Greece (National Football)

Welcome back to the latest edition of our World Cup tactics board, where we look at each nation in turn who has qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

This time around we've got Euro 2004 winners Greece in our sights, who qualified via the playoffs in the UEFA zone.

Greece finished third in their group in 2010 and will be hoping to go at least one better in Brazil.

Qualifying/Preparation

Greece have been noted over the past decade for their ability to reach major tournaments, and they made it four in a row by reaching Brazil 2014 via the playoffs, after finishing second in Group G behind Bosnia and Herzegovina on goal difference.

They started with a 2-1 win in Latvia, following that up with a 2-0 home victory over Lithuania.

The big tests came in the shape of home and away fixtures against Bosnia-Herz., which ended 0-0 and in a 3-1 defeat, respectively, sandwiching a 1-0 win over Slovakia.

Greece put together four successive 1-0 wins to bounce back from that loss to Bosnia, beating Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Latvia and Slovakia, before a final 2-0 win over Liechtenstein proved not enough to unseat Bosnia from top spot on goal difference.

In the playoffs, Greece defeated Romania 4-2 on aggregate, winning 3-1 at home in the first leg.

Formation and Style

As is their custom, Greece qualified by way of being extremely difficult to beat, securing a succession of clean sheets and taking victories by the odd goal.

Five of their eight victories were by a 1-0 scoreline, while they totalled eight clean sheets and didn't concede a single goal at home during qualifying.

Greece under Otto Rehhagel were renowned for being extremely defensive-minded, sitting back deep with numbers behind the ball, and looking to counter-attack down the flanks and by utilising a powerful, aerially impressive lone centre-forward to hold up the ball and be a threat from set pieces.

Now under the guidance of Fernando Santos, all that still applies, but the defence has actually stepped up even more.

Greece typically feature with just the one central striker, though they rotated their attacking options heavily during qualifying. Often, Giorgios Samaras would operate from a wider area to add greater movement infield in attacks and provide a diagonal out-ball to help launch counters.

They're far from the most fluid and offensive-minded side, but they are very adept at frustrating the opposition, closing out spaces and making the most of opportunities which fall their way.

Reasons for Hope

Their strong defence, range of forwards of a similar level, strong and stable squad and previous tournament experience are all big plusses for Greece.

Two midfielders—captain Giorgos Karagounis and Kostas Katsouranis—have over a century of caps already, while another seven in the usual squads are within touching distance or beyond 50 each.

While many of the players in the squad are based in Greece, mainly at Olympiacos, a few individuals play for much bigger clubs: centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos is a regular for Dortmund and the versatile Vasilis Torosidis continues to play a squad role at Roma.

In the centre-back position, Kostas Manolas looks set to continue a strong line of top-class, determined defenders.

Reasons for Concern

Kyriakos Papadopoulos has endured a nightmare two seasons through injury, first with his knee and most recently dislocating his shoulder, meaning he's highly unlikely to go to the World Cup.

In attack, Kostas Mitroglou has barely featured for Fulham since his January transfer, supposedly through lack of fitness, so he will hardly be in the best shape for the summer tournament either. Goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas has never exactly convinced at international level, while the main Greek stopper in qualifying was Orestis Karnezis—he's played just three times for Granada in La Liga this season.

Finally, Group C at the World Cup proper will provide a very tough, but not insurmountable, challenge for Greece.

They face Colombia, Japan and Ivory Coast, all nations who will believe they can qualify for the knock-out stages. It is an extremely even group, which is perhaps both a positive and a negative for a team who will hope to defend stoutly and nick a goal when they can. One mistake and it could be very hard to squeeze through.

Conclusions and Predictions

It really is a case of write off Greece at your peril, so regularly have they been able to reach the knock-outs at major tournaments of late, but it remains difficult to see them winning enough games to go through.

Japan have players with better final-third technique, Colombia have a range of strikers to choose from who can all contribute goals and Ivory Coast will have Didier Drogba.

These nations are all stronger than the likes of Slovakia, Lithuania and such who failed to find a way past Greece in the qualifiers, yet Greece themselves only managed to score three times in two matches against Liechtenstein.

Such a negative outlook will, in the end, cost the chance of victory at key moments, and with attack-minded teams to play in Brazil, Group C could be the end of the road for Greece this time around. 

Prediction: Group Stage exit in World Cup 2014, third or fourth in Group C

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Greece will take a comfortable lead to Bucharest after triumphing 3-1 over Romania in the first leg of their World Cup playoff.

Konstantinos Mitroglou bagged a goal either side of Dimitris Salpingidis’ strike at the Stadios Georgios Karaiskaki to put Fernando Santos’ team in pole position to secure a place at the 2014 showpiece.

But the Romanians gave themselves a sniff after Bogdan Stancu netted a crucial away goal.

Whilst the Greeks will no doubt be confident of seeing the job out in Bucharest, Romania too will feel they have enough in their locker to triumph 2-0 in front of their own raucous supporters.

So with that in mind, let's take a glance towards the second game and some changes both sides might be looking to implement ahead of what promises to be another intriguing affair.

Romanians Must Shackle Mitroglou

The Olympiakos man was the stand-out player in the first game of this double-header, running the Romanian defense ragged from start to finish. Mitroglou, who has been linked with clubs such as Liverpool in recent weeks, has been in superb form this season, bagging 13 goals in just 10 games (courtesy of WhoScored.com) in the Greek Super League.

But whilst he is on an excellent goalscoring run, Romania afforded him far too much time and space in dangerous areas. It is certainly something the home side will need to look at closely in Bucharest. 

Yes, they need to score at least two goals to qualify and at some point may have to neglect defensive responsibilities. But another goal or two from Mitroglou will make their job all the more difficult.

Victor Piturca’s side need to shore things up defensively and limit the space for the red-hot forward to work in. Once they’ve established an improved, solid base to work from, only then should they go in search of the two goals they require.

Patience Needed From Piturca’s Romania

Often when a side is trying to overhaul a two-goal deficit, they will go all guns blazing from the off. Whilst it is noble from an attacking sense, it is a tactic that rarely bears fruit. The team in the driving seat—on this occasion Greece—soak up the pressure and take control of the game in the latter stages.

If Romania are to have any chance here, they must be patient against a Greece team who can be notoriously dogged. Romania had 55 percent of possession in the first leg but only managed to convert that into one shot on target.

Instead of keeping the ball for longer, frustrating the home crowd and taking the sting out of the game, they regularly rushed their passing in advanced areas and found themselves running down blind alleys.

With the Bucharest crowd likely to create a galvanizing atmosphere, the temptation will be there to go for the jugular from kick-off. But Piturca must reaffirm that patience in their play and opportunism in their passing is crucial to their success.

More Of The Same From Greece

In many respects, the performance of the Greeks was reminiscent of one you might see a team employ away from home. The Romanians bossed possession but always looked susceptible to the hosts' counter-attacking play when springing from deep.

Mitroglou’s first goal, for example, came as a long, late run from the Olympiakos striker caught the Romania defence square. With Romania likely to have just as much, if not more, of the ball in Bucharest, this will leave space for the Greeks to exploit on the counter.

If Santos’ side can be as efficient and effective in their play in the return leg, then they have a superb chance of grabbing an away goal which could deflate any Romanian hopes of a comeback.

Players such as the aforementioned Mitroglou and his strike partner Georgios Samaras excel when playing counter-attacking football, and they could see a lot of the ball on the break in Bucharest.

Heading into the final game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup UEFA group stage qualifiers, Group G is set for a almighty and dramatic climax with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Greece tied on points in first and second place, respectively.

No other group is as tight, with Greece only lagging behind Bosnia and Herzegovina on goal difference.

Hosting bottom placed Liechtenstein in their final group game, Greece will look to do what damage they can to their rival's advantage, although with 17 goals separating the top two, Fernando Santos will instead need Lithuania to somehow take a point from Edin Dzeko and Co. for his team to come out on top.

Stranger things have happened in international football, but even if automatic qualification is now out of reach, Greece will still be looking to produce a strong showing against Liechtenstein to ready themselves for the playoffs where they may yet meet the likes of England or the Ukraine.

Not to mention, with their country wracked with social and political unrest, Greece's footballers will be seeking to lift their troubled nation with a glorious home finale to their group qualification campaign. 

Venue: Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Athens

Date: Tuesday, Oct. 15

Time: 18:00 BST 

Live Stream and TV Info

Watch Online: ESPN3

Watch on TV: Not available

Team News

PAOK midfielder Kosta Katsouranis and Olympiakos defender Jose Holebas are both suspended, although with goalscoring on the agenda for Santos' team, the extra opportunities to field some of Greece's exciting youngsters may prove beneficial.

Sotiris Ninis and Ioannis Fetfatzidis could feature to spur Greece on with the likes of Giorgos Karagounis and Vasilis Torosidis bringing experience, balance and leadership to the lineup.

With information scarce, it seems that Liechtenstein have nothing to declare when it comes to new injury or suspension news.

Prediction

The Greeks will likely run up a hefty total about their hapless visitors, Liechtenstein, which would not be able to lift themselves from the Group G canvas even if they were to win in Athens, as they are stuck on just two points from nine games.

Latvia are currently in fifth place, but with seven points to their name, they would be safe even if the unthinkable were to happen for Greece.

Santos and his men will instead be wishing for such a fate to befall Bosnia and Herzegovina, which must slip up if Greece are to have any real chance at snatching automatic qualification themselves.

Greece 3-0 Liechtenstein

Greece defeated Mexico by the score of 2-1 on Saturday in both football clubs’ first group stage match of the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

The Greeks took a 1-0 early lead, as midfielder Andreas Bouchalakis scored a goal 14 minutes into the match. Dimitrios Diamantakos’ beautiful pass set up the goal.

Bouchalakis impressed for Ergotelis in May, scoring goals in back-to-back games against Gazoros and Panachaiki.

FOX Soccer Trax tweeted a play-by-play of the impressive teamwork.

Serginho instead blamed Mexico’s defense for surrendering the go-ahead goal.

It didn’t take long for the Mexicans to pull even with the Greeks. Midfielder Jorge Espericueta’s first shot attempt of the match was an accurate one, as he launched it past Greece goaltender Stefanos Kapino on a free kick just before the half.

The 18-year-old prodigy had scored two goals in his nine career matches on Mexico’s U-17 club.

Teshawn Edmonds reacted to the game-tying strike by Espericueta.

It seemed as if each club would earn a draw in the Group D standings going into the final minutes of the match. The starting goaltenders, Kapino and Richard Sanchez, had combined for 11 saves and were looking sturdy. About 88 minutes in, though, Dimitrios Kolovos of Greece got off his first shot of the game, and the ball flew past Sanchez into the net for the game-winning goal.

Earl Reed credited Kolovos rather than Mexico’s stop unit on the Greeks’ second goal.

Nikolai Alho even went on to say that the Mexican’s were the better ball club—they were just outplayed.

Mexican forward Marco Bueno Ontiveros failed to score in the match despite racking up four shots on goal. Mexico as a team managed to attempt 19 shots on the outing, eight being on goal. Greece only attempted seven shots all day, but it did so with incredible efficiency, as six were on goal.

The Greeks simply took advantage of their opportunities far better than the Mexicans.

2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup Group A Standings (via FIFA.com)

What’s Next?

Both clubs will receive two days off prior to their next Group D match. Then, on Tuesday, June 25, Mexico will take on Paraguay. Greece’s game against Mali will follow in Gaziantep, Turkey.

David Daniels is a breaking news writer at Bleacher Report and news editor at Wade-O Radio.

Greece got a nice boost to its World Cup hopes, as it defeated Lithuania 1-0 in Friday's qualifying match.

After falling to Bosnia-Herzegovina in the most recent qualifier in March, Greece was in a tough position in Group G, which also features Slovakia, Latvia and Liechtenstein. It truly needed all three points against an inferior opponent on Friday to remain in contention.

Paul Carr of ESPN provided these odds heading into the match, which showcases the improtance for both sides:

The Greek team lived up to expectations with a victory, although it was not the best showing overall in the narrow victory. 

While there were few opportunities for either team at the start, the opening goal came at the 20-minute mark. Jose Holebas provided a fantastic cross to the far post, out of reach of the goalkeeper. Lazaros Christodoulopoulos made a great run on the other side to finish with a nice header to make it 1-0 in favor of Greece.

Soccer analyst Chris Andre had some good things to say about the play:

For the rest of the first half, neither team had too many opportunities, as Greece held onto the lead heading into intermission.

In the second half, however, it appeared to be a completely different match. Lithuania was the more aggressive side and had a number of quality opportunities near the net.

Unfortunately for the Lithuanians, they were never able to break through with the equalizing goal, and the team fell 1-0.

The victory gives Greece 13 points in the league table, although it remains three points behind Bosnia-Herzegovina for first place in the group. The squad is also quite far behind the leaders in goal differential, so earning that top spot appears difficult at this point.

Still, the squad better hope to get at least second place to earn a spot in the final playoff to get into the World Cup. 

For Lithuania, this loss will be incredibly damaging for the team's hope of advancing to the next stage. The club has one win in six matches and will need a lot more points to get to the top of the table.

Then again, anything can happen with four more matches for each squad in this round.

Grades

Jose Holebas, Greece: A

While Christodoulopoulos gets the glory for scoring the goal in the first half, Holebas was the reason that the score was possible. The defender displayed beautiful accuracy with his cross, and he put it in a place where only his teammate could get it.

Holebas was injured shortly before the end of the first half, and he needs to be healthy for the squad to compete in future matches.

Theofanis Gekas, Greece, B+

Although Gekas had a few opportunities to score, he was unable to get either of his shots behind the goalkeeper. He was eventually taken out in the second half in favor of Dimitris Salpingidis.

The team's go-to scorer must provide better shots on net to help the squad, or else qualifying will be tough to do.

Edgaras Cesnauskis, Lithuania: B-

It is not necessarily a good thing, but Lithuania has come to rely on Cesnauskis and his ability to score. The midfielder has two goals in this round of World Cup qualifying, but he was unable to add to that total on the day.

Although the veteran had some nice plays, his contributions were not enough to help his team earn a point.

Mindaugas Panka, Lithuania: C-

Panka is not usually known for his offensive abilities, and he continued to hurt Lithuania with his play on Friday. He committed a number of fouls and gave the Greeks more offensive opportunities than they deserved on the day. 

Lithuania

Greece

What's Next?

These teams have a long time before getting back into World Cup qualifying for Group G. On September 6, Lithuania will have a road contest against Latvia, while Greece travels to Liechtenstein.

Of course, both squads are likely to schedule a couple of friendly matches to help prepare for the remainder of the competition.

Rob Goldberg is a member of Bleacher Report's Breaking News Team. Follow him on Twitter for the latest updates.

The Superleague Greece is now the latest European league to be implicated in the Drug Doping allegations that have swept through Europe. The news comes after AEK Athens right back Christous Arkoudas failed a routine drug test conducted by Greece's anti-doping control.

According to Reuters (via Eurosport), the 22-year-old defender tested positive for the banned stimulant oxilofrine. Under the Hellenic Football Federation's disciplinary code, he could face a ban of up to two years. Arkoudas will face a second drug test prior to the investigation proceeding further.

Whilst the youngster was unavailable for a comment, it is expected he will exercise his right to appeal the decision.

The positive result comes in a week which has seen the world of football rocked by both doping and match-fixing allegations at the code's highest level. Pertaining to doping. Spanish side Real Sociedad have been put under pressure to come clean after it was revealed by a former club president that doctors illegally distributed performance-enhancing drugs to players (via Reuters).

Although penalties for drug taking in football exist, I am of the belief that the two years that Arkoudas could face are not nearly strong enough to send a message to the world that FIFA is serious about stamping illegal drug use out of football.

Talk of pressure and threats to take performance enhancers can no longer be used as scapegoats to escape punishment. Why? Because of the reality of it; the longer football submits to such excuses, the further its reputation will suffer and so to its ability to bring the world together.

Considering this particular case came to surface just days after the Sociedad allegations, the question that is begging to be answered is "what is to come?"

Perhaps the citizens of Greece should demand that their national soccer team be allowed to run the country. After all, unlike the Greek government, the members of Ethniki Ellados appear to actually be able to accomplish something.

Eight years after shocking the world of soccer by winning Euro 2004, the Greeks are on another magical run after upsetting Russia 1-0 to advance to the knockout stage of UEFA Euro 2012.

Unfortunately, the Greek side will all but certainly be one of the first countries knocked out of the knockout round. Greece has drawn the unenviable task of trying to defeat a German side that emerged from Group B play with a spotless 3-0-0 record.

There are any of number of reasons why calling Greece's match with Germany an "uphill battle" for the Greeks is something of an understatement.

First, there's the small fact that the Germans are presently riding a 14-game winning streak in competitive international fixtures, which is a team record. The Germans are also a perfect 5-0 in quarterfinal matches at the European Championships. In fact, each time the Germans have advanced to this point in the past, the team has gone on to the final.

Not only must Greece overcome Germany's historical success in the knockout stage of this tournament, but Greek coach Fernando Santos will be trying to do something that no Greek national coach has ever done—beat Germany in international competition.

In eight previous meetings against Die Mannschaft, the Greeks have lost five times with three draws. That's a daunting record to overcome. However, Greek forward Dimitris Salpigidis recently told Sports Illustrated that defeating the Germans is far from an impossible task. In fact, he and his teammates are confident they can pull yet another rabbit out of their collective hats.

I don't think anyone on the team believes this will be our last game at this tournament. People have so many problems in their everyday lives. We're really hoping that we can put a smile on their face.'

Unfortunately for Greece, not only will they be playing a superior team, they'll be doing so without several of their top players while the Germans will be getting one back.

Defender Jerome Boateng will return for Germany after serving a one-game ban and take over at right-back for Lars Bender. Meanwhile, the Greeks will be without the services of captain Giorgos Karagounis and Jose Holebas. who are suspended. Goalkeeper Kostas Chalkias is also nursing a hamstring injury.

Just making it to the quarterfinals of Euro 2012 has been a huge morale boost for a Greek nation searching desperately for any sort of good news during very troubled times. However, unless the truly miraculous happens on Friday and Greece stuns the soccer world yet again, that diversion will have ended, and Greece's Cinderella run at Euro 2012 will be over.

Friday’s match between Germany and Greece is the biggest mismatch of the Euro 2012 quarterfinals. The Greeks will need one of their most senior players, Kostas Katsouranis, to step up and lead them if they are to have any chance of upsetting the odds.

Now marginal favourites with most bookies, Germany came into the last eight on the back of three wins out of three in the so-called "Group of Death". In fact, Germany have won all 13 competitive fixtures they have played since narrowly losing to Spain 1-0 in the semifinals of the last World Cup.

Greece, by contrast, went into their final Group A match bottom of the table having drawn their first game and lost their second, before progressing thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 win over Russia.

Germany—finalists four years ago—have retained most of the key participants of that campaign but have also ushered in some of the world’s most talented young players into the set-up. Joachim Loew’s squad is the youngest ever to enter a European Championship. The average age is 24.52, almost three years younger than Greece’s (27.17).

Mario Gomez is the tournament’s joint-top scorer. Given that two of the other players to match his current haul of three goals—Russia’s Alan Dzagoev and Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic—are both already out, the Bayern Munich man is now the favourite to claim the Golden Boot. Greece’s two main strikers, Theofanis Gekas and Dimitrios Salpingidis, have netted six international goals between them over the past two years.

Given all that, it is no surprise that few are giving Fernando Santos's players a prayer of making it any further in the tournament.

Their cause has not been helped by the suspension of their captain and midfield lynchpin Giorgos Karagounis. The Greece skipper, who scored the winner against Russia, looked inconsolable when he was booked in that match, and no wonder. The yellow card was the 35-year-old’s second of the group stage, ruling him out of the quarterfinal through suspension.

With Karagounis out it is up to his vice-captain, Katsouranis, to try and lead his team to an unlikely victory. While Karagounis is a steely presence in the centre of the park, his main asset is his creativity and set-piece expertise. It is Katsouranis who is the real midfield enforcer, a deep-lying battler who protects his defence with stubborn yet classy resolve.

In spite of that, he has got more than his fair share of goals for the national team. Since making his debut in 1998, Katsouranis has bagged nine goals in 94 international appearances, while his strike rate at club level has been consistently higher than that throughout his career.

Like his midfield cohort for club and country—both he and Karagounis play for Athens giants Panathinaikos—Katsouranis is a seasoned campaigner. He was part of the Greek side in 2004 which fought and ground its way to victory in the tournament, defeating hosts Portugal in the opening match and again in the final.

He was named Greek Footballer of the Year the year after lifting the Henri Delaunay Trophy, and he was also voted Benfica’s Player of the Season in his third and final term at the Lisbon club.

Despite turning 33 the day before the Germany clash, Katsouranis has not lost his legs. He is one of only four players in the Greek squad—along with forward Georgios Samaras and defenders Giannis Manitatis and Vasilis Torosidis—to have played every minute of the tournament so far. In addition to that, he also played from start to finish in each of the nine qualifying matches he played.

He will need all of that energy and experience when he faces off against a fearfully quick and creative German midfield. Katsouranis can leave the handling of goal-hanger extraordinaire Gomez to his centre-backs, which is just as well—he has to find a way of marshalling Mesut Ozil, Thomas Mueller, Lukas Podolski, Bastian Schweinsteiger and even Sami Khedira for at least 90 minutes, perhaps even 120.

Not only will Katsouranis have to watch his own man, but he will also have to make sure his fellow midfielders—most likely two from Konstantinos Fortounis, Grigoris Makos and Giorgos Fotakis—are doing their job too. But then, that is why he is vice-captain. His leadership skills are not in question.

In any case, Katsouranis has in the past been able to shackle a midfield containing Luis Figo, Deco, Rui Costa and Cristiano Ronaldo not once but twice at Euro 2004.

They said he couldn’t do it then, and he proved them wrong. They are saying the same now. Can he silence the doubters and upset the favourites a second time?