The “blue and white” just managed to climb from the third to the second division, winning only small and medium teams
In soccer Greece, we really like to beautify situations that are not convenient for us. Just as it is happening now with the national team that failed to qualify for Euro 2024. Especially after the failure against Georgia we heard or read comments like “he fought, but…”, “the internationals were cool, they were unlucky in the penalty shootout” etc. All welcome. But there is also the other side, the realistic or even cynical for some, which says that when you cannot exclude teams inferior to your own you cannot have demands or big goals. And, damn the lies, Gustavo Puget’s national team failed miserably to get the ticket to a major tournament, ten years since their last participation in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil…
Celebrations for the obvious
We even got to the point of celebrating the obvious. That the national team rose with Poget from the third division of Europe to the second! With opponents not some beasts or behemoths, but groups of the range of Kosovo, Cyprus and the North. Irish…
To understand the magnitude of the failure, it is enough to point out the following: G. Poget took over on February 11, 2022 and in 22 games the national team had 12 wins, 4 draws and 6 losses. But if we look at the 12 victories one by one, we will find that the 49th in the world ranking Greece defeated only one team that has a better position in the FIFA ranking, the 45th Romania, in a friendly match in Bucharest (Poget’s first on the bench of ” blue and white”). The remaining eleven wins were against teams much lower in the world rankings.
During Poget’s era, Greece defeated teams from 62nd place and below! With any other above it he could not make even an excess. So in detail:
Apart from Romania, Greece won twice against Ireland (62), twice against North. Ireland (74), one Kazakhstan (100), two Kosovo (102), one Cyprus (125), two Gibraltar (201) and one New Zealand (103).
He drew with indifferent France (2) in the last match of the Euro 2024 qualifiers, Georgia (77), from whom he was eliminated on penalties, and in friendlies with Lithuania (138) and Malta (172).
Finally, it was defeated 6 times: twice by the Netherlands (6), and once by France (2), Hungary (27), Cyprus (125) and Montenegro (72).
Virtual reality
In conclusion, the Uruguayan coach somehow put things together and the national team managed not to lose to inferior teams, as happened before with embarrassing defeats by the Faroe Islands and others. But from there until the overpasses were made, the road remained impassable. Somehow, a virtual reality was created that the national team has very good material, that it plays beautiful football, and of course the bar of expectations was raised. Until Georgia came to crash land us again. When you play the qualifier in a match against an opponent who has only one very good player (Kvarashelia) and ten fans and you manage to make one chance in extra time (Mauropanou’s crossbar), then you have failed once more.
The reasons are many and countless. The responsibilities of EPO are even greater – which EPO is again looking for a coach and embarking on new adventures. Poget’s contract expires today (31/3) but the next day of the national team will be delayed, since the federation has elections in the summer and no one from the current administration wants to charge the successor, since it seems that we will have a change of baton after the elections.
But apart from the succession, the federation with whatever moves it makes consistently shows that the national team is the last thing on its mind. There is no greater proof than the fact that before every match the internationals look for pitches for training. A refugee nation in its own country does not exist anywhere in Europe. One training in Nea Smyrni, the other in Rizoupoli, the next at the training center of Atromitos in Aspropyrgos, the other in Spata. Zero organization, zero planning, no future but many demands from the agents and the world…
Read also: Nations League: Poget invited them to the battles for qualifying for the Euro
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