What we learnt from Ethniki "new dawn"
The new era has begun under a freshly re-signed Skibbe with qualification to Euro 2020 a must.
With the two friendly matches that just took place, here are the thoughts of some of our bloggers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For me the two friendlies showed exactly what I and many other thousands can see but for Michael Skibbe, the Greek Head Coach.
We saw more of the same in Athens against Switzerland, the established core that was in particularly static in the midfield with the exception of Zeca and Donis. Fortounis' form needs to improve and Samaris needs to be given a break from the Ethniki. His passes to the sideline's a couple of times all but confirming this. Bakakis showed in both games what a fresh and young right back can do over the statesman Torosidis. Skibbe once again showed his bizarre selection when he picked 3 left backs and started a center back there instead.
The second game with Egypt saw a more in form team and players like Pelkas, Lazaros, Bakakis, Karelis, Donis and Stafylidis excelling, these guys ran into space and we were able to attack, K Papadopoulos was also mega in defense. We need to move in this direction, Tachtsidis another of the tried and tested brigade was poor, Tziolis did okay but we can do so much better.
I hope Skibbe saw what makes sense and plays these guys including Lykogiannis and Kourbelis in the friendlies in June.
We need to move on from complacency and work with the hunger and passion which we saw from the new guys.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A lot has been made of the two friendlies for our beloved Ethniki Omada but the one thing that caught my eye
was the difference in performances between the two outings. Against Switzerland we saw a familiar starting 11
and of course it only served to reinforce our issues in attack, most notably a lack of movement and a
snail-paced transition.
Fast forward a few days later, in Zurich against an admittedly poor Egypt, we dominated possession and
moved the ball forward very well.
It boils down to the players Skibbe used in these games. Against the Egyptians we saw younger, hungrier, more energetic players. Moving forward, it is hoped we continue in this vein and call up these more enthusiastic, in-form players such as Pelkas and Karelis among others. It is believed by many that the EPO has a huge say on squad selections and calls up a closed group of players. For the National Team to have any success moving forward, this must stop. How many more times can we witness Tziolis waste an attacking opportunity or barely move around the park, an ageing Torosidis caught out of position, a lazy Mitroglou upfront, or Tachtsidis give the ball away cheaply?
Choose the squad based on form and it will pay dividends. It was once argued Fetfatzidis missed out on selection due to playing in Saudi Arabia, yet how come Tziolis not only earns a call up, but also captains the side on several occasions? The buck has to stop there.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Michael Skibbe announced his squad, there was a mixed reaction to his selections with some positives being the blooding of new players into the squad with the likes of Dimitris Limnios and Efthymios Koulouris being added. The selection of veterans who may not be at the next Euro’s like Alexandros Tziolis and Georgios Tzavellas should of be thanked for their service and moved on at the end of the failed World Cup qualificationsbut weren't so it will be interesting to see what comes of this..
The team that played against Egypt would have been Skibbe’s weaker team but they showed that they can all push for starting 11 spots with a very solid performance which should have seen us win by more than 1 goal.
It was great to see an inspired reaction after a dull and disappointing performance against Switzerland where we failed to fire a shot. Greece’s attack looked much more threatening against Egypt than at any stage against the Swiss. Both Donis and Lazaros starting on the wings added a different dimension to Greece while Pelkas showed his quality and further demonstrated why he should be a regular starter ahead of Fortounis.
After some poor first touches to start the match against Egypt, Karelis scored a lovely headed goal and put his name in the mix for a regular start where he could lead the line for Greece in future matches. We hope Karelis can stay fit and healthy because there is no doubting that he is a quality player. Right back Bakakis was also superb last night against Egypt as he assisted the goal with a lovely cross onto the head of Karelis. He also showed he is capable of defending when required and should be strongly considered taking the spot of veteran Torosidis. Overall, the team showed great character to fight back after a disappointing night in Athens on Friday night and showed its true potential.
Hopefully we get to see more performances like we witnessed last night in the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It has been said once, but it must be emphasised again. A wide net must be cast if we want to get the best out of the Ethniki. Nikos Karelis’ match winner against Egypt from a Bakakis cross proves this exact point.
Even the most die-hard Skibbe fan must admit that the Ethniki Omada went stale towards the end of the 2018 qualifying campaign. The 0-0 home draw against Estonia illustrated that perfectly and that was before the spectacular implosion in Zagreb in the playoffs. Whilst we all wished that stayed in 2017, the Switzerland match was just as turgid.
Looking ahead, it is imperative that Skibbe calls up exciting and in-form players. Despite the 1-0 win over Egypt, starting Tziolis is unacceptable. The likes of Kourbelis, Zeca and Pelkas present a dynamic midfield which would benefit Greek football within the next few campaigns.
I’m personally not that concerned about Greece’s attack, as many of the problems have been caused by a midfield which stifles creativity. Pelkas’ inclusion in the midfield would certainly liven up attack whilst the likes of Christodoulopoulos and Donis provide much needed flair in the final third. The emergence of Karelis is also fantastic for the Ethniki and the competition between himself and Mitroglou will only help Greek football going forward.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What we see with these bloggers opinions we would dare say is shared by many fans. The benefits of young guys being brought into the team clearly showed. The older guys who some have been stalwarts and others have been mystifying selections have stagnated and some tough call need to be made. With more matches on the horizon and the ultimate goal, qualification to Euro 2020 being a must, we can only hope Skibbe and the members of his coaching team see this and act to ensure we have a bright future ahead.
Comments
Post a Comment