'AEK are a well drilled, exciting team'

Brighton can expect a high-octane and attacking approach in the style of former Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa when AEK Athens come to the Amex in their Europa League opener. 

That is according to Giannis Chorianopoulos - editor-in-chief of the Greek newspaper Sportime - who has closely followed AEK’s see-sawing journey in the past decade.

After going through seven different managers following their Super League triumph in 2018 under Manolo Jimenez, the Yellow-Blacks turned to San Jose Earthquakes boss and ex-Argentina international Matias Almeyda to turn their fortunes around in the summer of 2022.

The move proved to be a masterstroke as the Argentine led them to the league title and they won the Greek Football Cup last season – their first domestic double since 1978.

And they did it in a physically demanding, high-pressing, man-marking, and crowd-pleasing manner; something current Uruguay boss Bielsa is renowned for.

“They had quite a few seasons where they were not playing well, bar the sole highlight of playing in the Champions League in 2018/19. They didn’t win any trophies, they missed their targets and fans were very angry,” said Chorianopoulos.

“Then, suddenly, in the summer of 2022, they hired Matias Almeyda and everything turned around. He came with a plan, quite a few signings were made, and he raised the game of many players who had otherwise underperformed.

“He had an interesting style of play, similar to Marcelo Bielsa’s philosophy – someone he played under in the Argentina national team. 

“He took inspiration from his approach and now at AEK they play with a lot of intensity, they press high to try and turn the ball over, they run a lot, they are very fit, their defensive line is high and they want to play offensively. 

“They mostly play in a 4-2-3-1 formation, sometimes with two defensive midfielders, and in other games they play with one and a number eight. 

“They have a lot of international players who have played at World Cups, in the Champions League and at this level. It will be interesting to see how they approach the Brighton game.”

Much of that success was down to signings such as experienced Croatian international Domagoj Vida, Swiss star Steven Zuber, and Mexican talent Orbelin Pineda – who was voted the best player in the Super League in 2022/23. 

Combined with the potent attacking threat of Levi Garcia, veteran Nordin Amrabat, and midfielders Damian Szymanski and Mijat Gacinovic, Almeyda turned a side of underperformers into winners.

“Pineda is the club’s most expensive transfer signing at €6.5 million from Celta Vigo this summer. He spent last season on loan from the Spanish side and had a huge impact,” said Chorianopoulos.

“Levi Garcia is another dangerous player. Lille and Burnley are reported to have bid €21 million and €17 million respectively for him this summer but AEK rejected that as they believe he is a €30 million player. He is strong, fast - he is their jewel.”

Despite their recent success, AEK, who fell in the final Champions League qualifying round to Belgian champions Royal Antwerp, will be one of the underdogs to get out of a Europa League group with Brighton, Ajax, and Marseille. 

However, the way that Almeyda has got AEK playing and the players at their disposal means they should not be underestimated.

“In one season, the manager made AEK play like a real team. They were very bad the season before but when Almeyda came in they became a well-drilled, exciting machine,” he said.

“They can create a lot of chances, have a lot of shots on goal, they play very fast and pass the ball quickly. Because of their high defensive line they can be undone by a precise and clever attack and they are trying to become better at dealing with defensive transitions. While they have not had much success in Europe, they need to be treated with respect. 

“The feeling in Athens is that they are in a Champions League group and not a Europe League one, such is the quality of the teams. They understand they are not favourites to go through but they are a difficult team to face.”