Where Do We Go From Here? The Current State of the Ethniki.

With the next target of Euro 2020 qualification in sight, the Greek national team is at a crossroads. On one hand, fans can breathe a sigh of relief as the heavily criticized Michael Skibbe was finally relieved of his duties as manager last week. Yet on the other hand, there is still a massive cloud of uncertainty surrounding the Ethniki that stems from the questionable decision making of the current president of the EPO (the Greek FA), Evangelos Grammenos. Is his new hire at head coach, Angelos Anastasiadis, the right man for the job? Or will the problems that have plagued the Ethniki since their fall from grace after the 2014 World Cup continue to keep this team stuck in the mud? Only time can tell.

Galvanizing an Uninspired Team

Let’s start with tactics and coaching style, which were a huge problem under Skibbe. Throughout his tenure, regardless of who was called up to the Ethniki, Skibbe did a horrible job of motivating the players to play hard and stick to a game plan. Off the pitch, he was always unambitious when talking to the press and didn’t even consider the former Euro champions favorites in a pedestrian UEFA Nations League group with Hungary, Finland, and Estonia. On the pitch, he rendered talented players ineffective by playing them in extremely unfamiliar positions (i.e. Pelkas and Mantalos being deployed on the wings). Bottom line, there was never a plan B for Skibbe when his tactics failed.

Fortunately for Ethniki fans, these are all problems that have little to do with the incompetence of Grammenos. And with Skibbe finally out, one of the biggest changes we need to see is Anastasiadis galvanize the squad by getting the current player’s minds right, as well as integrating new players with the right attitude. After having to watch uninspired performance after uninspired performance under Skibbe for over two years, fans of the Ethniki will have little patience with Anastasiadis if he cannot motivate his players.

Squad Selection

Moving on from tactics and motivation, we come to another topic that Skibbe was put under heavy fire for; squad selection. The Ethinki has continued to be held back for years by the selection of over-the-hill players who offer very little to the current setup, such as Orestis Karnezis, Georgios Tzavellas, and last but certainly not least, Alexandros Tziolis. Skibbe has rushed to the defence of his veterans, saying they are vital figures in the locker room who help show the younger players the ropes. Yes, a healthy locker room is extremely important but it should be in no way an excuse to call up aging players who barely see the pitch for their respective clubs anymore. Especially while there are players like Kostas Galanopoulos and Odisseas Vlachodimos, who have been putting together world class performances at the highest level of play possible in the Champions League, yet they still find themselves on the outside looking in!

Naturally, one would demand that squad selection change under Anastasiadis, but this might not be something he has complete control over. Why did Grammenos re-sign Skibbe for less money after he failed to qualify for the World Cup? Because in all likelihood, Skibbe served every whim of Grammenos. He was a coach who was too afraid to take charge of his own team and allowed the EPO to heavily influence squad selection. For evidence, look no further than the friendly against Saudi Arabia last May, a game advertised by Skibbe as a fantastic opportunity to call up younger, up and coming players. The entire line-up consisted of players from Greek Super League clubs, except for just one seasoned veteran wearing the captain’s armband, Alexandros Tziolis. It just makes no sense. The only way to somewhat come to terms with this anomaly is to recognize that Grammenos had trusted veterans he was loyal to, and pushed into the squad while Skibbe kept his mouth shut and continued to collect his paycheck.

Whose Ethniki?

The good news is there are reports coming out of Greece saying we can expect to new faces in Anastasiadis’ Ethniki. But can the new coach walk the walk? The most concerning part of the coaching change is how dead set the EPO were on Anastasiadis. He was the first name mentioned after Skibbe was sacked, and the other Greek managerial candidates rumored to be on the shortlist were barely reached out to. To the EPO, Anastasiadis is a familiar face and doesn’t require an enormous salary, perfect. In the worst case scenario, this all means he is another pushover coach who won’t stand up to a meddling EPO. But this doesn’t have to be the case, we don’t know what Anastasiadis brings to the National Team setup yet. He started coaching in Greece decades ago, and achieved great feats with big and small clubs. He’s also coached on the national level with Cyprus, and helped turn them into a respectable national side with some historic results.

He is undoubtedly gearing up for the biggest job of his career with the Ethniki and he offers hope after the Ethniki stagnated with Skibbe. But will he be any different than any

of the four managers that have been appointed after Fernando Santos left in 2014? We will soon find out what the new Greek skipper is all about when the final two Nations League matches come around in mid-November. But one thing is for sure when it comes to managing the Ethniki; to once again rise to the heights Rehhagel and Santos took this team, you have to have the same integrity and passion Rehhagel and Santos had. They would have never let the EPO meddle with their squad selection, would have taken initiative in calling up Vlachodimos, and surely, they would have been irate at the EPO for only scheduling one friendly match in a five month span to gear up for the Nations League earlier this year. In order to even start to think about getting results like them, Anastasiadis must take charge of his team and rise above the politics of the EPO, or we will end up missing out on our third straight major tournament.

By Nick Gargano for Hellas Football