Hellas Football

  Greek Super League: 2022/23 Regular Season Review By Stephen Kountourou From a neutral perspective, it has been one of the most enthralling Greek Super League seasons for a generation. Not only have we had a title race where any of the big four titans of the Greek game could still win the title, but it will also be the first time since the playoffs were introduced that the champions will be decided in the latter stages of the season. But before the playoffs commence, there is still time to reflect on what has been a highly entertaining, and at times controversial regular season, as is the norm with Greek football, the gift that keeps on giving. Panathinaikos   After a very shrewd summer transfer window, Panathinaikos had an excellent first half of the season, winning their first 11 games in a row and going into the World Cup break undefeated and top of the Super League table, looking set to cruise towards their first league title since 2009/10. However, the break seemed to s...

Greek goalkeeping inflation gives Poyet luxury problems By Andreas Mitsis  A host of Greek goalkeepers are in very good form this season with two names standing out from the crowd in Odysseas Vlachodimos and Alexandros Paschalakis.   In addition, there are many other keepers who have attracted attention, which means luxury problems for Gustavo Poyet before the selection of the year's first national team. Paschalakis, Vlachodimos and Dioudis get ready for a training session with the national team.   In a little over two weeks, the national team will play their first match of the year when they face Gibraltar away from home in the EC qualifying premiere. The squad selection is thus approaching for national team captain Gustavo Poyet.   Before the selection, the 55-year-old is a little worried about the central midfield, where the qualitative solutions are few in number.    However, the opposite applies to the goalkeeper position. There, the Uruguaya...

The best Greek players to play in the Premier League. From Donis and Basinas to Tsimikas and Tzolis, plenty of Greek players have tried their luck in the best league in the world. With the Greek Cup final setting to take place in London we take a look at the Greek players who done it on a cold and windy night in Stoke. By Nikolas Fil 1.Stelios Giannakopoulos (Bolton) Stelios joined The Wanderers in 2003 after 7 years wearing the Olympiacos’ red. One of Bolton’s finest players, alongside Jay-Jay  Okocha, Djorkaeff and Real Madrid legend Fernando Hierro. In his debut season under Sam Allardyce he played 31 times in the Prem scoring twice helping Bolton finish 8th, their highest PL finish ever. He also helped the club reach the Carling Cup final where they lost 2-1 to Middlesbrough. Stelios left Bolton in 2008, after 137 appearances and 20 goals to join Hull, before returning back to Greece for AE Larisa in 2009. 2.Nikos Dabizas (Newcastle) Another former Olympiacos player, Dabizas jo...

The black and white academy success. By Andreas Mitsis, PAOK's Giannis Konstantelias and Dinos Koulieriakis are two names on many people's lips in Greece but also increasingly in the rest of Europe.    Both players were born in 2003 and come from the Thessaloniki club's distinguished academy. In places around Greece, suitable circumstances and good guidance can be lacking for many young talented players. The absence of basic prerequisites means that promising players unfortunately fall through the cracks.   At PAOK, on ​​the other hand, it is the opposite. There is neither a lack of talent nor the basis for success. In the Thessaloniki club, development has moved steadily in the right direction ever since Ivan Savvidis took over the club in the summer of 2012. Since then, numerous investments have been made to, for example, expand the academy throughout Greece and improve facilities along with a series of other effective measures.   Zagorakis ushered in the...