Sport Lisboa e Benfica

[H]

I got an even better one: Faliro what do you think of Jorge Jesus coaching Oly?

[Faliro]

Faliro, please give your sincere opinion. What do you think of Michel for coaching Benfica? (hypothetically) 

Sincerely (as Benfiquista has alluded to), I think Michel is a super coach. He plays the style of football I like. Attack. But not reckless. His motivation is to outscore the opponent. When the opponent is superior, he still attempts to find a way to win rather than draw. For me is the best coach to ever coach in Greece and Marinakis killed the goose that laid the golden eggs when he sacked him.

Now even though now I am quite connected to Benfica and like this club a lot, I cannot speak for the fans. However, if I lived in Lisboa and watched every game of Benfica - I would suffer watching JJ teams like I did last week and a few other times. However with Michel, you know he will not fear any team and you know he knows his football extremely well - researches the opponents in depth like a good coach should.

On another note, Michel is a great ambassador for any club that takes him on. Football royalty and full of charm. He looks very decadent, where as JJ reminds me a bit of a Hungarian accountant I knew in Barcelona, a face like he is always sucking on a lemon.

[Faliro]

I got an even better one: Faliro what do you think of Jorge Jesus coaching Oly?

Well personally I do not like his formations so much. However, I acknowledge they have got you to a few finals. However his budget at Olympiacos would be nothing compared Benfica so he would not have Gaitan to get him out of jail in games... To be honest, I think he would he find it hard and also, he is coming from bigger club to a smaller club... He may not ever want such a job no matter how much money is thrown at him.

[Festivus]

Olympiakos fans would probably adore Jesus at first. His first season at a new club is always his best one. And I'm sure he'd play the offensive football the fans want to see and win several games 4-0 and 5-0.

Not to mention his craziness, his vanity and, last but not least, his poor grammar.

[Faliro]

If he plays attacking.. he will have no trouble at Olympiacos.. even if we get raped in Europe.

What the fans will tolerate is a 1-1 with Atromitos for example. Many of the expectations of Olympiacos fans are unreasonable to be honest. Sometimes these smaller clubs are just hard to beat, no matter who you have in the team..

[Festivus]

Olympiakos won't impress in Europe if they keep selling their best players too early(January, etc.). Then again, the league the club is in doesn't favor the club at all. Especially it being the league of a country that has a terrible reputation financially wise at the moment. Euro 2004's victory didn't improve Greek football at all, it seems.

[Faliro]

Olympiakos won't impress in Europe if they keep selling their best players too early(January, etc.). Then again, the league the club is in doesn't favor the club at all. Especially it being the league of a country that has a terrible reputation financially wise at the moment. Euro 2004's victory didn't improve Greek football at all, it seems.

Agree. Euro 2004 didn't improve Greek football at all. The opposite in some ways, anyone associated with that victory was protected and promoted - even the incompetent ones. All the money was stolen and went into plumbing in new swimming pools at the villas of the EPO top brass. Nothing was improved in Greece, in fact, we managed to go into reverse.

For me Euro 2004 was more about the flaws of the other teams than the genius of Greece. Greece simply built a very powerful wall and no one could knock it down. There was no master plan or culture of footballing analysis behind it. Just determination and strict obedience. Greece has always managed to produce very good CBs, so it fitted our tactics perfectly.

As for Olympiacos, we can only improve as much as the league allows. Add to that, the self sabotage of selling our best players every January and sacking the best coach we ever had.. we don't deserve much. Sometimes I think it would be fun if Olympiacos was in the Portuguese league.  However as it is.. we are stuck in a shit league with poor teams and even worse stadiums. Greeks however, when it comes to football, are quite smart. They can build quite effective teams on tiny budgets that can sneak their way in the Europe cup for example. It is the bigger teams that are run badly, PAOK, AEK (previous owners), PAO, Aris, Larissa etc.. These teams self sabotage far more than Olympiakos. However, when they do it, it is always Olympiacos's fault apparently...

[Festivus]

Not taking credit away from Greece's Euro 2004 run, the truth is most sides underestimated you. Funnily enough, Russia beat you in the group stage game. Dunno how since I was obviously busy watching Portugal vs. Spain at the time. And then there's always the luck of the winners, which is part of the game. Nedved didn't play the semi-final against you, Scolari fucked up on the first game leaving Deco on the bench, Ricardo fucked up in the final, etc.

[Faliro]

Russia had a good team actually. We only managed to get a goal back in that game via a sensational floated pass by the great Tsiartas. Still my favorite Greek player of all time.

You would think teams like the Czech republic would have studied that game.. Nedved played 40 minutes against us before he kicked Katsouranis in the backside and turned his knee.. 

I think Scolari simply didn't have the answers against Greece. If I were him I would played every attacking player I had against Greece..

[Festivus]

Russia had a good team actually. We only managed to get a goal back in that game via a sensational floated pass by the great Tsiartas. Still my favorite Greek player of all time.

You would think teams like the Czech republic would have studied that game.. Nedved played 40 minutes against us before he kicked Katsouranis in the backside and turned his knee.. 

I think Scolari simply didn't have the answers against Greece. If I were him I would played every attacking player I had against Greece..

Oh right, he did. He got carded and thus couldn't play in the final if his team had won. He had suffered the same fate in the 20/02 CL semi-final. Unlucky player, Pavel Nedved. I really liked him and that Czech team. I thought they were gonna win the tournament and so did many others.

[Faliro]

I think 99% of Czechs and probably most the planet thought the Czechs were going to win that game. Nedved really was a talent. Super super player.

[HJDK]

Petr Čech, Zdeněk Grygera, Marek Jankulovski, Karel Poborský, Jan Koller, Tomáš Rosický, Pavel Nedvěd, Milan Baroš, Tomáš Ujfaluši.

And the likes of Plašil, Heinz, Hübschman and Šmicer on the bench.

Truly a dream team, best football by far.

[Faliro]

 A dream team indeed. All their players talented and gracing the best teams in Europe every week. But they weren't ready for this...

[Covenant]

In 2004 even Milan  Baros played well.

Baros, Nedved , Cech, Koller, Poborsky, Rosicky... Great team. The final, with all the respect, should be Czech vs Portugal.

Best games in Euro 2004: Portugal vs England and Czech vs Netherlands.

[Faliro]

How is pelkas playing?Watched about 20 mins of the first half, didn't even notice him!