Mavropanos, Lampropoulos impressing in German second tier

Both Konstantinos Mavropanos and Vasilis Lampropoulos have performed solidly in the Bundesliga 2 since German football returned, while Sebastian Vasiliadis continues to be a crucial player for Paderborn in the top tier.

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It didn’t take long for Mavropanos to get his career back on track. Hampered by injuries, the 22-year-old failed to gain any momentum at Arsenal over the course of the past year, but he has subsequently made a flying start to life in Germany. Loaned to Nuremberg in the January transfer window, the powerful Mavropanos has stood out with his commanding displays, with the coaches including him starting line-up for all four league games since the league resumed in May. 

Mavropanos was particularly impressive in the recent 1-1 draw against Erzgebirge Aue. While playing the full 90 minutes for Nuremberg, the talented centre-back emerged victorious in all seven of his aerial duels, won three tackles, completed 95 of 111 passes and dished out 22 long balls. The match ended level at 1-1.

At the weekend, Mavropanos did start the game against Bochum, but he was removed during the half-time break. Nevertheless, his showings in the Bundesliga 2 have certainly offered plenty of promise for the future, as he attempts to perhaps earn a second chance at Arsenal next season. Nuremberg currently occupy 15th place of the Bundesliga 2 standings.

Mavropanos isn’t the only Greek defender catching the eye in the Bundesliga 2.

Vasilis Lampropoulos, a 2017/2018 Super League champion with AEK, has been a rock for VfL Bochum. On loan from Deportivo for the remainder of the 2019/2020 season, the experienced 30-year-old has been a dominant, reliable figure in the centre of the Bochum defence, barely putting a foot wrong for his new club. Just like Mavropanos at Nuremberg, he has started all four league matches since the lengthy coronavirus break ended, producing watertight performances to prepel Bochum to two wins and two draws. Bochum now find themselves six points clear of the drop zone in ninth position.

The fact that Bochum have only conceded the one goal following the restart speaks volumes about Lampropoulos’ reliability. At the end of the season, the 30-year-old is due to return to Deportivo in Spain, where he made 17 La Liga 2 appearances in the first half of the campaign. Bochum are likely to be keen to make his transfer permanent.

In the Bundesliga, Sebastian Vasiliadis hasn’t enjoyed quite as much success, with Paderborn seemingly doomed for relegation in a distant last place of the table. However, even though Paderborn have lacked any kind of quality throughout the campaign, Vasiliadis has still been a key figure with his calm presence in midfield and ability to rob the opponents of possession. With 29 rounds in the books, the central midfielder has tallied a single goal and assist in the Bundesliga for the strugglers, always given a place in the starting XI by the coaching staff. Vasiliadis will surely want to move to a stronger team if Paderborn - as predicted - suffer demotion.

As it stands, Vasiliadis is yet to make his debut for the senior Greek national team, but John van ‘t Schip has regularly stated that the 22-year-old is firmly in his plans. Greece are due to return to action later in the year when the 2020/2021 UEFA Nations League eventually begins. 

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