FIFA release final rankings before upcoming World Cup

FIFA have released their final rankings before the World Cup starts on June 11th. Greece takes up the 13th spot in the overall rankings and is only behind Argentina in Group B who are 7th. The Super Eagles from Nigeria are 21st and the South Koreans sit at 47th position (only New Zealand, South Africa and North Korea are below them). If we can go by the ranking's Greece look to be favorites to get out of the group stage behind Diego Maradona's Argentina, however FIFA's ranking system has been criticized in the past and really shouldn't be used as a gauge.


Here are the final FIFA rankings going into the World Cup for the 32 teams participating:

1. Brazil
2. Spain
3. Portugal
4. Netherlands
5. Italy
6. Germany
7. Argentina
8. England
9. France
13. Greece
14. United States
15. Serbia
16. Uruguay
17. Mexico
18. Chile
19. Cameroon
20. Australia
21. Nigeria
24. Switzerland
25. Slovenia
27. Ivory Coast
30. Algeria
31. Paraguay
32. Ghana
34. Slovakia
36. Denmark
38. Honduras
45. Japan
47. South Korea
78. New Zealand
83. South Africa
105. North Korea

Player in Focus: Sotirios Kyrgiakos

He received his first international cap in 2002 and has been one of the first names on the team sheet for coach Otto Rehhagel since then. Reason being he is solid as a rock at the back for Greece, unafraid to commit himself into a crucial tackle or an aerial challenge. His work rate is phenomenal and he is also a threat from set pieces; which are a Greek specialty. He gives his all for club and country. Sadly he missed out on Greece’s triumphant 2004 European Cup campaign in Portugal after injuring his knee. International success was never realized however at club level Kyrgiakos won the Greek Cup double in 2004 with Panathinaikos. Moving to Glasgow Rangers the following season he won the SPL and League Cup (scoring two goals in the final vs. Motherwell). Germany was his next challenge, signing with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2006. He won the fans over with some crucial performances and was a mainstay in Coach Friedhelm Funkel defensive unit. Euro 2008 ended horribly for the defending champs and after the tournament ended Kyrgiakos moved back home, signing with AEK Athens in August. Though only making 20 league appearances in 2008/09 season, the captain firmly established his place as one of his country’s best defenders. Liverpool came knocking in the summer of 2009 and Kyrgiakos signed a two year deal. The Merseyside giants were in need of a cheap no non-sense defender after early season injuries to Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel. Although only making 14 appearances for the club, he endured himself to the fans at Anfield with a string of solid starts, forming a great partnership with Kop legend Jamie Carragher. In January the fans voted him Liverpool’s Player of the Month, earning the respect of his teammates in the process with his unselfish play and determination for the club. Many will agree that with the departure of Sami Hyypia Liverpool lacked an aerial threat on set pieces in attack and in defense. Kyrgiakos fit in perfectly and actually scored his 1st Premier League goal vs. Stoke City on a set piece. Sure it wasn’t pretty but his power and presence in the 18 yard box can’t be denied. Following a successful first season in the English Premier League, Kyrgiakos will hope to continue his fine form in South Africa. The Greek defense will be put to the test by power house Argentina, the high flying Super Eagles of Nigeria and the unpredictable South Koreans. Lacking any individual star power the Greeks rely on defending and catching their opponents on the counter. Kyrgiakos must control and lead the back line if Greece has any chance of making it out of Group B; he has the ability and strength to win practically every aerial challenge which is a key weapon in the Greek arsenal. Despite being relatively unknown in Europe its hard to deny Kyrgiakos commitment and work rate, a strong effort in South Africa will see his stock rise and only help his chances for a place in Liverpool’s starting XI next season.

One-dimensional...Predictable...Not Good Enough!

The fact that Greece was outplayed by a vastly inferior team was hard to take. A team which boasts’s only 2 players who play outside of the country. With the rest being part-time players at best, the Koreans controlled most of the game and excited the crowd in Austria. Instead of making a statement the Greeks looked lost and unable to muster up any form of offensive prowess. Set pieces were the only reason Greece even made it on the scoreboard, and as a fan I must say this simply isn't good enough. Otto Rehhagel seems to have a strong hold on the reins and doesn't look to be letting go any time soon. If they play this type of football in South Africa it will be a quick exit (let's hope they at least score this time and give us something to cheer for). We were spoiled with the Euro Cup in 2004 but I really hoped we could build on the success and form a solid foundation. You can't expect to catch your opponent's off guard every game on the counter attack, sooner or later teams adapt and at the moment the whole world knows how to play against the Greek system. Rehhagel needs to get more out of his players but to do that he needs to trust them and ease up on his defensive minded formation. Sure they scored early against North Korea but instead of keeping the foot on the gas, Rehhagel always chooses to protect the lead, which is very dangerous. This mindset has to change, play to win...period!
Argentina is the odds on favorite to win Group B but the final spot in the knockout round is up for grabs. If Greece wants to secure it then major changes must be made before their opening game on June 12th. Nigeria are a stronger opponent then Senegal (2-0 Greek loss) and the South Koreans are far superior to their neighbors to the North. Something needs to be done to boost the confidence in the Greek camp; a win vs. Paraguay would be a step in the right direction. This will be their final warm-up and it’s against a strong opponent who finished only one point off top spot in CONMEBOL qualifying group.
I know these warm-up matches are made for managers to tinker with their line-ups and formations; however I see none of that from Rehhagel. Sure the players change but the system stay's the same. He needs to take more risks and show faith in his player’s individual skills and find a way to implement them to get the most out of his team. They look lost and uninspired on the pitch. Chances need to be created from open play for things to get better and Rehhagel need's to inspire his team if the magic has any chance of returning.

North Korea holds Greece to disappointing 2-2 draw in friendly

Another dismal display against a football minow has left Greece pondering what lies ahead as the road to South Africa draws near. Greece took the lead twice but couldn't hang on for the final result. Kostas Katsouranis gave the greeks the perfect start with a second-minute strike from close range. Although they had an early lead Greece looked flat and almost like pedestrians allowing the North Koreans to dictate the play without much of a response. The first half was dominated by the Koreans, skipper Hong Yong-Jo twice rattled the crossbar and on 23 minutes Jong Tae-Se equalised with a superb long range effort that went in off the underside of the crossbar. I feared that this type of one-dimensional play would creap back into Rehhagel's system. Once again the only time Greece looked like a threat was during set piece's. Angelos Charisteas's volley from another Karagounis free-kick once again gave the Greeks the lead. But again the Koreans levelled the score by a great show of class by Jong with a clinical finish moments later. After losing to Senegal in their last friendly Rehhagel's men again struggled to make an impression against a relatively weaker opponent. With one more warm-up match against Paraguay on June 2nd, the Greeks need a strong showing to boost their confidence before the tournament begins. If they struggled with the North, the South Koreans are a much stronger team with many international stars playing abroad that are able to exploit the flaws we see in Rehhagel's system. Greece open up their World Cup campaign against South Korea on June 12th.

Rehaggel announce's 30-man provisional roster

Greek national team coach Otto Rehaggel announced tuesday his provisional roster selections for this summer's World Cup. These players will play in the two remaining tune up games (May 25th vs. North Korea and June 2nd vs. Paraguay) and hope to impress enough to make the final 23 man roster. Alexandros Tzorvas is practically guaranteed the starter's job in goal, after that you won't find any real surprise's. Although you can argue that Rehaggel might be taking a chance on Giorgos Seitaridis. The Greek veteran has played only 8 games all year for League and Cup winners Panathinaikos, despite this the defensive line once again looks to be Greece's strongest asset. On the striking front things are looking to heat up, with only 4-5 spots available Greece finally have a healthy selection of options. Veteran's Angelos Charisteas and Theofanis Gekas will fight it out with in-form Dimitris Salpigidis, newcomer Pantelis Kapetanos and Giorgos Samaras. Kostas Mitroglou, who many thought would be a guarantee at the beginning of the year might be the odd man out after a poor season with Olympiakos. The midfield looks to have a great mix of speed, strength and football vision. Sotiris Ninis is my pick not only to make the squad but turn some heads this summer. His speed will be a key asset to the greek offence. Returning veterans Kostas Katsouranis and Giorgos Karagounis will form a strong anchor in the midfield which should give Ninis space to unleash his quickness. The final roster will be announced on June 1st and will be trimmed from 30 to 23.

Greece preliminary squad:

Goalkeepers: Michalis Sifakis (Aris Salonika), Alexandros Tzorvas (Panathinaikos), Kostas Chalkias (PAOK Salonika);

Defenders: Giorgos Seitaridis (Panathinaikos), Loukas Vintra (Panathinaikos), Evangelos Moras (Bologna), Socrates Papastathopoulos (Genoa), Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Liverpool), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiakos), Vasilis Torosidis (Olympiakos), Nikos Spiropoulos (Panathinaikos), Stelios Malezas (PAOK Salonika), Giorgos Tzavellas (Panionios), Kostas Manolas (AEK Athens), Giorgos Galitsios (Olympiakos), Stergos Marinos (Panathinaikos)

Midfielders: Kostas Katsouranis (Panathinaikos), Alexandros Tziolis (Siena), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos), Christos Patsatzoglou (Omonia), Grigoris Makos (AEK Athens), Sakis Prittas (Aris Salonika), Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Panathinaikos);

Forwards: Angelos Charisteas (Nuremberg), Dimitris Salpigidis (Panathinaikos), Pantelis Kapetanos (Steaua Bucharest), Theofanis Gekas (Hertha Berlin), Giorgos Samaras (Celtic), Kostas Mitroglou (Olympiakos).

Rehhagel makes 9 reservations for South Africa

Otto Rehhagel has announced 9 players he has given a guaranteed seat on the plane to South Africa in June. The biggest surprise of the group is Pantelis Kapetanos, who recently made his international debut in the loss to Senegal. The striker had a fantastic year for Steaua Bucuresti in the Romanian Liga 1 and has been rewarded for his success. The addition of Kapetanos might mean the end of Kostas Mitroglou's chances to make the squad, the striker has had a difficult season with Olympiakos after finally cracking the starting eleven. Theofanis Gekas (Hertha BSC), Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Liverpool), Vangelis Moras (Bologna), Socratis Papastathopoulos (Genoa), Christos Patsatzoglou (AC Omonia), Giorgos Samaras (Celtic), Alexandros Tziolis (Siena) and Angelos Charisteas (Nuremberg) are the remaining players all to be given assurances of their place on the World Cup squad by Rehhagel. One player I think should have also been included on Rehhagel's list is Sotiris Ninis. The pacy winger had a great season with Panathinaikos in the Greek Super League and Europa League (especially his great performance against AS Roma in the first knockout round). His speed down the wing is exactly what Greece needs going into South Africa.  The "Greek Messi" looks to have a bright future ahead of him if he continues to improve at this rate, word is he is already on the radar of european giants Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan. The remaining roster spots will be filled at a later date by Rehhagel.

Greek Football Fan's Unite

I will never forget where I was on July 4th, 2004. Ask any Greek about that date and instantly you will see a smile appear on their face. That one moment in history united all Greeks all over the globe, when the impossible suddenly became possible. I still get chills thinking about that glorious night in Lisbon when our team drove us all into euphoric celebration worldwide. We all rejoiced together singing and dancing as Greece were crowned as the Kings of Europe.


I remember it as if it were yesterday, sitting in a packed café on the Danforth in Toronto surrounded by friends and family, not knowing we all were about to witness history. I’ve heard many stories about that night and the memories will never disappear. Strangers became friends as we all celebrated together well into the morning. I can’t explain the feeling I had when Theodoras Zagorakis lifted the European Cup towards the heavens, blue and white confetti littered the air, it felt like a dream. We all thought “how can it ever get better than this”?

Since then we have had more lows then highs as Greek supporters. We failed to reach the World Cup in Germany 2 years later and had a rather forgettable showing at Euro 2008. The magic we had 4 years earlier in Portugal disappeared in a flash, however one thing that still burns like fire is the passion all Greeks feel for our team. Whether you support Olympiakos, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens or even PAOK, in the end we are all Greek and are united under one banner. The time has come; The road to South Africa is upon us and I’m calling for all Greeks to unite together. Let’s show the world that Euro 2004 wasn’t a fluke and that this is just the beginning of a Greek football revolution.

Nothing will ever feel as good as the night of July 4th 2004. We made history; We were the underdogs and we beat the opposition on their own home soil…Twice! It was Greece’s first piece of silverware on an international stage. The World Cup is the greatest prize in all of sports, and you have to qualify for 2 years for the chance to play for it. It won’t be easy but if the Gods of 2004 taught us anything, it's to expect the unexpected. Anything is possible if we all believe.