2023-12-24 16:42:29
Michalis Grigoriou is a life in football, as for the last 35 years he has had a “passionate relationship” with the “round Goddess”, both as a player and as a coach. This is a typical case in Greek football, as he always remains on the “front line” and beyond all doubt, he is one of the top Greek coaches.
In the 20 years he has been coaching, Grigoriou has an average of 1.5 years in each team, while he has achieved several promotions and has easily kept his teams in the division under adverse conditions. At the same time, he has eight European matches in his collection (including four with Panionio and Atromito and four European victories). Evidence that he is not the “man of special missions”, as some ignorant people have described him, but an accomplished and very capable coach.
“When a team faces a maximum problem, they look for a very good coach, without meaning that they pay him correspondingly well,” argues Grigoriou, speaking to the Athenian and Macedonian News Agency.
Grigoriou is a coach, who is not only not afraid of challenges in his profession, but one would say that he… pursues them. Born on December 19, 1973, he played as a defender for Ethnikos Piraeus (1989-1996), Larissa (1997), Xanthi (1998), Naoussa (1999), Haidari (2000-2002) and Agios Dimitrios (2002- 2003), while he was a member of all the “small” national teams.
When he decided to “hang up” his shoes, he almost immediately got involved in coaching at Agios Dimitrios, Athinaikos, Fostira, Aeoliko, Korinthos, Ethnikos (playoffs of the second national team), Doxa Drama (promotion from the second national team) and Panserraikos. Then, he took over Corfu in the second national team, led “Faiakes” to the Super League and the following year to the preliminaries, while the “leap” in his career and the collaboration with Atromitos followed. Later he returned to Corfu and when he left he continued coaching in Panionios, Larissa, Lamia and Ionikos.
To arrive in the middle of December 2023, when the experienced coach decided to undertake the difficult task of keeping PAS Ioannina in the “living rooms” of Greek football. In yet another great challenge of his career.
Speaking to APE-MPE, Grigoriou explains the reasons that led him to this decision:
“PAS is really a great team, with a strong brand name. The world really – I understand this from everyday life, but also from the countless messages I received in order to become a member of this group – and of course the character of the son of the late George Chrysovasilis, Panagiotis, as well as the proposal I accepted, were the elements which they made me undertake, another difficult task. It is important that teams like PAS Ioannina are in the Super League. And that is what we will try to do. Greek football needs such teams”.
But what is the situation at “Ajax of Epirus” after the loss of Giorgos Christovasilis?
“Obviously it was a big factor. It’s a huge loss, not only for PAS, but for all of Greek football”, emphasizes Grigoriou and continues: “However, what I found out talking to Panagiotis and the family in general, is that the love for PAS Giannina is huge . They consider the team “their child” and not just a company. And apparently they want in memory of their father to continue on the same path and “protect their child in the best way”.
Holder of a UEFA Pro diploma, Grigoriou is characterized as approachable when the conditions allow, strict when the circumstances dictate and in any case, knowledgeable about modern football, with a disposition for continuous training on the specific subject. In fact, he could also be described as a “prophet”, as in an interview with APE-MPE in 2016, he had predicted the impressive career of Pep Guardiola, while he had pointed out that we are many years… behind, in relation to European football.
Today, seven years later, it seems that the situation remains the same. What is Grigoriou’s opinion about the situation in Greek football? What has changed in recent years and what should change in the near future?
“We are not just stagnant, but we are taking steps backwards”, declares the Greek coach and explains: “You know that I like to travel. I have spent time and money traveling the world. Both for training, and to see the philosophy that exists in many other states, about how football is there. Unfortunately, looking at our UEFA rating, it appears that the steps we are taking are backwards. When you don’t care about the good of the product, but about your personal ego, it stands to reason that next year, football will stagnate. Both at the refereeing level, as well as at the collective level, as well as national teams, there is no improvement. And we lost what we had. We used to get 1-2 teams in the Champions League right now, it’s like… a dream to have a team in the groups. What needs to change immediately, is to leave the ego and go to the we. I don’t know to what extent they are willing, through the general good, for the collective good to exist, but I see no inclination and I remain pessimistic.”
The fact that there are four contenders – I think for the first time – adds enormous interest and I believe that this “battle” will continue like this until the end, and also in the play offs. It is something that produces “rays of optimism” for our football. And it’s a shame that people can’t watch it live and we see this “lifeless” thing in the stands, which obviously no one likes. Regarding relegation, the truth is that apparently at the moment three teams are facing a major problem. We (including PAS Ioannina), Kifisia and Panaitolikos. But from my experience – when I took over Lamia it had two points in 10 matches and PAS with coach Giannikis was the pleasant surprise of the league and I think it had more than 10 points and we finished the league with 35 points each – nobody can be sure. There are still 18 games and 54 points to go and really, from the bottom six, nobody can feel safe. I think it will be a “battle” until the end.”
SOURCE: amna.gr
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