Poyet's First Greece Squad

 Poyet's First Greece Squad

By Stephen Kountourou 

For the first time in 2022, it's International break time! Some see this as a welcome pause to club football and a chance to see their national teams play. Others see this as a giant waste of time. With an appreciation of both opinions, regardless of what supporters think, this will be the full focus of many for the next couple of weeks. 

Although there are only friendlies to be played for Greece, against Romania and Montenegro respectively, this will be an early opportunity for Ethniki fans to see what new coach Gus Poyet wants to set up his side. For a bit of a different blog this week, I will be briefly looking at each of Poyet's call ups and what they can bring to these two upcoming games  

 

Odysseus Vlachodimos

The Benfica shot-stopper has by all accounts a fantastic season with a Benfica side who have had a relatively poor season by their standards domestically. Although his side is 3rd place in Liga NOS behind Sporting holders and league leaders Porto. Vlachodimos was pivotal in overcoming Ajax in the Champions League round of 16 and helping his side to an unexpected quarter-final tie with Liverpool. 

Georgios Athanasiadis

The AEK loanee has had nothing short of a magical season with his Sheriff Tiraspol, starting in goal as his side claimed wins over European giants Real Madrid and inter Milan, as well as victories against Dinamo Zagreb, Shakhtar Donetsk. 

 

Alexandros Paschalakis

Despite being prone to the odd mistake, the PAOK keeper has himself had a very good season with the Thessaloniki side still hot on the heels of defending champions Olympiakos and currently on a European run in the Europa Conference League quarterfinals where they will be facing French giants Marseille.

Konstantinos Mavropanos

The Arsenal loanee has been one of the stands out defenders in the Bundesliga, despite being part of a Stuttgart side at the lower end of the table. The former PAS Giannina centre back has even chipped in with some stunning goals for the German side as well as being solid at the back. Having recently been linked to the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Mavropanos has become just as integral to his country as he has with his club.

Pantelis Chatzidiakos

The 25-year-old centre back has been a prevalent member for Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, having played all but five of their matches in the Eredivisie this season. He has also helped AZ reach the Europa Conference League Round of 16 where they were narrowly knocked out by Bodo Glimt.  

Dimitrios Goutas

The former Olympiakos youth player, now in Turkey with Sivasspor, has enjoyed a bit of a goal-scoring season for a centre back. Five in 26 league matches for the side currently sitting 10th in the Super Lig table. Impressive. 

Dimitrios Nikolaou

Another former Olympiakos player, Nikolaou has been a stand out in a Spezia side that has spent the season, currently in 16th and battling relegation in Serie A. The 23-year-old has played all but two matches for his club this campaign and has been vital in their attempt to beat the drop into Serie B.  

Georgios Tzavellas

The veteran defender has had a mixed season with AEK after he transferred to the Athens side last summer. Even with a patchy Enosis side he has been ever-present at centre back this campaign and is a leader to a certain extent for them this season.

Konstantinos Tsimikas

A player who has been identified by Gus Poyet to potentially be Ethniki captain, Tsimikas has had an excellent season so far with Liverpool, having featured much more for the Premier League side. Although he plays as a backup to Andrew Roberston, the left-back has won over the fans with his heroic performances when called upon. 

Georgios Kyriakopoulos

A former Asteras Tripolis player, Kyriakopoulos since leaving Greece for Serie A, has shown his ability with current club Sassuolo. The 26-year-old has played over 1,500 minutes for the side currently sitting in mid-table and with 5 assists to his name in that time. 

Lazaros Rota

With right-back remaining an issue for the Ethniki, Lazaros Rota was called up to potentially play as a starter with the position up for grabs. After transferring to AEK in the summer from Fortuna Sittard, Rota was in and out of the squad in the first half of the regular season but has more recently found consistent minutes for his club. 

Lefteris Lyratzis

A late addition due to the injury of Kostas Stafylids, the young PAOK prospect will supposedly juggle his duties with both the U21s and the senior side this international break. While not a consistent starter for the Thessaloniki side he has impressed when he has played this campaign. 

Manolis Siopis 

Siopis with his club, Trabzonspor has surprised many by topping the Turkish Super Lig table and are en route to being crowned champions. The bulldog-like midfielder has been prevalent in his side's successes this season.

Sotiris Alexandropoulos

The young Panathinaikos wonder-kid might not have lit up Leoforos as he did the previous season, but the 20-year-old is still an exciting part of the future for his club and country. It is hoped that he futures more for the Ethniki in the upcoming qualifiers for Euro 2024.

 

Andreas Bouchalakis

The captain of Olympiakos, while not always a starter for Thrylos, is an ever-reliable figure in Piraeus. Although he divides opinions with supporters there's no denying the need for midfielders who can consistently give 6-7/10 performances every game. 

Christos Kourfalidis

A surprise addition to the Ethniki squad this time around, The centre midfielder has had an impressive season for Cagliari U19 with 3 goals and 5 assists in 22 matches. This prompted him to be called up to the senior side and intern for Gus Poyet to reward the 19-year-old by joining the national team for these friendlies.

Anastasios Bakasetas

Another player who divides opinion with Greek fans, Bakasetas regardless has had a very good season with his side Trabzonspor as they race towards a Turkish Super Lig title. Based on his form, it makes sense why the 28-year-old has been called up. 8 goals and 8 assists in all competitions and the national team is currently experiencing a lack of players at the number 10 role.

Petros Mantalos

The AEK captain has been one of the few consistent performers in an inconsistent Enosis side this season. Mantalos has topped the assist charts in the Super League thus far and so it is easy to see why Poyet has shown faith in the midfielder. With the absence of Kostas Fortounis, there is hope that Mantalos can take up the creative responsibility.

Anastasios Chatzigiovanis

A late call up due to both Giorgos Masouras and Marios Vrousai testing positive for covid19, the winger has had inconsistent minutes this season for Panathinaikos. Poyet wants to deploy a system that requires tricky wingers and if Chatzigiovanis can find some of the creativity he can bring to this Ethniki side. 

Dimitrios Pelkas

The Fenerbahce player who has primarily found himself playing on the wing this season has mostly been used as an impact substitute this season for his club. His form in his limited minutes has been solid enough and he has performed decently for the Ethniki when called upon.

Dimitrios Limnios

After a couple of tough seasons for the winger since leaving PAOK, the 23-year-old finally seems to have found a home with Dutch side FC Twente. With his improved form in the Eredivisie, Greece will need all the help they can get on the wing going forward. 

Vangelis Pavlidis

Red hot Pavlidis has more than justified his call up to the national team. The 23-year-old striker is currently on his best goal-scoring season for club AZ Alkmaar with 17 goals and 7 assists in all competitions. Goalscoring has always been an issue for Greece, but now we have some competition upfront it seems.

Georgios Giakoumakis

After a tough start to the season with injuries preventing him from playing, Giakoumakis is finally showing the quality at Celtic that he had the previous season in Holland. The big centre forward has scored two hat tricks since the turn of the year and most supporters believe he should be the starting striker for Greece going forward.

Anastasios Douvikas

In his first season out of Greece with Dutch side Utrecht, Douvikas has been solid for his new club. 11 goals in all competitions this season and can certainly bring something different to the striker choices that have been called up this time around.

Efthymis Koulouris

Although his club Atromitos is having a very disappointing season, Koulouris has revived his confidence in front of the goal after a couple of barren years away from Greece. The 26-year-old is currently the third top scorer in the Super League at the time of writing and this seems to be more than enough for his first call up since November 2020.