Expectations
To say that Greece is going through a difficult patch is an understatement.The current financial and political situation in the country has Greek people starved for something anything - that can lift their spirit and, even for a while, shift their attention from their everyday problems. So, with Euro 2012 approaching and the memory of the squad lifting the trophy only eight years old, hopes are rising.
The fact that Greece were undefeated in the qualifying stage and have been drawn in a group with Poland, the Czech Republic and Russia, is why coach Fernando Santos has set reaching the last eight as his goal. It's a perfectly realistic goal: anything less will be a failure, anything more, a huge exploit.
Is the coach popular?
Santos is liked by the fans, which is not bad going considering he has coached at AEK, Panathinaikos and PAOK in the last decade. He also knows how to work with the Greek players. In contrast with his predecessor Otto Rehhagel, who was accused of running the squad like an exclusive club, Santos has opened the floodgates and given all Greek players a shot at international football. Since the Portuguese coach took over in August 2010, he has called up 57 players and used 32 of them in the Euro 2012 qualifiers.
So when he named the squad for the finals, there were a few players unhappy to miss out, among them striker Stefanos Athanasiadis, who scored 17 goals for PAOK. He was overlooked to the benefit of Kostas Mitroglou, who bagged 19 goals for Atromitos, who have just finished in a record fourth-place in the league.
Talking-points:
There has been a lot of talk about the goalkeepers and many fear that it will be a permanent subject of debate during the tournament. Santos had a big problem because the usual goalkeepers had seasons to forget: Michalis Sifakis underwent knee surgery in September and played only four league games; Alexandros Tzorvas hasn't played since December, when he last played for Palermo in goal in the Coppa Italia. As for Kostas Chalkias, he played only in the last stretch of the league and showed a worrying lack of form.
But Santos has stuck with all three, claiming they are more in synch with the demands of the Greek squad and have big tournaments experience.
Strengths:
Given the doubts over the goalkeeper situation, it's a good thing for Greece their defence is so strong, featuring high-quality and in-form players: central defenders Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Werder Bremen), Kyriakos Papadopoulos (Schalke) and well as full-backs Vassilis Torossidis and Jose Holebas. These guys would be hardest to replace, along with the two captains, Giorgos Karagounis and Kostas Katsouranis. The two midfielders and Euro 2004 veterans might not be in their prime anymore, but they are essential to the team, not least for their set-piece expertise, as dead-ball situations have become Greece's major scoring weapon in recent years.
Secret weapon:
There are two exciting youngsters in the squad: Sotiris Ninis, who will complete his move to Parma after the tournament, and Giannis Fetfatzidis, currently the most technically gifted Greek player. The pair's playmaking skills add imagination to the side, much-needed too as Greece's attacking pattern can become boring and predictable.
Tournament Bet: Greece won't excite with their football, but they simply refuse to lose. Look out for tight, low-scoring matches, with no more than
one goal separating them from their rivals. Also beat in mind that, in the qualifiers, Santos' team scored ten of their 14 goals in the last 30 minutes of the games.
Back Under 2.5 Goals in every match involving Greece
Vassiliki Papantonopoulou is a sports journalist who has been covering the Greece national team for the last 12 years for uefa.com.