Suggested Call Ups, Starting 11

[nick]

I don't think I've ever seen mitroglou and karelis have any type of chemistry. I love the idea of fortounis and mentalos both in. Maniatis is probably our best option as CDM at the moment. Tachtsidis has been given numerous shots and has been a huge dud.

[Original Sydney]

Give them some time and hopefully the chemistry can improve under Skibbe, he has a big job but going by last night he is on the right path. With Manolas to go into the backline, throw Fortounis in at #10 (as he is much more creative than Bakasetas who is also young) and then Karelis and Mitroglou upfront and we are a strong side.

 

BUT they need to have this attitude all the time, not every 5 games. If they put all the s%$#! aside, focus on their football and work as a unit then we can make it to Russia

[PAOKSYD]

For me the gains were mandalos and bakasetas. With good seasons at aek and moves abroad both can become aolid players for national team. Stafyllidis needs to put work in and can become a decen tplayer too.

Lazaros , tactsidis, papazoglou, giannotas need to worry about making as much money as they can for retirement cause there all notup to it

[Original Sydney]

I agree PAOKSYD the young guys came in and showed hunger and why they were picked, which is something we haven't been able to say about our players in a long time, so credit to them. Mandalos took the goal well but lets not forget he worked very hard in a position he hasn't played very much (right midfield) so credit to him. Bakasetas did well also but feel as a 10 he should be looking more for the ball or playing off Vellios a lot more as there were times Vellios had it and no one was around him but these are small issues that can easily be fixed.

 

Staf did good at LB also, not fantastic but he gets his job done and I give credit to Holevas, I can be his harshest critic as he left a sour taste in my mouth after Euro 2012 but that left mid role he played he did it well and almost got a goal out of it.

 

So there are some good things to take out from last nights game and surely this can give them belief.

 

Also said it earlier but add Manolas, Fortounis, Karelis and also Mr Mykonos and we can be a threat to many teams.

[Akritis_1944]

Paoksyd, I agree with you aside from Gianniotas and Tachtsidis.

I thought they were the better players in Sydney and they definitely have a role provided to that they are playing regularly and are improving.

[georgelaz]

Also said it earlier but add Manolas, Fortounis, Karelis and also Mr Mykonos and we can be a threat to many teams.

 

Mr. Mykonos XD dead lol.

 

With Holevas on LW that'd be a good feeder for him. They have great chemistry.

Edited June 8, 2016 by georgelaz

[PAOKSYD]

Mr mykonos lolol

Edited June 8, 2016 by PAOKSYD

[Rockafeller Skank]

Bakasetas scored and gave more assists than Vellios this season - and he is younger and he has played the Europa cup unlike Vellios. I would be slow to cut out marbles blocks for Vellios's statues just yet. 

 

I would give Bakasetas 2 games starting as a pure striker and we have already seen Vellios vs Australia in that role. 

 

As for Tziolis, there is nothing he can offer our team - only the opponents. Kourbelis and Bouxalakis deserve his spot behind Samaris who should be a starter every game he is fit..

 

Bakasetas played in a decent team his season , full of players who eventually got attention from bigger teams , like Siopis. Ansarifard , Boumal and Chatziisaias. Its pretty easier to appear more , when the whole squad is levels higher. Vellios has had interest from Everton , I dont think he could be a flop with correct guidance in his career.

[Rockafeller Skank]

OH if that team above can have the same attitude like last night and show the same heart then they can achieve a lot. Lets not forget this team can stay together for atleast 2-3 tournaments also so lets hope it falls into place for them as there is massive talent in the 11 and also on the bench

 

They cant stay for 3 tournaments together. that is a 6 year gap from 2018 and thats IF we qualify :P. this team I mentioned has a 3-4 years lifespan and then new ones are going to be needed.

[ausgreek]

With a couple more friendlie to try more systems, the squad is shaping up nicely with Samaris making DM position his own. Maniati showed he has more skill than we gave him credit for. The midfield had to eventually come together so the whole team works. The first match vs Cyprus might look like this;

 

Karnezis/Kapino

Torosidis ©   Manolas Sokratis (vc)  Cholevas

Samaris (future c)  Maniatis

Fortounis  Mantalos  Karelis

Mitroglou

 

Vellios Papazoglou

Kone  Fetfatzidis  Bakasetas

Petsos  Tachtsidis

Kyriakos Stafylidis  Tzavellas

Kapino/Karnezis  Vellidis

 

 

[ausgreek]

More importantly the team looks to have a good bond and that being the case, could well translate into wins, and good teams make their own luck. Maniati looked ahead, launched and it went straight. That hopefully has gone a fair way toward transforming the team's morale. Not long ago there was infighting.

[J1078]

^How does the team look like it has a good bond? Based on what? One win? The win we got was with 80% of our starters not even playing, so how is that a good bond? When was the last time you've seen a squad that will resemble a line up at the WQ and you said they look like they have chemistry?

[ausgreek]

Their passes were hitting the mark, they looked like a happy side and their teams structure looked a class in game two. They upped the ante to bustle the Australian team. I hope they can do this against even better opposition in the qualifiers.

[ausgreek]

Man, the 'Afgan' just launched and it hit the mark. The players looked like they were doing their best and having fun at the same time. I honestly feel Skibbe has created a good atmosphere.

Bring on the Netherlands game. I really wonder If Fortounis would of scored that exact goal that Mantalos scored in Melbourne, with the same flair? Does he walk back in as AM? That goal had world class written all over it.

Edited June 10, 2016 by ausgreek

[Dean97]

Fortounis would have destroyed Australia he is a type player who is ambitious and started become a real playmaker for our side. His finishing is above Mantalos even though it was a good finish by Mantalos.

[ausgreek]

Can I get this out there then, if our wingers are say, Mantalos and Pelkas, do we lack in physicality, even though they have alot of speed? Bakasetas looks likely, although he lacks experience, he seems thicker set. Laz had mentioned in the past about Fortouni's great ability to pass back inside from the wing. Are we served better with a midfield of Bakasetas/Kone  Mantalos Fortounis?

[J1078]

^Aus I love your optimism but it wasn't even our main players that played that game, and to be honest since Skibbe has taken over we still haven't seen a game played with our most likely starters. We don't need to build a chemistry with guys that aren't going to play we need to do it with our main starters because unfortunately they lack chemistry together. Skibbe did a good job in the last game but I'm Afraid he has wasted way to many friendlies experimenting instead of building a system with the players we know are going to be our starters. That concerns me a lot. Time and friendlies have been wasted with tinkering when it should have been practice and and adapting to the style he wants us to play.

[ausgreek]

Big name players usually trot out the family reasons excuse, to get out of playing June friendlies. It's almost impossible for a coach, so he tries different systems to expand the talent pool.

[J1078]

^ I get that, but as you know the way our players have played they don't deserve time off from the NT at all. We can't afford it.

[Dean97]

That's true but we had our full team against Montenegro except one and that was Kpapadopoulos. I see what ur saying we need more practice with our main starters.

Edited June 10, 2016 by Dean97

[ausgreek]

Perhaps Ethniki is best served then with Mantalos as AM, and a roving Fortounis as a right winger.. Who goes left, Cholevas, Pelkas, Bakasetas, Karelis or Kone? At least the big  name players that missed these matches will be available for Ned and Russia matches. That should be good preparation for them, on top of these. Is KPaps available as noboby in the world really knows?

Mantalos's goal was so quick, he struck like a leopard. That quality is something fierce. 

Edited June 11, 2016 by ausgreek

[Dean97]

Yeah but I think Fortounis is better thats my opinion. Mantalos should be 2nd choice. Fortounis is heaps better centrally.

Edited June 11, 2016 by Dean97

[ausgreek]

Watching these Euro 16 highlights makes me think what if. Still shits me this rebuild had to happen right on the Euro qualifiers.

[paokarag4]

In international football, there is never a good time for a rebuild. You are constantly playing qualifiers between major tournaments. It does suck watching a major tournament, but I think that the younger generation (myself included) have not really experienced international football without Greece present. World cup 2006 is the only realy tourney I watched without us present, Euro 2000 I was only 6 and can't recall a thing. World cup 2002 i was starting to follow football but I had no idea about the qualifying proccess and all that, so I just watched and cheered against Turkey. Then at 10 (Still not fully into football and having no real knowledge of qualifying) Greece goes and wins the Euro. Myself along with a whole generation of young Greeks, (especially overseas) think oh s%$#! Greece must be a gun team. Not fully apperciating where the ethniki had come from and having no real knowledge of our minimal and poor history in major tournaments. 

The point is, any dip in form at NT level is gonna result in you missing a tournament, especially one as bad that we have experienced over the last 2 years. 

[ausgreek]

Ellas you fellow patriotic individual super thirio, I have these Be-In sports channels, and I'm watching Hungary, Check Rep  Italy etc and I'm thinking where is Mantalo banging in a goal like the one he did the other night so we can jump out of the chair?