Last week, Giannis Konstantelias took to social media to publicly announce that he will be unavailable for the “upcoming commitments” of the Greece national team, with his reasoning behind this decision seemingly relating to the upcoming birth of his second child, claiming that this is “the right decision for my loved ones and me at the moment”.
To speculate on the specifics of Konstantelias’ present circumstances in this respect would be disrespectful, to say the least. So, for now, I’ll take what he’s saying seriously, acknowledging that it’s a matter that is more important than football, and make no further comment other than to say that I hope he and his family are in a positive state of mind and health.
Turning to the footballing side of this matter, whilst “upcoming commitments” has an element of vagueness to it when it comes to an exact timeline of how many Ethniki fixtures he won’t be a part of, it’s safe to assume that, at the very least, he’ll miss the September and October UEFA Nations League fixtures later on this year, and, needless to say, he leaves somewhat of a talent gap that has to be filled.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a selection of Ethniki supporters who’d be in full panic mode off the back of Konstantelias’ announcement, but they needn’t be, as there are many great options to take Konstantelias’ place, and here they are:
Anastasios Bakasetas
Anastasios Bakasetas is the obvious choice to slot into a central-attacking-midfield role if we play a 4-2-3-1 (yes, cynics, that’s not a joke). Our current captain is still a crucial part of this team for his leadership capabilities (which at present, this team seems to have nowhere near enough of, but that’s another story) and the fact that he’s still our current top-scorer.
I’d also like to point out that, despite being sent off for such a needless foul, he was also a key cog in Greece’s last win in a competitive fixture under Ivan Jovanović – a 3-2 win over Scotland in November 2025 – with a goal and an assist coming before the aforementioned red card. Not to mention prior to that, during Jovanović’s tenure as coach, he delivered three goals and four assists from those 10 preceeding competitive games.
If you still think he’s finished with a role in this national team, think again. Here’s hoping he finds another domestic team quickly, though, as new Panathinaikos coach Jacob Neestrup reportedly sees him as surplus to requirements there. Greece need their captain in form at club level so that he has the best chance of replicating that for his country.
Christos Tzolis
Here’s where we could get a little bit more creative. Now, you might ask why on earth shift Christos Tzolis from his role as a left-winger? And that’s a valid question, but we did see Tzolis’ ability as part of a close-knit front three in the recent friendly with Sweden.
Granted, he did stay a bit more out wide than both Andreas Tetteh and Vangelis Pavlidis did, but looking at the way he plays, he’s absolutely got the quality on the ball with his pace and dribbling to do as much damage centrally as he would on the left.
If Jovanović were to make this bold move, he’s got a ready-made left-winger to fill Tzolis’ void, that man being Alexandros Kyziridis, who himself could be set for, at the very least, another squad call-up in Konstantelias’ absence anyway, and based on domestic form, he’d be more than worthy of that, as well as a potential start.
Charalampos Kostoulas
As much as I love Charalampos Kostoulas’ potential, I’d only select him for a starting central-attacking-midfield role at the moment if every player I mentioned above, bar Kyziridis, weren’t available, and he is probably some way down the pecking order presently as well.
That said, like Tzolis in a somewhat central role against Sweden recently, albeit on a much smaller scale, Kostoulas’ quality on the ball was on full display with some neat dribbling and an inch-perfect cross for Giorgos Masouras’ equalising goal that day.
Kostoulas’ unpredictability as a player could be a valuable weapon as well, as he does have the ability to play anywhere in attack, with a central-attacking-midfield role being no exception. Like Bakasetas, but in a different way, his domestic situation is an intriguing watch from now until the Nations League, as a high level of work rate at Brighton & Hove Albion will be imperative if he wants another senior Ethniki call-up.
Some might be asking, where’s Konstantinos Karetsas as an option for attacking midfield? He simply cannot be shifted from the right flank. Our current depth there, of just him and Giorgos Masouras, is low enough as it is. So taking Karetsas away from there is playing with a bushfire, let alone a small flame from a lighter. No disrespect to Masouras, who has been a valuable Ethniki servant and still is one, but he’s not in Karetsas’ league talent-wise.
I’d love to be a fly on the wall when Jovanović and co. decide on the preferred formation(s) going into these imperative UEFA Nations League fixtures later this year, as it’s really anyone’s guess. Will he revert to his fearless approach of one system irrespective of the opponent? Or could we see a return to the past with a defence-first focus against the best Europe has to offer?
These are intriguing times ahead, with the results of the upcoming Nations League campaign potentially dictating his future as Ethniki head coach, so he and all involved have got to get it right.
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