Angelos Zazopoulos

Angelos is a graduate of the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and holds a UEFA A Licence and UEFA Elite Youth. He is currently attending the 9th UEFA PRO course, while also being an UEFA Educator candidate. Since July 2025, he has been working as Head Coach of the U17 team in Panathinaikos FC .

Throughout his professional career, he has served as a coach in Super League 2 with Makedonikos FC, as well as in the Third Division with Poseidonas Michanionas and Edessaikos. In addition, he worked as an assistant coach with Greece’s National Youth teams at U17 and U15 level. During his time as a coach at PAOK FC, he won the Greek Championship in the U17 and U15 categories. He has also worked at Aris FC and in other football academies in Thessaloniki.

He is an experienced coach with a strong background in football, specializing in the development and progression of young players, combining technical expertise, a pedagogical approach and modern training methodologies.

Workshop (second day): Flexible Formations Across Game Phases -  The Impact of Small-Sided Games on Transitions

Changes in formations during different phases of play are a critical element in modern football, as they contribute to maintaining balance, effectively exploiting space, and highlighting players’ strengths. Transforming formations during the possession phase creates functional attacking structures and patterns of numerical superiority or equality, allowing creative players to prevail in various areas of the pitch.

Training athletes in different formations is considered essential, as it reduces predictability and helps develop intelligent and perceptive players. In the non-possession phase, the emphasis is on covering spaces and limiting the opponent’s key technical and tactical strengths, with the aim of maintaining a compact structure.

During full-pitch pressing, switching formations introduces an element of surprise, making it more difficult for the opponent to build up play. However, during transitions, increased fluidity is observed in terms of organization and preparation of situations. In this context, small-sided games offer effective solutions, focusing on the crucial first seconds that often determine the outcome of each phase.