FIFA World Ranking

[Akritis_1944]

After the Finns have come out and said no to approving the next bailout for Greece, some of you here who think this financial has had so much impact on the National team should be predicting a 5-0 when we play them at home!

Am I correct? This is the logic we should follow. You know, for revenge at their government.

5-0 Greece win as payback.

[Akritis_1944]

No don't stay away. Your opinion is valid Pana97.

I too want to smash the Laplanders but my point was that isn't that extra motivation to our NT players?

If it is and they play like they have never played before then I was wrong about the impact the crisis has had on the players. Be it financial, psychological or emotional.

[La Mendel]

Samaras cant be more useful than Mavrias, Ninis, Mantalos or Athanasiadis? :lol:

[La Mendel]

You have written earlier:

 

Can you name a LB that can solve our problems in that area of the pitch? Remember, Holebas is now in Karagounis' bad book and he was hardly a better solution to our defensive woes in the position.

 

Yet you want Holebas or especially Stafylidis as left-back now.

1-0 wins: we won under Santos many matches with one goal. We can win easily with one goal, if we have a good strategy & useful players.

Error of Katsouranis against Hungary: I dont know what you mean, but I remember that against Poland he was our best performer and perhaps the best player on the pitch. If Kolovos would have been started by Markarian as was originally planned, probably we would have lose the match.

Bielsa: one of the stock answers. Why do you want especially him? He is a good trainer, but he never worked in Greece and he isnt capable of wonders (he isnt exactly a Mourinho). So why him? Chile looked for example better under Sampaoli (2014 WC, 2015 Copa Am?rica) than under Bielsa.

"We're a better team when players like Salpingidis and Maniatis are on the bench and when Kyriakos and Fetfatzidis are on the pitch[.]" We have seen in the last 10-12 months, that we arent better without Salpingidis or Maniatis. In fact, for the most part the team was horrible without the likes of Karagounis, Katsouranis, Samaras, Salpingidis, Maniatis (some of them played a couple of minutes, even under Ranieri, but more often than not they wernt on the pitch) and most of the young players you wanted proved themselves to be s%$#!.

Samaras: Karelis should have been subbed out in the 60th minute or so, after that he was practically invisible. Yes he scored a goal, and - unlike most of the youngsters - he shows now some promise. The last two sentences are farcical. Samaras cant be more useful than the likes of Mavrias, Mantalos, Kolovos, Athanasiadis? Rubbish.

[Original 21]

Samaras' career is over, dead, buried, he's playing in the Middle East, he's s%$#!.

[Torontoblue]

We wil not beat the finns with this team. Sorry. Do you think the players on the national team giver a s%$#! about the crisis?  As long as the millions are rolling in and they can take care of their families, i doubt this economic situation will motivate them. There minds will still be in Mykonos. 

 

Greece will need many years to recover from this. The Fifa rankings play a big part. When your seeded lower it makes it difficult to qualify for tournaments. Thus sliding down further in the rankings. The economic situation will also affect the kids the most. No proper infrastructure, no proper training, nutrition, coaches, it will set Greece back 20 years for sure. 

We were in the easiest group, Qualifying assured. We could have moved up in the rankings. But no. It all went backwards. If it wasn't for the economic situation i would say we will bonce back. But not now. Not for a long time.

[Dean97]

I believe both of you have good points. For me the only 2 players that are essential to the team are Sokratis and Torosidis.

 

Everyone else needs to be either replaced or not even on the team. For eg. we must have Karelis and Kyriakos on the team.

Kone and Lazaros should not play unless they pick up their form. Ninis and Fetfatzidis should play in the next game. Samaras and Salpingidis should be on the team as we have no proven striker. Players like Samaris and Manolas are the players that should make the difference in winning a match as they both of them had an outstanding season (2014-15) and both are really talented players in my opinion. Also Karnezis, but we need a keeper who plays at his best in every match no matter what team we are versing. I also think that Fortounis, Tachtsidis and Stafylidis will all have a break out season well im hoping cause these players should be the few core players in the future on the national team.

[Chris Tsamados]

Funny stuff, Wales have moved up to number 9 in the FIFA world rankings! Greece are still 44th.

 

http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/

[ausgreek]

Well, if the economy is at the forefront of the national team's problems, then the players should have more resolve in their characters. Countries like argentina, brazil, mexico and uraguay etc, with massive gang violence and poverty, can spawn superior soccer teams. No excuses for Hellas, they held on to older guys too long, flogged a dead horse, and transition was a non-event. Coaching was not of the highest calibre either.

A succession plan is so crucial in team sport, it gets you from no. 10 to no.44 if not treated seriously enough.

Politicing, therefore the EPO have a lot to answer, in particular the 85 dickheads that are being investigated for illegal activity within Greece soccer. 

Edited August 19, 2015 by ausgreek

[ausgreek]

Great insights by all, I will add, guess who doesn't trust FIFA with anything-I don't!

[georgelaz]

our ranking doesn't really matter until world cup qualifiers, I think. They seem to basically reset after 2 years

[pash]

Incorrect.

[georgelaz]

But if our world cup group is already determined. How would effect our world cup?

 

basically our world cup campaign would effect our euro 2020 group no?

[Chris Tsamados]

These rankings are utter BS did Blatter have a hand in them? The more you bung him the higher you're ranking!

Edited October 8, 2015 by Chris Tsamados

[ausgreek]

Blatter & Platini financial. Who's going to be the first, hold on , I will. I will. Put your hard earned on them for investment and growth, most countries have.    :smartass: :cw:

[Brklyngrk]

Whether we like it or not, there is no subjectivity in regards to rankings.  It is a calculated system based on points accumulated against opponents over a four year period (I believe its four years) weighted slightly more to the current period.  Every team is in the same boat.

[Dutch Eagle]

http://resources.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/r%26a-wr/52/00/97/fs-590_10e_wrpoints_english.pdf

Greece could use every point because if -AND I SAY IF- they qualify for Russia 2018 than it could just make that difference of being put in pot 2 or 3 (pot 1 are the usual contenders like Germany, Argentina and Brazil; pot 4 are mostly the Asian and African countries).

Just before WC 2018 there will be the draw for EURO 2020 with FIFA ranking as the base for seeding procedures.

[georgelaz]

We aren't in the worst company. Sandwiched between Lewandaski's Poland & Ibra's Sweden. At 44.

[J1078]

^ for now but pretty soon we will be miles behind those teams they way we are going.

[pash]

Contingent on other results, we may be rising to the high 30s (from our current ranking of 44).

[Nikitas]

we climbed 7 spots to #37.

 

http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/

[Antaeus7]

#37 is pretty respectable 

At least we're not in an undeserving spot like #8 

 

:p 

[Chris Tsamados]

Wales have now dropped to 15 and Brazil have got their old spot at 8. Makes you wonder if the rankngs are based on matches or just cash bungs to FIFA?

[georgelaz]

Rankings are a bit funny. Since France automatically qualifies for World Cup, it's kinda hard for them to gain additional points because they play few competitive matches.

[pash]

Exactly. Doesn't matter how good you think your guys are. If they don't win, they deserve to be eclipsed by countries who do. Hungary included.