Monday, July 05, 2004

Cheers in ouzo for Greece!!!

Greece won. This was the most unexpected thing since the Danish victory in 1992. There are other similarities too. Both teams won with a strong and hearty team effort. While not too exiting to watch - actually a bit boring -, one can only admire the heart, discipline and organisation of the Greeks. Many people complain that this is boring, and will be bad for football. This is not true: firstly, no teams will go out and play like Greece. It takes a lot of discipline, and you need the right players. Secondly, Greece's victory have reminded us all (including myself), that football, in spite of all the hype for particular stars, is a team effort. Why are we so suprprised about this? We focus too much on the individual players, although football is a team effort, a team sport, and any team is only as good as its worse player.
Greece has not been the only one to remind us of this this season. Oporto's victory in the Champions League was also a surprise. Valencia's great season is also better explained by a strong team effort, just as Real Madrid's lousy season is a result of a bad team filled with good players! Once Caldas from Colombia was also a surprising winner of the Copa Libertadores, and now Greece puts the triumph on a season of surprises.
Let us see how Greece keeps up the good work in the next couple of years!
Congratulations Greece!!

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