Yannis Anastasiou On Ajax, Anderlecht And Managerial Success With Panathinaikos

An interview with Yannis Anastasiou, by Callum McFadden for WFi.

You started your career in your native Greece for clubs such as Ethnikos Piraeus and OFI Crete. How do you reflect on those formative years as a footballer?

“Greece is a country that was more familiar with defensive football and not really focused on attacking or creative play on the pitch. So for me, as a young player starting my career there, I often received instructions from my coaches on how to defend rather than how to attack. This made me realise and understand the importance of football defending. However, I also had some talent and creativity, which helped me a lot in the attacking phase when making decisions.

“It was definitely a wonderful experience because playing for different teams at different levels taught me a lot. I started my career in a team fighting to avoid relegation and then moved to OFI Crete, which at that time was competing for a spot in the top five of Greek football and playing for European competitions. The contrast was significant but extremely helpful for me. My first years at Ethnikos Piraeus were like being at school. I learned a lot there, and moving to OFI Crete under the guidance of Eugene Gerards, the Dutch coach they had at that time, helped me develop offensively and mentally push myself to the edge.”

You joined Anderlecht from OFI Crete in 1999 and won the league title during your time there. How special was it to win a league title abroad?

“Yes, it was the time that Greek players started to go abroad, especially after the Bosman ruling in ’96. I was one of the first players to move abroad in ’98. Football in Belgium, particularly at Anderlecht, was completely different. At a big club like Anderlecht, you had to spend a lot of time on the pitch, and the facilities and infrastructure were much more advanced compared to Greece.

“Being in a top team, I couldn’t believe I was working with great teammates like Jan Koller, Tomasz Radzinski, Pär Zetterberg, Enzo Scifo, Lorenzo Staelens, and Bertrand Crasson. There were also young potential top players like Alin Stoica and Walter Bassegio. It was a great experience and a significant achievement to win the title in Belgium at that time. The football and style of play at Anderlecht were dominant.

“It was interesting for me as a player because it helped a lot that I spent six months in Anderlecht after moving from OFI in January. Those six months were more of an adjustment period. The following year, when we won the championship, I had an incredibly good understanding of the league, the mentality, and the way the coach wanted the team to play. Overall, it showed me what a top team is like and what the demands are. Every year was progressive for me and looking back at the steps I took in my career; it was very interesting.”

You moved on to the Netherlands with Roda  JC in 2000 before joining Ajax in 2004. What was it like to play under the management of Ronald Koeman and alongside young talents if that era like Zlatan Ibrahimovic?

“My time in The Netherlands was a fantastic experience. At the age of 31, I transferred from Roda to Ajax, which was significant because Ajax at that time did not typically sign older players; they preferred to give chances to younger players. I might have been one of the first older players they signed. I had many talented teammates, such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart, Nigel de Jong, Johnny Heitinga, Steven Pienaar, and Maxwell. They were all fantastic players and teammates, but they lacked experience.

“For me, I had a double role in the team because Ronald Koeman gave me a lot of freedom in the dressing room to mentor the younger players. This experience was the first sign that I would become a coach after my football career. I could see the impact I had on my teammates, how they listened to me, and how they tried to understand and implement the things I was telling them. It was a great experience for me and definitely a sign that I should become a manager after quitting football.”

Upon your retirement from playing, you worked as an assistant to Henk ten Cate at Panathinaikos in Greek football and to Brian McDermott at Reading in the Premier League. How much did you learn from those experiences?

“It was fantastic to work and learn from Henk ten Cate. For me, it was a good lesson because being in a top team, starting at Panathinaikos, Henk had to deal with players like Gilberto Silva, Djibril Cissé, Giorgos Karagounis (the Greek legend who won the European Championship in 2004), Kostas Katsouranis, and Sebastián Leto, an Argentinian winger who came from Liverpool. The way he handled these superstars and his coaching methods, especially in the Champions League games, was impressive. His tactical approach to games, especially against better sides, made the team a tough opponent.

“That period was very educational for me. Then I moved to Reading, where I worked with Brian McDermott in the Premier League. It was also a great lesson and experience working at the top level. The experience I had with Panathinaikos helped me a lot to adjust and understand the game better at a higher level. Working with a team playing in the Premier League, I saw the standards of the league, how the team prepared and the quality of the players.

“As an assistant coach at the time, I tried to help Brian with my knowledge of European football and tactics, always trying to add something to the team. It was a great feeling for me to work and have that relationship with the club, especially with the manager.”

You started your managerial career at Panathinaikos in 2013 and won the Greek Cup and manager of the year in your first season. What are your memories of winning the Greek Cup and that first season as a whole?

“Winning the Greek Cup in such a dominant fashion was fantastic. It was the year I started my managerial career in Greece with the top club Panathinaikos. Panathinaikos had struggled a lot the previous year and faced financial issues. I assembled a team with a mix of experienced players and a majority of academy players. Some of the experienced players included Marcus Berg, Daniel Pranjić, Gordon Schildenfeld, Mladen Petrić, who joined in January, and Carlos Zeca, the captain at the time.

“We began the season with many questions about the quality of the team and its potential for the season. However, as time went by, the team grew and developed. We managed to win the Greek Cup in a dominant way and secured second place, which qualified us for the Champions League. It was a fantastic feeling, especially for a team like Panathinaikos, which had faced many doubts about its prospects for the season. By the end of the season, we showed that with hard work and dedication to our plan and philosophy as a team and coaching staff, we could achieve great things.”

After Panathinaikos, you managed in The Netherlands, Belgium and Cyprus. What are your memories of those experiences?

“The good thing for me was that as a player, I used to play in Belgium and Holland, so I had a lot of knowledge and experience of those leagues. For me, it was nothing new. The fact that I spoke the language—I speak Dutch and some French—made communication much easier. This made the adjustment and the competition to lead and coach the teams much easier.

“In Holland, the competition was more focused on physical preparation than on tactics at that time. The elements from each country were different, but my past experience in these countries made it much easier to understand the culture, the style, and the way the teams thought and played. It was a great experience.

“Moving to Omonia was also a broad experience because I had never been to Cyprus before. Although we speak the same language, I had never worked in the Cypriot League. It was a good chance and a good opportunity to work in a top club like Omonia Nicosia. It was fantastic to work in different countries with distinct cultures and to set goals, establish standards, and try to achieve those goals within these clubs.”

You returned to Omonia last season as caretaker manager, and you are now working at the club as a strategic advisor. What does your new role look like?

“Now it is more about organising the football department, setting goals for the new season, establishing the philosophy and style of play, and developing the methods. This includes organising the scouting department and our academy. There is a lot of work to be done, but I believe my years of experience at the professional football level in various countries have given me enough understanding of the game’s demands, the structure, and the perspectives of the players, coaches, board members, and journalists.

“With this understanding, I aim to contribute to the club’s organisation, ensuring good and clear communication across all departments and setting the goals and standards we want to achieve. It is a daily effort and a continuous process. Although it’s something new for me, I enjoy it a lot and find it very interesting.”