Greece
Group A
Best finish Champions 2004
Current FIFA Ranking; 15
Greece are grouped along with Russia Poland and Czech Republic in group A which is comparetively the easiest in this years Euro. The unexpected champions of the Euro 2004 is considered the underdogs in this group. Coached by the Portugese Fernando Santos the Greece team lacks the individual talents. The Greece had a pretty good qualification campaign were they topped group F with 24 points from 10 games and remained undefeated throughout. The Greeks emphasise on teamwork and not on individual brillance as they did from 2004 and it is reflected in the qualification campaign as they came undefeated with a so called highly rated squad.
The Greece squad is built upon its defence as in 2004 with a impenetrable unit which has only conceded 5 goals in the qualification. The defence is built upon Avraam Papadopoulos of Olympiacos and Sokratis Papastathopoulos of SV Werder Bremen both good at tackling the opposition attackers. The defence of the Greece have good strength and workrate which is hard for the opposition attackers to breakthrough. Vassilis Torossidis of Olympiacos plays at the right side of defence and he is dangerous with his crosses to the box and can close down the opponent.
Greece captain Giorgos Karagounis will play at the midfield and his longshots would be a threat to the opposition. Kostas Katsouranis of Panathinaikos Athens can play as a centre midfielder or as a defensive midfielder and helps his defence with his tackling capabilities. Sotiris Ninis of Panathinaikos would play at the right wing with Giorgos Samaras who played on leftwing for Celtic for most of the season the doing the same role for Greece aslo. Fanis Gekas of Samsunspor would play as the centre forward. The man behind the goal looks a bit of worry for Santos as none of the goalkeepers had been impressive this season but Santos decides to go with Kostas Chalkias.
Manager :Fernando Santos
Fernando Santos predecessor Otto Rehhagel had done near impossible task of winning the Euro with Greece and Santos is undaunted by the fact. Santos has in his Greece team a strong defensive impenetrable which had conceded only 5 times in the qualifications. Santos was able to build a efficent unit which doesnot include any highly talented players and is yet to lose with in a Competative match and had only lost once to Romania in a friendly.
Fernando Santos have no previous experience as coach of a national team but the performance of his team doesnot show any signs of his lack of experience of managing a national side. Santos had injected to the Greece squad young players like Giannis Fetfatzidis, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Sotiris Ninis to an ageing squad.
Formation
The team can play either 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 formations of play according to the opposition, the team relies on teamwork rather than the individual brillance to make things happen. The Greece team plays with a solid defensive framework with its attack beginning from the back. Greece will sitback patiently and defend and build their attack by direct play. The centrebacks Avraam Papadopoulos and Sokratis Papastathopoulos along with fullbacks Vassilis Torossidis and Jose Holebas would be entrusted to close down the opponents in the Greeks area.
Ninis and Samaras would provide the chances for attack along with captain Karagounis. Fanis Gekas will lead the Greek charge upfront and would be supported by occasional movement of Samaras from the leftwing. The Greece team which lacks creativity and flair upfront are the team which scored the least of the qualified nations for the Euro. Sotiris Ninis would be trusted with the task of adding some creativity and flair to the side. Kostas Katsouranis would play either in central midfield or a bit back as a defensive midfielder depending on the opposition.
Squad for the Euros:
Defenders: Vassilis Torosidis (Olympiakos), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Werder Bremen), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiakos), Jose Holebas (Olympiakos), Stelios Malezas (PAOK), Giorgos Tzavelas (Monaco), Yiannis Maniatis (Olympiakos), Kyriakos Papadopoulos (Schalke).
Midfielders: Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Costas Katsouranis (Panathinaikos), Giorgos Fotakis (PAOK), Costas Fortounis (Kaiserslautern), Yiannis Fetfatzidis (Olympiakos), Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos), Grigoris Makos (AEK Athens).
Forwards: Georgios Samaras (Celtic), Dimitris Salpigidis (PAOK), Costas Mitroglou (Atromitos), Nikos Lymberopoulos (AEK Athens), Fanis Gekas (Samsunspor).
Key Player
Sotiris Ninis
The 22 year old right winger has the flair and the creativity that the dull Greece side lacks and hence he is the key for the Greece to have any sucess in this years Euro. Ninis was in the squad of Greece in World Cup in SouthAfrica in 2010 were Greece were packed off after their group matches, as a unused substitute. Ninis is a player who have got dazzling skills, with a good variation of pace to trick the defenders, good vision to pickup teammates in advanced positions and also pocess a good long range shooting skills.
He had signed for Parma on a free transfer so that their is no concern for him about the future when he arrives on Poland Ukraine for the Euros. Fernando Santos is counting on Ninis for the work on other end of field which is the area of concern for Santos. Ninis was the UEFA Player of the tournamnet at the U-19 level European Championship in 2007 were Greece progressed till the Finals.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos
The centre back impressed all through the qualifications were the Greece defence showed good defensive work by conceding only 5 goals. He has been the backbone of the Greece defensive framework which is relied heavily to take anything from the opposition. He has been instrumental in the Greece theory of "giving the opponents nothing rather than taking anything from them". He was omitted by Otto Rehhagel for Euro 2008 from the provisonal squad. The 23 year is good at marking and closing down opposition and is strong and brave to throw into tackles. He is good in the air which give the opposition players trouble to get ball into the boxes.
He had made good partnership with Avraam and they would be a hard defence to breakthrough.
Key to Quater finals Performance of the Attacking Unit
The Greece have a good defence which would closedown any opponents but the concern is about their attacking abilities as the Greece had not been good in front of goal all through qualification campaign and their attacking unit should pickup theirlevel of play so that they can secure important points to move through the group stages. Any how it is more of a concern as the attack has to score against Germany, Netherland or Portuguse which they may meet if they move to knockout stages.
UEFA EURO 2012 Group A fixtures
Friday 8 June: Poland v Greece, 18.00CET, Warsaw
Friday 8 June: Poland v Greece, 18.00CET, Warsaw
Friday8 June: 21.30 IST
Tuesday 12 June: Greece v Czech Republic, 18.00CET, Wroclaw
Tuesday 12 June: Greece v Czech Republic, 18.00CET, Wroclaw
Wednesday 13 June: 21.30 IST
Saturday 16 June: Greece v Russia, 20.45CET, Warsaw
Sunday 17 June: 00.15 IST
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