Kostas Tsimikas: Liverpool’s Greek Scouser

                             Kostas Tsimikas: Liverpool’s Greek Scouser 

By Stephen Kountourou 

It has undoubtedly been an exciting turnaround for Kostas Tsimikas during his second season at Premier League side Liverpool. From struggling with injuries, covid and a lack of game time last season under manager Jurgen Klopp, the Greek international has not only won over his coach but the affection of the supporters for his no-nonsense, hard-working performances. Supports have even affectionatly named him, ‘the Greek Scouser’. A title he can well and truly feel he has earned. 

But despite gaining recognition from fans and the media, frustratingly for his Greek followers he is still resolutely behind starting left-back Andrew Roberston. This is despite being good competition for the Scottish international to up his game if he wants to maintain his starting role in the first team. 

However, Tsimikas can be proud of his progression in the Premier League since he departed Greek champions Olympiakos two summers ago. So with that in mind, I will be looking at just how well Tsimi has done in being part of an elite squad of players who are going after the quadruple at the time of writing.

New Season 

New Opportunities

As Liverpool prepared for the new season, it seemed inconsequential that Tsimikas would remain the definitive backup to Andrew Robertson with the Scottish international playing 50 matches in all competitions during the 2020/21 campaign. As luck would have it, Robertson sustained an injury before the start of the new season which gave Tsimikas the opportunity he had been waiting for. He began the season well by playing in victories over Norwich and Burnley, getting an assist against the latter. While these two matches were not a huge challenge for Klopp's side, supporters were impressed by the work ethic and technical ability of the Greek left-back. 

From that point on, Klopp would entrust Tsimikas with more opportunities than he did in the previous campaign mostly deploying the Greek international in the Cup matches and a handful of league starts to give his favoured Roberston a rest for important league matches and in Europe. That’s not to say that Tsimi himself was given the nod in some huge games for the red. Highlights of these include two stupendous games in the Champions League group stages against giants Atletico Madrid and AC Milan, where Tsimikas garnered much praise for his performance. The Greek international's best performance in Europe so far for Liverpool, came in a 3-3 draw against Benfica in the knockout stages. There he would not only get two assists but also the man of the match award for his performance.

He also started to gain more attention from the media and other supporters for his displays in the league against Arsenal in a 4-0 thrashing and as he set up a hugely important goal from Diogo Jota in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. 

FA Cup Glory

By the time the FA Cup Final came around, Tsimikas was and still is, regarded by many in England as being one of the best left-backs in the league with the capability of starting for any other side in the division bearing Manchester City and Chelsea. Despite not starting, Tsimikas was substituted on, to many peoples surprise, in extra time for the last nine minutes. 

The match ended in a 0-0 stalemate between Liverpool and Chelsea with penalties awaiting both sets of players. The shootout was level 5-5, Tsimikas stepped up to take the spot kick that would seal the FA Cup for his side. With an ice cold finish, the Greek left back slotted home past Benjamin Mendy sending the Liverpool faithful into hysteria as his teammates ran in celebration with him. Truly it was a momentous moment for Tsimikas and everyone who had supported him from the beginning.

Statistics This Season

As mentioned before Tsimikas has been much more prevalent this season compared to his maiden campaign. The 26 year old has played over 15 hundred minutes thus far and at the time of writing that equates to 25 appearances in all competitions. He has also contributed to 6 assists.

Moving Forward

At this point in time Tsimikas is on top of the world. Not only is he playing for an elite side, but he is successfully competing with one of the best Left backs in the world in Andrew Robertson. He is playing top level football domestically, continentally and is a vital part of the Greek National Team. He has also paid a huge contribution to both Liverpool's League Cup and FA Cup wins while also still in the running for the Premier League and in the Champions League final. 

The one question for the talented fullback now is, what next? Tsimikas is undoubtedly a huge talent that deserves more game time, and with links to Juventus surfacing over the past month, there is no doubt that Tsimikas has the quality and mentality to be a starter away from the Merseyside club. The choice is his.

If he is happy at Liverpool for another season, he should stay and play his best football all be it as an understudy to Robertson. But, eventually there will come a point where Tsimikas, maybe for the betterment of his career, finds a club that will give him the starting spot that he so clearly deserves.

@stevekountourou

Hellas Football