Gus Poyet leads goal-shy Greece – a closer look at Northern Ireland’s opponents

Gus Poyet will take charge of his first competitive game as Greece boss when they face Northern Ireland in the Nations League in Belfast on Thursday night.

Poyet took over in February and is still getting to grips with a young squad which has been overhauled following recent disappointments.

Here, the PA news agency looks at Northern Ireland’s opponents.

Form

Coach

Poyet will need little introduction to football fans of a certain generation, having starred for both Chelsea and Tottenham as a player before going on to manage Brighton and Sunderland among others. The 54-year-old was also well known to Greek fans, having been coach of AEK Athens in 2015-16. But his experience in the Greek capital made him a controversial choice for the national job. Though he had beaten Olympiacos and Panathinaikos on his way to a third-place finish in the league, he was sacked ahead of the Greek Cup semi-final after angering club owner Dimitris Melissanidis with public comments about the club’s board and operations. His last managerial role before Greece was in Chile with Universidad Catolica, where he won a league title but attracted criticism for passive tactics.

Tactics

The early signs, based on March’s friendlies, point to a 4-3-3 system focused on retaining possession. But Greece are yet to show they can create enough chances, relying on individuals to provide a spark. That is nothing new – they have not scored more than twice in a game since 2017, but equally have not conceded more than twice in a game for more than three years. Finding a goalscorer is the challenge for Poyet – his youthful squad includes only one outfield player over the age of 30, but nobody who has more than five goals for their country.

Key men