The Giannoulis Replacement, It’s a Two-horse Race

The Giannoulis Replacement, It’s a Two-horse Race

By Christian Leggas 

Dimitris Giannoulis' most-recent setback is a shame for him, his domestic club and his country. A ligament injury has forced the left-back to miss the next eight weeks, which barring a better than expected recovery, rules him out of Greece's final two UEFA Nations League matches next month. But they say when one door closes, another one opens and in my view? There are only two candidates who can fill that void. Let's look to see who those men are.

Kostas Stafylidis

Joining German outfit VFL Bochum has been an arguable career-saving move for Stafylidis. Thomas Reis put his faith in the injury-prone yet versatile player, and he has not looked back. Stafylidis was able to string together over twenty matches in all competitions last season for the first time in five years, twenty-six to be exact and played his part in six clean sheets from that appearances total, but that's not all. He was to expand his abilities in a positional sense, plying his trade as both a right-back and defensive midfielder. His efforts last campaign didn't go unnoticed by Ethniki Coach Gus Poyet either, with Stafylidis initially called up by Poyet in his first squad selection in March this year, only having to withdraw due to knee problems. Rumour has it that right-back was the position that Poyet wanted him to play at that stage. Which only speaks volumes regarding his versatility.

Giorgos Kyriakopoulos

If there's a candidate for most unlucky player to not have a Greece coach reward domestic form with minutes, it's this man. Kyriakopoulos has been a mainstay in Sassuolo's best line-up since 2019, with the left-sided player amassing eighty-two appearances and contributing a solitary goal plus ten assists in that time, playing predominately as a left-back and putting the occasional shift in as a left-winger. As mentioned, impressive domestic form hasn't led to many minutes on the pitch for the Ethniki, with just five caps to his name, starting with his debut against Austria in 2020 and none since March 2021. Why has this been the case? Because there have always been those one or two players in the Ethniki fold more recognisable than he is, lining up either at left-back or on the left-wing. Injuries now to Giannoulis and Dimitris Limnios could open the door now for Kyriakopoulos.

Kostas Tsimikas is more than likely going to be chosen first at left-back by Poyet. That has been obvious since his appointment. But either or both of these gentlemen would be more than worthy of squad selection and meaningful minutes when September rolls around.