Tsimikas is set for a bigger role between now and the New Year, with first choice left-back Andy Robertson out injured.
The Most Cursed Football Club In EnglandRobertson’s absence is a real blow for Liverpool, but speaking at a LFC Foundation event via RTE, former captain Hyypia has claimed that Tsimikas is ready to fill in.
“I think he [Tsimikas] will get a lot of responsibility now and he has his chance to show what kind of player he is,” says the 50-year-old. “Hopefully he is courageous and takes his chance.
If that is not going to work then Jurgen needs to think of something else to solve the problem but I have confidence in Tsimikas that he can do the job.”Had Robertson’s injury been a couple of years ago, then there would have been little debate about Tsimikas’ ability to replace him.
At various points during the 2021/22 season, there had been genuine chatter that the Greek could be Klopp’s best option. However, in the time in-between trust in Tsimikas has dissipated slightly. It now feels that the drop in quality between the two players is steeper than it should be.
Unfortunately, the £12m man underlined that a little with a less than convincing display during Saturday’s Merseyside Derby. Kostas started a little sluggishly and never really recovered. It wasn’t exactly a disastrous performance, but having been taken off with half-an-hour still to play, it won’t have settled some of the nerves amongst Liverpool fans.
Nevertheless, Tsimikas has proven in the past that he absolutely can be a proper player for the Reds. If – as Hyypia suggests he will – he can tap into that, then Kostas will be fine. It will be interesting to see whether Klopp decides to give the Greece international some rhythm and start him against Toulouse this Thursday.
We think he’ll be wrapped in cotton wool, but it might be worth getting some more minutes in Tsimi’s legs instead. We’ll see.
