Rarely has a self-given nickname been so endearing but Kostas Tsimikas calling himself the Greek Scouser has certainly become that. Since his addition to the squad he’s been a worthy man in his position, challenging Andy Robertson and making sure Liverpool don’t lose a bit of their quality when he does come on - allowing our talismanic Scotsman some time to rest.
Tsimikas was included in the lineup for Wednesday’s match against Norwich City for the FA Cup and saw firsthand Takumi Minamino’s stellar performance that granted Liverpool passage to the quarterfinals. And of course, Sunday’s League Cup win and Wednesday’s win are steps towards the ultimate goal of the quadruple.
“Taki’s an unbelievable player, in my opinion. We saw every player, no matter when he will play, will be ready – this is 100 per cent sure. We are hungry for that,” Tsimikas told the club website.
“We will play for the win, we give everything. No matter who is playing, this is our mentality, this is our team spirit. We go for it no matter who is playing. You have to give everything for the win.
“Liverpool is, for me, the best club in the world. Whenever I play, I give absolutely everything. Whenever they give me the chance, I want to be the best player – I think it’s the same for all the boys.
“The crowd was unbelievable, you enjoy playing in front of them. We can say a big thanks because once more it was a full stadium and we made them happy with this win.”
Of course, no one is going to deny that playing in front of a full Anfield is a boost, even when you are playing a relatively tough game against another Premier League side. Norwich were able to get one goal back in the second half, making the last bits of the match a little nervier than they should be, but the squad was prepared for that.
“It was very, very tough for us, a very intense game,” Tsimikas continued. “All the boys gave absolutely everything.
“I want to say congratulations to all the boys. We deserved this win, we are very happy and we wait to play the next game with the same passion.
“For this team, every competition is very important. We go for it no matter if we play in the Carabao Cup or FA Cup. We play for the same goal, hungry to win the trophy. Every player who played [against Norwich] gave everything and we went for it.”
With an attitude like that, no wonder he considers himself the Greek Scouser - he really does feel like he’s cut from the cloth of the city.
Loading comments...