Impressive passing and possession stats and, ominously for Ireland, a potent long-range scoring threat. - ShaneKeegan81 analyses Gus Poyet's Greece.
Team shape Since the arrival of Gus Poyet as manager in February of last year, Greece have stuck almost exclusively to a 4-3-3 shape. The only real question is whether he chooses to play with one sitting midfielder and two box to box players in front or two sitting midfielders with a ‘10’ in front.
Given Greece are also the home side, they are highly likely to be in control of the ball for the majority of the game with Ireland looking to pick their moments to spring counter attacks. Baldock is a regular wing back in Sheffield United’s successful 3-4-3 system where he continually makes surging runs down their right flank. Tsimikas may be used more sparingly at Liverpool but when on the field he too has bombed forward, providing four assists in their league campaign last season.
Ominously for Ireland, the biggest attacking threat may in fact come from the long-range shooting threat of attacking midfielder and captain Bakasetas.Conceding goals from distance has been an Achilles heel for Stephen Kenny’s team and in Bakasetas they are up against a player who will certainly look to continue the trend.
As Tsimikas plays a pass inside to Mantalos, Bakasetas makes the decision to check his run and pull back outside the box, brilliantly buying himself the time and space to get a shot away, that finds the bottom right corner this time.Again, it started with some attacking brilliance from Tsimikas. Faced by two defenders, he looks as though he is pinned to the sideline. But a drop of the shoulder and nutmeg later and he is dinking a cross into the box from the end line.
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