a tool for disciplining women. :blink:

-- "Shoehorning" has come to mean the act of coercing or pressuring an individual into a situation which does not leave enough room, either literally or figuratively

[Akritis_1944]

what does "shoe-horn" mean?

what's a skeletor?

[athinaios]

It's too late for Euro 08, but Malarz should be the next goalkeeper for the NT.

[DUDE]

It's too late for Euro 08, but Malarz should be the next goalkeeper for the NT.

:LOL: :LOL:

We have Greek players that are good enough.

[loup]

no castillo

no malarz

yes bouzanis

Did you guys hear about that chick, a non-greek, married a Greek, wanted a Big Fat Greek Wedding, had blue and white flowers, Greek church, Greek food, walks out for her first Greek dance as a Greek woman and......paffffffffffffffffffff.........dead - true story

[MadBoy13]

malarz = malardidis (etsi ton fonazoun ston pao) :LOL:

[Guest geok]

If Goumas is a no, who should take his place?

This is the real question here