Kostas Tsimikas may have less than ten appearances for Liverpool under his belt but fans already see him as one of their own.
In Andy Robertson’s absence, Tsimikas has been the Reds left-back for their opening two Premier League matches this season.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
He’s made the most of these rare opportunities with Liverpool getting off to a strong start with five goals and none conceded in wins over Norwich and Burnley.
Kopites love him so much that he’s become known as the ‘Greek Scouser’ – a nickname that originated at Liverpool’s Kirkby training ground.
Tsimikas told talkSPORT: “There’s a guy who I train with here, we said it first as a joke because I always tried to speak in a scouse accent!
“And one time he said to me after I posted on social media and everyone loved that. I’m very happy with that and also because people love me here and it’s given me the extra power to give everything I have in every single game.”
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
We’ll have to wait for Tsimikas to perfect his scouse dialect but he endeared himself to the Kop when he laid on assist for Diogo Jota against Burnley.
He’s been at Anfield for over a year but that moment was arguably the beginning of Tsimikas’ Liverpool journey having had a tough first season.
The 25-year-old caught COVID, while also getting two injuries. There was also a completely new way of playing to learn too.
On what he’s learnt from Jurgen Klopp, Tsimikas said: “It was learning what he wants tactically.
“When the team had big injuries, of Virgil van Dijk and every central defender, it was very, very hard to play me.
“This made me more strong and more power to train until my chance came. I think this helped me because I feel ready and I know more what he [Klopp] wants because I’m fully prepared and I’m ready for every challenge in the future.”
Clik here to view.
The reality for Tsimikas is that he’ll have to be outstanding if he’s to continue starting at left-back though as he’s in competition with Robertson for that spot.
Despite battling for a place in the team, Tsmikas insists Robertson has only been helpful to him ever since he walked through the door at Liverpool.
He added: “Last year I was always asking about the gameplay of the team. He’s a very good person, he’s always open to helping me.
“He’s a very good guy, very good player and we will have a good challenge together and we will see. The things he’s doing are very, very good.
“I’m ready for every challenge, to get more chances, to show more things and to help my team more.”
Clik here to view.
Tsimikas also lifted the lid on his friendship with Mohamed Salah, who could net his 100th Premier League goal against former club Chelsea in talkSPORT’s GameDay clash on Saturday.
On Salah, Tsimikas said: “We’ve been very good friends from day one. He tries to help me with everything I ask him about, he’s a very good guy.
“We spend a lot of time in the training ground and have fun. He’s a really honest guy and that’s what I like about him.
“He’s a goal machine. He’s phenomenal because to score easily like him is something nobody can do.
“He works a lot. I always see him in the gym or on the pitch. We stay together at training and even practice free-kicks.”
Clik here to view.
Listen to full commentary of Liverpool vs Chelsea LIVE on talkSPORT this Saturday, kick-off 5:30pm