Liverpool buy Kostas Tsimikas: Who is he and what will he add to Jurgen Klopp's team?
Liverpool's Premier League and Champions League winning first team largely picks itself, giving Jurgen Klopp a difficult dilemma in the transfer market: how does he improve the starting XI without unsettling the perfect balance already in place?
Squad depth is key and Liverpool's heavy reliance on full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson is no secret. The development of Neco Williams as a reliable understudy at right-back leaves flying Scotsman Robertson in need of cover, and in Kostas Tsimikas, Klopp may well have found it.
A Greece international, left-back Tsimikas is quick, full of energy, likes to get forward, and has the sort of mental characteristics Klopp looks for in his signings: determined, aggressive in his pursuit of the ball and brave in the tackle. On paper Tsimikas appears fit the bill rather nicely. The other positive is that a deal worth around £12million is enough to bring him in, a fee that shouldn't trouble the bank balance.
Without data to assess his output in the Greek Superliga, the Champions League is our best way of analysing Tsimikas' style of play in relation to what he will bring to Liverpool. The Olympiakos full-back has one assist in six appearances this season, with an additional four games played in the Europa League too after his side exited at the group stages.
His numbers across all metrics show an attack-minded player who likes to dribble with the ball:
Robertson has been slightly more conservative in Champions League games than in the Premier League, where he has been able to run without defensive shackles. This is how Robertson compares to Luke Shaw, another left-back in the same division:
Tsimikas' radar is that of an extremely attacking full-back who doesn't shy away from a duel. His defensive output will clearly be important as a nominal defender but statistics that stand out in particular include his 1.67 chances created per 90 against the likes of Bayern Munich, Tottenham, and FK Crvena Zvezda in the Champions League group stages, as compared to Roberston's 0.62 for Liverpool in the same competition.
The difficulty with identifying a player capable of covering for Robertson is finding one who is not only happy to battle for a starting position in the Liverpool team, but who could realistically challenge for it. Competition for places is key in any successful side, driving individuals to improve.
Tsimikas' touchmaps in individual Champions League games also suggest that he will provide the attacking wing-play that is so vital to Liverpool's style, as in this example from Olympiakos' 2-2 draw with Spurs in September 2019:
Just like Robertson and Alexander-Arnold, Tsimikas spends most of his game in the opposition half, which will help him fit in to Liverpool's full-back department - these two are the most creative players in Klopp's team, providing 13 and 12 assists in 2019/20 respectively - the second and highest of anyone in the squad all season - as a result of their advanced, aggressive positioning.
Liverpool's 4-3-3 is built on intensity, running and clever positioning, with Robertson in particular essentially an extra winger or forward, making runs beyond the last man to get in at goal while still prepared to sprint back and assist in defensive phases.
As with many of Klopp's signings, it is likely that Tsimikas is given time to adapt to the tactical requirements and physical demands of how Liverpool play before being introduced properly. Robertson might be thankful for the rest he might now be given, but it'll take something special to usurp him as first choice left-back. Tsimikas doesn't make the first team better, but he improves the squad - and that is all Liverpool really needed to do in the first place.
