Santos' Influence and those behind Plan Qatar driving Greece forward

Santos' Influence and those behind "Plan Qatar" driving Greece forward

By Pos Karantonis

Greece as a football nation has never quite been known as a conveyer of talent, or of being ahead tactically or organizationally, despite the various potential that does quietly exist. 

The National Team of course is no exception, other then Fernando Santos's time as the coach there's never been any semblance of a plan for the future, particularly at youth level. 

What's interesting though is that while Fernando Santos's plan was stopped in 2014 (just as his time as the coach of the Greek National Team ended), his influence was enough to inspire a few people in the Greek Football Federation (EPO) to re-start and (re) build on his strategic plan for the development of an Under 15 team, to implement some European programs, as well as to choose someone with more of a long term plan then some of the previous coaches selected.

*Of course making drastic changes was inevitable after the nightmare that followed once Fernando Santos left, but his influence was/is clear.

On whether Van't Schip had discussed a development plan with the EPO, (during one of his first press conferences): 
"Yes, it is part of our agreement. At the moment, all our attention is on the first team. and in the coming months we will start to put the coaches of the youth national teams in the same direction".

It seems then that Santos's own plan was squarely back in the spotlight. But what exactly was the plan? 

- The Greek Federation aimed to implement advanced European programs to create a Joint National Team program, 
with the aim of improving the quality of talent. Or the " Strategic Plan for the development of the National Teams and Greek Football.

- This strategic development plan for National Teams would start at the age
 of 14 and eventually to the first team, through a well-trained department of analysis, planning and development, for each year separately.

- The whole process of training, fitness, technique, tactics, including the field of conduct, 
was carried out in harmony with the model and philosophy that had been defined in advance and this would lead to a unified identity of Greek football.

  
Takis Fyssas in late 2019 said there are 5 Characteristics and rules they require from a player to be a part of the National Team (Perhaps the field of conduct):

1. A comptetitive mentality
2. Loyalty
3. Team Spirit
4. Rules
5. Passion and Enthusiasm.

So, much of this plan was already set in place by Fernando Santos(2011-2014) along with the help of Takis Fyssas and particularly Theodoris Eleftheriadis. 

Eleftheriadis is someone that's quietly done a great job at various teams & youth levels in Greece. He spent years at Iraklis as an assistant, then PAOK's academy where he played a big part in the development of Pelkas, Koulouris, & especially Stafylidis who he switched from a midfielder to a left back.  

After his departure from PAOK in 2010, Eleftheriadis then worked as an assistant to George Georgiadis and Kostas Tsanas for the Under 19 team (That made it to the U19 Euro final in 2012), while for two years (2012-14) was the coach of the newly formed National U-15 team (Santos's plan). 

After the plan was abandoned he went on to Olympiakos and helped develop Retsos, Androutsos, Nikolaou, etc. Then did the same at Panathinaikos (Until 2018), again working with Fyssas where within a year they swooped up or developed the majority of the talent currently in PAO's academy (By having a lot of tryouts around the country).


Then in January 2018 he once again set up the Greek U15 team & the whole project overall (Now he's at Olympiakos's youth academy again),. Something that I believe the Ethniki Omada have already started to benefit from (See previous Article, Greece's Promising Generation). His comments when he started and when he left show the effort that's been made to improve at youth level.

Theodoris Eleftheriadis:

When he started:

"As far as the federation is concerned, it is a new administration, I am satisfied with my cooperation so far, there are people who are interested in the development of the National teams. I am optimistic that there is talent at all the positions regarding footballers. We have to insist on improving the kids, because many of them have been stagnant in the past while they were talented. 
We have to keep the level of young players high "

 When he resigned:

"For reasons that have been announced for a long time in the EPO, I today stated my resignation from the position of Coordinator of the National teams youth teams. 
The ones at home, not in the municipality" of course.
I thank Mr. Vakalis who proposed me and those who from the Board of Directors of EPO and the Committee of National Teams trusted me and supported me in such an important position of responsibility. 
I thank the associates and colleagues (coaching staff, administrative staff and 53 EPS) for this short course of 18 months that was creative and decent. I know from the inside that the excellent colleague Mr. Markos Dimos in his turn embraces the fundamental project of the National U15 of EPO, at the "helm" of which I had the good fortune to meet again (for the 2nd time after 2012) to re-introduce it in January 2018.
I thank my Technical Directors, Mr. Vryzas and Mr. Basinas, for our excellent cooperation until the summer of 2019 and especially for the respect towards me.
I wish from the bottom of my heart to Fyssas and Konstantinidis good luck and strength.
I wish from the bottom of my heart the best to Mr. John van’t Schip and his associates as well as to all the children of the Men's National Team in their difficult work. 
After all, with many of them, we lived special moments together in 2012 and 2013 with the National Youth. The National Team of Greece is always above & beyond us all ".

-So quietly there has been great work done behind the scenes for the National Team that has mostly gone unrecognized. And although some important people like 

Eleftheriadis have left (October 2019), the change has been smooth so far and there's a lot of good work being done behind the scenes for the Ethniki Omada.  

A deeper look at those currently working for the Greek National Team and the plan now:

John Van't Schip (Manager): 

A manager with a clear plan and way of playing, that seems to have the work ethic and the desire to do well with Greece.

Greek Technical Director Konstantinidis speaking about Van't Schip's work ethic and his desire to build and develop Greece's teams at all levels early on after the Liechtenstein Draw:

 

"Surely this man is also coming in to a new environment and has only had a few days with the team. The rest of the days were on a theoretical level in terms of the competitive part.
He dealt with the Under 15 team, he talked to the kids. Then he got involved with Under 17 team, went to training and talked to the kids there as well. There is a mood and a thought to connect all the national teams. He wants there to be an exchange of views and to start a communication between all the departments. "

His assistants:

Aaron WInter, A former top player for Holland, he has also coached the Dutch under 19 teams as well as at Ajax's youth system before joining Van't Schip in Greece.

Michael Valkanis, also a former player that had a successful time in the Greek Super league, & that had worked with Van't Schip, at various clubs including Melbourne City and PEC Zwolle in the Dutch league.

As well as Technical Director Kostas Konstantidis and Takis Fyssas who came on soon after but have all worked harmoniously almost from the beginning.

Takis Fyssas

While Winter & Valkanis have been important in training, motivating, and developing plans with the teams style of play and progression, Fyssas has been the link between the Fernando Santos plan that he was involved in, and the future that Van't Schip and his staff are working hard to build. His ideals from his Euro 2004 winning experiences as well as his understanding of Greek Football have been invaluable.

While Konstantinidis has been a huge reason Greece has more players to choose from having brought along Vasiliadis, etc in his short time while others are also in the works. His experience as a former player in the Bundesliga, for the Greek National Team, and as an agent afterward is just about exactly what Greece where looking for in a Technical Director. Someone that can also help put Santos's plan, as well as Van't Schip and his staffs own ideas in place (alongside Santos's youth program) now often called "Plan Qatar".

*There's also an analyst/statistician named Kostas Koltsidas, and the physical trainers that are doing good work.

Plan Qatar:

Konstantinidis Recently (April Interview)

You're currently coordinating the National Team from Under 15 to the first team, so that there is essentially a connecting model, have you managed to implement this plan? What exactly do you want to achieve in the long run?

"When there's a building with many different pieces that you have to put all together, It's not easy at all. Everyone though wants a plan that runs from the smallest youth team( Under 15) to the first team, the same thing we're trying to build with the National Team. 

Something that of course is very different from what goes on in Greece between the way of play between the academies and their first teams. Yes, we are trying to unite the National teams to have a single philosophy from the bottom up and vice versa, and we want that to stay. Though with the National Team the coaches have the players at their disposal for a few days and the generations in the youth teams change year after year".

We have frequent meetings with the coaches and between them I try to be close to the youth teams and we try to find the right connection with the first team. 

We want to pass on the philosophy from the first team on to the younger teams. For example, for our next match (versus Bosnia) the scouting report was done by Greece's under 17 coach 
Theios, he did his own analysis and shared it with the staff of the first team (Winter, Valkanis, etc). 

That's where it starts the analysis then is done by Theios, Valkanis, and WInter, etc on what type of football they want to play. 

It's a lot of pieces and you don't press a button to do it. It takes some time and the coaches need to work together, that's important. During this time (April 2020) I have teleconferenced with all the coaches of the national teams, because they continue although football's suspended to process and think about the plan for later. 

There's changes in the scheduling and we talk about all the possible scenarios.

Valkanis spoke a little more in detail in an interview himself:
We go step by step for our plan. Whatever we do away from the training ground is part of the plan we have developed. That I'll go home and watch 3-4 matches is part one example. 

That Aron WInter is at home and doing the same is part of 'Plan Qatar'. This afternoon for example where all three of us will have a teleconference, shows that we're all working in the same direction.
That's why we try to have meetings with Aaron (Winter) and our analyst, Kostas Koltsidas, even after our official obligations. We watch the matches and then show a presentation to the players, at times we work late to achieve our objective. We spend many hours on the presentation. 
This helps the player see, and learn.

After all, our generation is familiar with the telephone and television. They see, hear and learn before entering the field. The analyst is an important piece and must also have similar ideas with ours. We need to train analysts with a similar philosophy as the coaches. In all the countries now there's analysts,
in the Netherlands, for example, their presence is imperative. "

*(there have been stories of players taking dvd's home from Van't Schip's staff on areas they feel the player can improve his game on, say tactically, or even fitness, etc.)

With Santos's plan back in effect, arguably Greece's best youth coach kick starting the Under 15 National Team again. Van't Schip, and company doing good work behind the scenes and Greece actually playing good (winning) football in their last 4-5 matches (and with more good young talented players on the way).

Greece finally seems to be on the right path.

Hellas Football 

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