All eyes will be on Kostas Tsimikas this week as the 25-year-old looks set to make his Premier League debut in Liverpool’s curtain-raising trip to Norwich City.
The left-back spent the bulk of the last campaign on the bench, with ever-reliable Andy Robertson remarkably starting all 38 league games for the Reds.
The Greek star may have been bestowed more game time had Liverpool’s defence not been plagued by injuries elsewhere, but as a result of the same, Jurgen Klopp had to play senior players such as Robertson on a most regular basis to support inexperienced teammates around him.
An ankle ligament injury sustained to Robertson on Sunday however will likely see him sidelined for at least three to four games, finally bestowing Tsimikas his opportunity to shine in a run of competitive fixtures.
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The former Olympiacos player has already impressed in a number of pre-season matches this summer, perhaps most notably on Monday night where he was an energetic presence up and down the left, capping off his fine display with an assist for Roberto Firmino.
His strong recent pre-season displays have eased the initial concerns surrounding Robertson’s injury, with confidence growing that Tsimikas has what it takes to step up in his absence, but it’s likely Liverpool’s backroom staff were always confident that he could, and that’ll be one of the reasons Michael Edwards and his recruitment team identified him as a suitable target to sign ahead of the last campaign.
During his last full season with Olympiacos, the left-back registered a solid five assists across all competitions, yet he actually posted an Expected Assist (xA) total of 6.77, indicating he was unlucky not to secure closer to seven assists based on the quality of chances he created.
For comparison in the Premier League last season, Robertson accumulated an xA of 7.35 which, although coming in the tougher environment of the Premier League, was boosted by taking a large portion of Liverpool’s set-pieces.
Beyond his direct contribution in terms of assists and xA, Tsimikas also posted some impressive underlying numbers for Olympiacos in that final campaign, averaging 4.11 dribbles, 2.61 progressive runs and 4.91 crosses, all per 90.
Again, if we use Robertson in the Premier League last season as the comparison - 1.82 dribbles, 2.32 progressive runs and 4.76 crosses per 90 - we see an obvious similarity between the two in terms of output, with Tsimikas perhaps benefiting from facing weaker opposition to help boost his dribbling numbers.
Whilst he became somewhat of a forgotten man last year, all of the above reminds us why Liverpool made a move for Tsimikas in the first place, and the same also provides a certain level of confidence that no major tactical adjustment needs to be made with him playing in the place of Robertson.
Because not only can he be an adequate replacement for Robertson, but the 25-year-old also has the ability to play a starring role for the Reds across these key early fixtures of the campaign.
