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Vital wins
When they travelled to Saragossa depleted by injuries to face
Spain last June they still seemingly faced a struggle to pip
Ukraine to the play-offs having lost to both sides in their
opening pair of qualifiers. But 90 minutes later they had
a 1-0 win against a Spanish side that had beaten them so comfortably
the previous September, and after victories by the same score
against Ukraine and Armenia, Greece had pulled off a stunning
comeback, having not conceded a competitive goal in close
to a year.
Impressive achievement
That achievement was even more impressive considering the
attacking resources of Spain and Ukraine, with Raúl
González and Andriy Shevchenko among those blunted
by the Greek defence. A strong team ethic and deep reserves
of determination were the factors that helped them through
to Portugal. Also vital was a tactical rethink by their German
coach Otto Rehhagel, which has made predicting the Greek starting
lineup a sport in itself.
Successful goalkeeper
Antonios Nikopolidis was the man in goal for those vital qualifiers,
his UEFA Champions League experience for Panathinaikos FC
coming in very useful. In front of him, Rehhagel began with
a four-man defence in a 4-4-2 formation - Giourkas Seitaridis,
Stylianos Venetidis, Niklos Dabizas and Traianos Dellas -
but for the crucial visit to Spain a 5-4-1 sweeper system
was deployed, able to convert to 3-4-3 in attacking situations.
Five-man option
In that formation, Dellas was the sweeper with Seitaridis
and Venetidis or Panagiotis Fyssas alongside him in defence.
Theodoros Zagorakis or Angelos Basinas usually give support
to the defence from a holding position in a midfield which
did a fine job in qualifying matches with their pressing game,
notably squeezing a Spanish side that dominated possession
and territory.
Wing role
Stylianos Giannakopoulos - scorer of a spectacular winner
against Spain - plays on the right wing, able to convert to
support the lone striker in the 4-5-1 lineup, with Vassilios
Lakis on the left. Zisis Vryzas, usually a forward, took the
wide role and scored the winner against Armenia.
Striking combinations
Up front, Themistoklis Nikolaidis and Angelos Charisteas began
as the first-choice strike partnership in the 4-4-2 set-up,
both chipping in with crucial goals during the campaign. Nikolaidis
fell out of favour later, with Vryzas or Charisteas used as
alternative lone strikers - the latter replacing the former
at half-time against Ukraine and scoring a vital 86th-minute
winner.
Tactical flexibility
However, within all those selections Rehhagel has expected
his players to show flexibility both tactically and positionally,
and their dedication to the cause was shown in defending their
lead in Spain, and then edging ahead in the final four minutes
later that week against Ukraine.
Disappointing record
For Greece the challenge now is to show that they are capable
of producing their best form on the highest stage, having
not yet won a game in major tournament finals. The country's
teams previously qualified for the 1980 UEFA European Championship
- where they drew with the eventual winners West Germany but
lost their other two games - and the 1994 FIFA World Cup,
where they were defeated three times.
On the road
The record of Greek clubs in European football, unbeatable
at home but vulnerable away, has been trumped to a certain
extent by the national team this time around, notably in Spain.
However, it is the ability to consistently produce their best
form away from the comforts of Athens that will prove the
major test of their mettle.
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