Karagounis looks in shape for Greece
Saturday, June 7, 2008
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Relieved to have shaken off a knee injury, Giorgos Karagounis dismissed criticism of Greece's recent form, saying his side will deliver "when it really matters".
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The state of Giorgos Karagounis's knee has been the great drama within the Greece camp over the last two weeks, but on Saturday he declared himself fit for the holders' UEFA EURO 2008 opener against Sweden.
Getting better
Karagounis only returned to full training on Friday but the Panathinaikos FC midfielder, whose left knee was still swollen late last week, was satisfied that he would be ready to play in the champions' first Group D tie in Salzburg next Tuesday. "Yesterday I trained normally and today I feel much better," he said. "There are still three days left before Tuesday, and I believe I will have a satisfactory level of fitness and be ready to help my team."
'Positive thinking'
With several players from other squads having withdrawn from the finals in the past 24 hours, the 31-year-old admitted he had feared he would endure the same fate. "When such a tournament is approaching, something for which you have been waiting for for so long, it's not that pleasant to have to deal with an injury," Karagounis said. "One gets stressed, for sure. However, I haven't allowed myself to think negatively, to think that I wouldn't play. My only concern is to get better."
Team spirit
So now the focus is on repeating the success in Portugal four years ago, not to mention the side's excellent displays in qualifying. Asked which qualities had helped Greece achieve such feats, Karagounis replied: "Determination, great concentration and team spirit. That helped us win the trophy and that also won us more points than any other team in qualifying. Teamwork on the pitch is our biggest asset and we intend to put it to use this time as well."
Right timing
The only slight concern was that those assets were not on display in the two friendlies prior to the tournament, a 3-2 loss to Hungary and a goalless draw with Armenia. "All things in football are relative," Karagounis said. "When you come up against teams that defend in numbers, then it's difficult to break the wall down. As seen in recent years, every team can give you a hard time if they defend like that. But don't get obsessed with the friendly matches. We certainly lacked freshness having gone through intensive training, but we have delivered the goods when it really matters."
