View: 77% Kostas Tsimikas looks ready to push on at Liverpool after confidence-boosting moment
Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas scored his first goal for the club in the 3-0 victory against Manchester United on Monday (4 August).
Last season was one to forget for the Greek international and, despite Robertson spending a considerable amount of time on the sidelines, Tsimikas was overlooked by Jurgen Klopp with Joe Gomez deputising for the Scotland captain.
Arne Slot’s arrival marks a fresh start for the defender and his goal against Man United is not only a milestone but will help his chances of forcing himself as a regular starter for the upcoming campaign.
“That’s the way we play, everybody has confidence,” he said to liverpoolfc.com (6 August).
“I think that is [because of] the very good, hard work we did with our new head coach, the new ideas. So, we just have to keep it up, just really work hard and do exactly what we can better.
“I think one of my dreams came true – to score for this club, with this jersey. Today also my brother’s baby has been born, so I am more than happy with the goal and the baby!”
The goal against United was hugely encouraging as he showed impressive moment to round off a fine team move near the back post.
Will Liverpool sell Kostas Tsimikas?
The 28-year-old has been at Anfield for four years since his move from Olympiakos in 2020 and has mostly had to settle for a place on the bench behind Andy Robertson.
It has been underwhelming, to say the least. He was signed to challenge for the starting left-back spot and has seemed to fall even further down the pecking order behind Gomez.
Now rumours are circulating that Slot has identified Julio Soler as his long-term replacement for Robertson, meaning Tsimikas’ time at Anfield could be drawing to a close (Daily Express, 4 August).
The ‘Greek Scouser’ has produced some memorable moments over the years. He scored the winning penalty in the FA Cup final against Chelsea in 2022 and assisted Virgil van Dijk for the winning goal against the same opponents in the Carabao Cup final last season.
He has become a cult hero amongst Liverpool supporters, who only wish for the defender to succeed at Anfield, and this season could prove to be his final chance to do just that.
He also completed 77 per cent of his passes [FBref], which is near enough on a par with roving right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold (75 per cent).
On paper, the numbers are respectable for a player that played little football, but even after four years in England, he still struggles with the intensity of the top flight.
Those 3.3 ball recoveries look less impressive considering Tsimikas was in the bottom 29.2 percentile for recoveries, alongside the 4.5 percentile for aerial duels won, 18th percentile for duels won, and 20.2 percentile for interceptions (Fotmob).
Defence wins titles and Tsimikas is a million miles away from being considered a starter for a title-contending side such as Liverpool.
Further up the pitch, he completed 28.6 per cent of his dribbles, which was in the bottom 10.1 percentile among Premier League defenders. That is most worrying for a defender who has used his offensive abilities to make up for his defensive capabilities.
When the ball is at his feet, however, is where Tsimikas thrives. He was in the top 85.4 percentile for successful crosses (Fotmob), 91 percentile for shot-creating actions, and 93 percentile for assists per 90, equating to 0.25 per match (FBref).
Tsimikas arrived at Anfield with one of the hardest tasks in football for a left-back, displacing the highest assisting full-back in Premier League history in Robertson for a side competing for titles year in and year out.
Andy Robertson tough to dislodge at Liverpool
It hasn’t panned out for the Greek defender, but he has shown flashes of quality when called upon and has created a bond with the supporters. Sentimentality only stretches so far in football, though, and he needs to start producing on the pitch.
Slot has big decisions to make on his side ahead of the new season and Tsimikas’ future will be on the agenda.
If he is moved on, Tsimikas will be remembered for his iconic moments in cup competitions. Hopefully, though, he is able to push on after his confidence-boosting moment this week and establish himself as a regular starter under Slot.
In other Liverpool news, the Reds might have already found a solution to their midfield dilemma.
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