Greece National Football Team Formation

Starting Lineup

Karnezis · Manolas · Sokratis · Holebas · Torosidis · Katsouranis © · Maniatis · Kone · G. Samaras · Mitroglou · Fetfatzidis

Greece looks to play a defensive and counter attacking game, sitting in a 5-2-3 formation. This lineup is built to defend in a low block and strike quickly when the opposition loses the ball. The team aims to deny space between the lines and rely on the speed of the forward players to punish high lines. This tactical identity focuses on staying compact and being hard to break down.

Karnezis stays on his line to protect the goal while the defense maintains a narrow defensive block. Katsouranis, who serves as the captain, sits in the middle of the back five to command the zone and win the second ball. Sokratis plays as the left centre back and uses his aerial strength to win headers, while Manolas operates on the right as a defender with great recovery pace to cover space behind the line. Torosidis and Holebas act as attacking wing backs to provide width during transitions. These wide players push up to support the attackers, leaving the three central defenders to hold the line.

The midfield operates as a double pivot to shield the defence. Maniatis and Kone occupy the central spaces to win the second ball and break the lines with vertical passes. Maniatis sits deeper to protect the back five, while Kone drives forward to carry the ball into the middle third. They connect the defensive unit to the front three, ensuring that the team remains compact when the ball is lost. By pressing in a mid-block, they help squeeze the space and force the opposition into mistakes.

The attacking lineup uses three forwards to stretch the opposition. Mitroglou acts as a target man in the centre, using his hold up play and aerial strength to win headers and lay it off to teammates. G. Samaras and Fetfatzidis play as wide attackers to provide width, often looking to get to the byline and whip it in for the striker. They press the opposition back line to force long balls and look to hit in behind on the transition. This allows the team to move from a defensive formation to a vertical attack very quickly.

This formation offers significant defensive compactness when the team sits deep. Greece can also create wide overloads when Torosidis and Holebas push up to support the wingers. The presence of Mitroglou allows the team to play long and win the second ball, creating chances through direct play and quick transitions.

The 5-2-3 formation provides a solid base for a team that prefers to defend deep and counter at pace. This formation is best suited for matches against teams that dominate possession and leave space behind their defence.