Former Fulham midfielder Giorgios Karagounis has claimed that people will be proved extremely wrong if they write of Greece even before the start of the World Cup 2014. Greece go into the competition as one of the least favourites to reach the knockout stages. They were faced with a similar expectation when they took part in the Euro 2004. Karagounis was part of the team that won this competition against all the odds. He says that Greece have a fighting spirit that cannot be written off.
Compared with the other groups in the tournament, Grace have been given a relatively easy drop since they will be facing the likes of Ivory Coast, Columbia, and Japan in the group stages. This is seen as a winnable group by all the teams. The major problem for Greece will be scoring goals. Celtic striker Giorgios Samaras will be at the top of the attack. He will be expected to score the goals, but it is now difficult to see Greece scoring more than one goal per game. Despite this, Karagounis says that the Greece team has the experience to win matches.
This will be the farewell tournament for coach Fernando Santos, who will be stepping down after the tournament. “Sometimes it’s good because whether or not they praise or respect you, the truth is on the pitch. For the last 10 years, this is where we have answered our critics. I think whoever doesn’t respect us will pay for it. It’s best not to cross us. We know who we are and what we can do. If we stay together as a team, we can achieve big things,” said the former Fulham midfielder.
Karagounis has been one of the players who have left Fulham after their relegation from the Premier league into the Championship.