Tsimikas’ development and playing style reminiscent of Georgatos

Kostas Tsimikas’ development and style have many in Greek football likening him to former Olympiacos star Grigoris Georgatos.

Kostas Tsimikas has had a breakout campaign this season as Olympiacos continue to impress on the domestic front and in Europe. The Greek international has become one of the most sought after young left-backs on the continent thanks to his performances during the 2019/20 campaign. 

With six assists in his 34 matches in all competitions, this season, Tsimikas has shown he is not only a solid and tenacious defender but that he has a real ability to get involved in the attack. 

Tsimikas’ emergence has brought comparisons to a former Greek left-back. Many have begun to liken Tsimikas to former Olympiacos player Grigoris Georgatos. Twenty years ago, it was Georgatos taking Greek football by storm with a series of high-quality seasons for an Olympiacos side winning title after title. 

In 1999, Inter Milan came calling and snapped up Georgatos for a transfer fee of €7 million. “Geo” featured in an Inter side that included heaps of star power, players such as the Brazilian Ronaldo, Roberto Baggio, Ivan Zamorano, Alvaro Recoba, Clarence Seedorf, Laurent Blanc, and Javier Zanetti.

Georgatos’ game was an attacking one, a player who specialized in his energetic runs down the left flank and one who was able to whip in dangerous crosses on a consistent basis. Tsimikas is of a similar mold. The 23-year-old has been a constant threat down the left for the Erythrolefki this season, showing a similar willingness to his predecessor to get forward and provide good service into the box. If Georgatos was perhaps slightly more dynamic in attack, then many believe that Tsimikas has the edge in being more devoted to defending. 

Former Greek national team and Olympiacos legend Stelios Giannakopoulos, when asked recently about whether Tsimikas was the new Georgatos, stated, “He is close to the style of Georgatos, who was a much more attacking player until Dusan Bajevic changed him. Tsimikas is more of a back. In general, he has more balance to his game. Defending wise, he is a dog.” 

It might not be a surprise that the two have similar styles as Georgatos was convinced of Tsimikas’ potential as early as 2014 when Olympiacos signed the player. As part of his time with the club’s youth sides, Tsimikas was coached by Georgatos as well as Esteban Cambiasso. Reports suggest he was continuously challenged by Georgatos to improve his game. His growth came though not without some growing pains. Tsimikas made his first-team debut in the 2015/16 but needed to gain experience in loan spells to Denmark (Esbjerg) and the Netherlands (Willem II) before becoming a regular at the Piraeus club.

As for Georgatos himself, he seems to have no question about how far Tsimikas can go. In a recent Facebook post following Tsimikas’ excellent display in the derby win away to PAOK, the former player suggested there is much more to come from the young defender. “ What ‘Tsimi’ did was what I dreamt he would do someday in that stadium as a first-team player for Olympiacos. There is a lot to come from him, and he is still only at 60% of what he can do.”

Just as they did 20 years ago with Georgatos, Olympiacos seem set to reap the benefits of a similar talent as Tsimikas improves with every passing year. After a season as strong as this, however, the question begs whether he, like Georgatos, is now about to make a big move abroad. If so, it would be the latest similarity between two of the best left-backs Greek football has produced in the last quarter-century. 

by George Tsitsonis

Image Source: sportime.gr

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