Πάμε Γαλλία (Greece's Road to France 2016)

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Pots were announced for the qualification draw set to take place one week from today. We're ranked 7th among European sides according to the UEFA National Team coefficients, so that places us in pot 1. As such, we avoid the toughest sides, although we could face one or both of Belgium and France (France is set to participate in friendly fixtures since as hosts they automatically qualify).

According to UEFA, the qualification process undergoes as follows:

In total, 24 sides will qualify. No official announcement, to my knowledge at least, has been made as to how groupings and knock-out procedures will proceed at the finals. My only guess is that it will oddly resemble something like the 1994 World Cup, which also had 24 participants: the teams were divided among six groups of four, with the top two teams and the best four third-placed teams qualifying for the last 16 knock-out stages.

Odds are that we will qualify, but that task will be made very difficult should we draw a group containing any one team from each pot as listed below,
Pot 1: Greece
Pot 2: Belgium / Croatia / Ukraine / Denmark / Switzerland / Sweden
Pot 3: Serbia / Turkey / Poland
Pot 4: Montenegro / Armenia / Wales / Bulgaria
Pot 5: Iceland / Albania / FYROM
Pot 6: Kazakhstan

These sides aren't necessarily capable of beating Greece, but they could prove thorny opposition, either for reasons of national/political rivalry (Turkey, Albania, and FYROM), travel and climate (Iceland and Kazakhstan), the level of quality and depth (Belgium), the general quality of the side (most of the teams indicated), or the enormous quality of certain star players (Gareth Bale of Wales).

 

We could not have asked for a more favorable draw.

Our opponents:
Hungary
Romania
Finland
Northern Ireland
Faroe Islands

We should to win a little more emphatically this time and aim to integrate players like Ninis, Tachtsidis, Fortounis, Fetfatzidis, Mavrias, Samaris, Stafyllidis, Triantafyllopoulos, and Kapinos into the team. There's no reason why we can't turn some of them into regular first team members. Besides, we need to move on from the bygone era of Karagounis, Katsouranis, Tziolis, and Salpingidis. Frankly, it's overdue.

 

After the World Cup, we won't have a choice but for a changing in the rearguard. Hopefully, Mitroglou is in fine form, are center-backs are in tip top shape, and Fetfatzidis will have matured enough to be a revelation for us at the finals. That might be enough to build off in the future. If Ninis, Fortounis, Samaris, Stafyllidis, and Tachtsidis get back on course, the future will look good.

 

Last week's friendlies saw Romania impressively draw against a full strength Argentina. Maxim could have had two goals. One of his chancels went in, but it was disallowed because the linesman determined the ball was out of play before the cross swung in. Pantilimon, on the other end, was more than titular on a few occasions.



Finland played out 2-1 win against fellow group rival Hungary. It took a late penalty for Finland to prevail in Budapest.

Greece disappointingly lost to South Korea, 0-2. We hit the post three times, but our performance was very subpar.

 

We're last place! Behind Faroes Islands! I can scarcely believe it.

 

I can tell you that Samaras is more or less finished with Greece, which I'm sure is music to your ears. He signed up with some club in Saudi Arabia for the next three years. Also Markarian, the new coach, played Giannotas as a sub.