In profile: AEK Athens boss Matias Almeyda

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The AEK Athens manager led his team to a league and cup double last season.

Luke Nicoli

2023-11-29T06:00:00Z

Matias Almeyda saw his team beat Albion 3-2 in our first ever competitive European fixture.

Greek football expert Mike Pieri has inevitably kept a close eye on AEK Athens this past year or so – and has been impressed with the impact of coach Matias Almeyda in his one season at the club.

Mike, if you could compare Matias Almeyda to an English coach, who would it be?

Probably his compatriot Mauricio Pochettino. There are certainly Roberto De Zerbi traits to him too!

But Almeyda is his own man. What’s he like personality-wise?

He has endeared himself to the typical hard-to-please and hard-to trust AEK fan. Winning the league and cup double in his first season – the club’s first since 1978 – is some achievement; especially against the backdrop of domestic dominance from Olympiakos. He has openly admitted that he loves the lifestyle in Greece and wants to stay for many years. Honesty is important to him [he has openly talked about depression, mental wellbeing, alcohol] and he is a realist. In one interview he said something like, ‘I don’t want to change my ways because at the end, the result is you get sacked anyway.’ So, he is driven to succeed by his football philosophy and he won’t deviate from that.

In another interview, he talked about his philosophy on life and how he applies this to football. This world view is steeped in the values of the Japanese Samurai warriors. Specifically, he cites these moral codes: punctuality, courage, kindness, courtesy, honesty, honour and loyalty.

What about tactics – how does he usually set his team up?

Djibril Sidibe put AEK ahead after just 11 minutes in our Europa League home match against AEK earlier on this season.

He comes from the Bielsa school of thinking. He likes his teams to be physically dominant and play a high press. The intention is totry and force the opposition to play the ball back so that his team can ‘suffocate’ them in their own defensive third, to create situations where the opposition make mistakes so his team can pounce and gain possession high up the pitch. Using a coaching metric that measureshow many passes a team allows their opponents for every defensive action shows that Almeyda’s AEK are very proficient in limiting the number of passes opponents make in their defensive third. Therefore, opponents who cannot ‘break lines’ or ‘beat the press’ either lose the ball quickly or end up launching it long. This was the basis of AEK’s success last season. None of this can happen though without an energetic work ethic.

Does he trust youth or go with more experienced players?

Almeyda wants players that fit his system is the best way to answer this question. Age is not a factor.

He had success in Argentina and certainly in Mexico – does he seem like a coach who will be successful wherever he goes?

His style of play and the expectations he has of his players and team should translate anywhere. He expects his team to work hard and they do have a set way of playing. It has, thus far, brought success in Greece.

Testing this in European competition, and against Brighton in particular, will give us more clues and answers whether what he preaches and how his team play can work anywhere.

What was the secret behind the team’s league success last season?

Matias Almeyda has also managed the likes of River Plate, Guadalajara and San Jose Earthquakes.

They played the best football in Greece: disciplined, hardworking and clinical when they turned over the ball. A +52 goal difference was testament to a potent attack and a stingy defence. No team in Greece outworked his AEK side.

Did they already have a team in the making or was it his impact that made all the difference?

Not unusually for Greece, AEK in recent years were going through managers like we go through mince pies at Christmas! Almeyda is the20th manager in the last decade. His impact though is tangible – a league and cup double in his first season and a contract signed in January until 2028. There is confidence in what he is doing and he has been rewarded.

AEK are currently third in the Greek Super League.

He was a passionate midfielder in his playing days – so does that help in the pressure cooker atmosphere of Greek football?

Greek football supporters, as is often stereotyped, belong to that group of fans who hail from the Mediterranean basin and which encompasses Eastern Europe that have a special passion for their clubs. Like all clubs in Greece, AEK have an organised supporter group that passionately follow the club home and away and have dialogue with the club’s hierarchy. AEK’s group is known as Original 21 and the fervent support they have of their team aligns perfectly with the way Almeyda sets up his team: aggressive, energetic and always looking forwards.

Do you think he could manage in the Premier League – would it be a logical step for him?

Too early to say. We need to see how he deals with adversity, a run of poor results and renewed challenges in the league from the other traditional big teams in the Greek Super League. How he and his AEK team perform in Europe will also show us plenty, and, of course, having Brighton in the group there is not only the Europa League shop window of opportunity to showcase his managerial and coaching skills but also the opportunity to pit his wits against a rising star in coaching circles – your very own Roberto De Zerbi.

Finally, you have a connection with Tariq Lamptey. Tell us more…

I was teaching at Queensmead School where Tariq was a student there. His talent was obvious but what set him apart was how humble he was. A really lovely young man who was always polite and respectful of his peers and any staff that came into contact with him. His success in making it as a professional footballer doesn’t surprise me at all – he was mature beyond his years with a fantastically positive attitude.