World Cup preview: Greece

The Road To The World Cup

After finishing second (on goal differential) in their UEFA qualifying group, Greece managed to beat Romania 4-2 on aggregate over two legs to gain entry in the 2014 World Cup.

Group Stage Schedule

Formation: 4-3-3

You’re not seeing things. Technically, the Greeks employ a 4-3-3 formation. Although, it’s not uncommon to see seven members of the squad on the back line, nor is it rare to find nine outfield players behind the ball when the opposition is in possession - which is most of the time. Greece is very comfortable playing counter attack football. That’s nothing new. What is new is that the squad has legitimate attacking ability in its front three, so instead of taking a direct approach after turning over the ball, this Greek team can pass it around a bit and move up the pitch with skill.

Manager: Fernando Santos

Before taking over from the wildly successful Otto Rehhagel, Fernando Santos found his own measure of success bouncing back and forth between the top teams of the domestic leagues in his native Portugal and in Greece. After becoming Greece’s 33rd manager on July 1st, 2010, Santos sturdied the previously slipping Greek commitment to defense-first football. Under Santos, Greece set a record by going unbeaten in the manager’s first seventeen matches. While qualifying was a bit bumpy for the squad, Greece fared well in its last big tournament, reaching the quarterfinals of Euro 2012 where they lost to Germany.

Projected Starting XI

GK: Orestis Karnezis

LB: Jose Holebas

CB: Vasilis Torosidis

CB: Kostas Manolas

RB: Sokratis Papastathopoulos

LDM: Kostas Katsouranis

CDM: Giorgos Karagounis

RDM: Alexander Tziolis

LW: Georgios Samaras

RW: Dimitris Salpingdis

ST: Kostas Mitroglou

Projected Substitutes

GK: Panagiotis Glykos

GK: Stefanos Kapino

DF: Giorgos Tzavellas

DF: Loukas Vyntra

DF: Giannis Maniatis

DF: Vangelis Moras

MF: Panagiotis Kone

MF: Lazaros Christodoulopoulos

MF: Andreas Samaris

MF: Penagiotis Tachtsidis

MF: Giannis Fetfatzidis

MF: Kostas Katsouranis

FW: Theofanis Gekas

The Captain: Giorgos Karagounis

As he has almost since making his first full international appearance against El Salvador in 1999, captain and veteran midfield general Giorgos Karagounis remains the central figure in the Greek squad. Despite his small stature, Karagounis has a well-earned reputation for being a bulldog in central midfield, winning and distributing the ball with equal aplomb. In what is most assuredly his final major international tournament for Greece, the 36-year-old would love to go out with a great effort.

The Star: Giorgos Samaras

At 6’4”, Celtic captain Giorgos Samaras represents the perfect target man for Greece. His size and strength not only grants him the ability to win clearances from the back, but also allows him to slip back to become a credible midfielder - an important part of the Greek style of play. Despite his lanky limbs, Samaras has proven himself to be an excellent dribbler of the ball with great pace and technical ability. His well-roundedness would serve any squad well, but given Greece’s make up, he’s an integral part of the squad.

The Young Gun: Kostas Mitroglou

At 26-years-old, Kostas Mitroglou can’t exactly be described as a phenom, but only recently has the striker emerged from a reputation as being something of a prospect bust to become a favorite of Greek fans. After a promising youth career in Germany, Mitroglou failed to make good on his potential after coming over to Greek side Olympiacos. Finally, after spending two years out on loan, the striker rewarded his club’s faith in him by scoring 37 goals in 57 games over the last two seasons. This has given his international career a boost, and finally allowed him to emerge as a crucial member of the starting eleven. During the final knockout round of qualifying, Mitroglou scored three of his team’s four goals in the two legs against Romania.

The Swan Song: Theofanis Gekas

The third leading goalscorer in Greek history has seen his role reduced on the national team with the emergence of younger strikers, but Theofanis Gekas is still expected to play an important role, even if it’s off the substitutes bench for Greece, at the 2014 World Cup. At 33-years-old, the legs have slowed, and his abilities to poach goals may not be the same, but the player remains a willing work horse, able to run down clearances, cause havoc for defenders in possession of the ball and even score big goals from time to time.

Three Questions

1. Perhaps more than any other nation, Greece uses its players in roles that that their club team does not. How long will it take some of the older players on the squad to feel comfortable playing in an area of the pitch to which they’re generally unaccustomed?
2. Greece’s willingness to sit back and defend often leads to more fouls than a typical team. How will referees from different continents judge these fouls? Will there be problems in accumulating too many yellow cards?
3. Yes, it’s a little bit cruel, and certainly playing into stereotypes about the Greek team, but nonetheless, it’s also a legitimate question given the squad’s comfort with sitting back and defending: Will neutral observers be able to stay awake while watching Greece play?

Trivial Matters

Nicknames: Ethniki (National), Piratiko (The Pirate Ship) and Galanolefki (Sky Blue-White).

Most caps: Giorgos Karagounis (131).

Top scorer: Nikos Anastopoulos (29).

First international: April 7, 1929. Greece 1 - Italy 4.

World Cup appearances: Three, beginning in 1994.

Best World Cup result: Greece has never advanced past the group stage.

Your Moment of Podosfero

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