Football is a fickle business.
Even before the final whistle blew last Friday to confirm Greece’s third successive home defeat in Euro 2016 qualifying, the profanity-laced jeers had already begun to rain down from those in attendance at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. Claudio Ranieri became public enemy number one.
I feel obligated to provide a little background for those unaware of the sheer magnitude of Greece’s humbling in Piraeus. For the most part, the Faroe Islands national side is made up of part-time players that ply their trade in the country’s semi-pro domestic league. Only seven players from are on the books with professional clubs outside the coastal autonomous country that boasts a total population of under 50,000.
The Greek media labelled the 1-0 embarrassment by the Faroe Islands a “black day” in the nation’s 88-year football history. For the visitors it was their first competitive win in three years, the first away from home since 2001 and only the fourth all-time abroad since the tiny island situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean—between Denmark and Iceland—gained UEFA membership in 1990.
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As the Faroese players feverishly raced onto the pitch to celebrate the monumental achievement, the cameras panned to the sidelines, and the look on Ranieri’s face was that of a condemned man heading towards the gallows. It was evident this was to be the Italian’s final appearance in the Hellenic dugout, having earned a solitary point in his four matches in charge—good enough for dead last in Group F.
“I have no words to explain what happened,” the 63 year-old stated following the humiliation. Really? Simple logic suggests otherwise.
The decision to deploy a rather conservative 4-2-3-1 formation with 34 year-old veteran Theofanis Gekas as the lone striker was a mistake. We all are well aware of the Greeks’ defensive style of play, but given their position in the table and how badly they needed three points, why a more attack-minded approach wasn’t implemented was surprising—especially against an opponent who is ranked 187th by FIFA.
The blame clearly rests on Ranieri’s shoulders for the sad state of Greece’s current qualifying campaign. The Italian planned a seismic overhaul after taking over from Fernando Santos following the team’s second round defeat to Costa Rica at the World Cup in Brazil. Since taking over in July, Ranieri has called up a total of 38 players in an attempt to find the right formula in order to play a more attractive and entertaining brand of football.
If that was his gameplan, then why start only one striker against the weakest team in the group? Or for that matter, why tinker with the team’s chemistry in such an aggressive manner? Why try to fix something that isn’t broken? It’s not as if Greece was in need of a massive overhaul. It’s understandable for a manager to mix things up, or plugging holes due to injuries. However, the sheer volume of call-ups and tactical changes made during Ranieri’s tenure was reckless and has cost Greece dearly. With six matches remaining, only a perfect record can salvage their campaign, and that’s not even a guarantee.
The news of Ranieri’s sacking came as no surprise the following morning. Hellenic Football Federation president Giorgos Sarris took the brunt of the blame, saying “I take full responsibility for the most unfortunate choice of coach, which has resulted in such a poor image of the national team being put before the fans.”
Sarris didn’t pull his punches, but the federation is still on the hook for the €1.6 million contract Rainieri signed four months ago. A settlement between both parties has yet to be reached. Given the current financial situation in Greece, the HFF shortlist of possible replacements will unlikely include any marquee names, as the money simply isn’t there after the investment on Ranieri went belly up. Dick Advocaat shouldn’t expect a call.
Kostas Tsanas, current coach of the under-21 team, was installed as a short-term stop-gap and was in the dugout Tuesday for the home friendly versus Serbia, which ended 2-0 to the visitors in Crete. A couple of the names being bandied about as possible permanent replacements by local media are Giorgos Donis (APOEL FC) and Angelos Anastasiadis (PAOK). Both are former Greek internationals with over a decade of managerial experience in the nation’s domestic league. Four of the last five Greek coaches have been foreign imports. Most recent reports have 75 year-old Giovanni Trapattoni on the verge of a return to football after previously stepping down as Ireland manager 14 months ago.
The last decade has seen Greece compete in five of the last six international competitions, having only missed out on the 2006 World Cup in Germany. By the looks of things, a transitional period seems to be on the horizon, regardless of the next man selected to sit in the hot seat.
The Ranieri experiment was a complete disaster, despite the hype machine touting his hiring as a huge coup. I didn’t think it was possible for Greece to be more inept on the offensive side of the ball, but under the Italian’s tutelage, the team looked lost and absent of ideas in attack. Worse off, the Greeks’ biggest weapon—defensive discipline—practically disappeared.
There was no going back after Greece’s most recent poor showing, and the news of another Italian taking the reins might not sit well with an aggravated fan base. However, Trapattoni is a much better fit from a tactical standpoint for Greece than Ranieri, given his coaching style and attention to defence. By no means should Il Trap be considered anything more than a short-term solution. Someone younger must be sought out to take over after Euro 2016 qualifying ends and before the qualification process begins for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Let’s face reality: Greece will have the summer off when the continent’s best nations travel to France in 2016. They will have to move mountains to prove this theory wrong.