‘No initiative’ – Liverpool loan player slammed for ‘poor’ display despite 100% pass completion

Kostas Tsimikas’ season-long stay at AS Roma hit another bump on Thursday night as the Liverpool-owned left-back was criticised for an ineffective cameo in the Giallorossi’s 1-1 Europa League draw at Bologna. Introduced in the 60th minute with Roma trailing, the 29-year-old failed to swing the momentum and was later singled out by sections of the Italian press.

Roma Today reporter Philip Giannitrapani handed Tsimikas a 5.5 player rating, the brief but pointed justification reading: “Poor entrance. Lots of fouls and no initiative.”

Statistically, the Greece international was tidy when in possession, completing all five of his attempted passes for a 100% success rate. Yet those numbers masked a broader lack of influence: Tsimikas touched the ball only eight times, committed two fouls, won none of his duels and recorded zero tackles, interceptions or clearances during his 30-minute outing at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.

The subdued performance did little to help his chances of forcing his way into Gian Piero Gasperini’s starting XI. Across all competitions this season Tsimikas has started just 10 matches for Roma, split evenly between Serie A and Europa League fixtures, and has rarely looked like cementing a regular role.

Speculation surfaced in January over a potential recall to Anfield, but no move materialised. With Milos Kerkez arriving at Liverpool last summer, the pathway back to Merseyside appears blocked, leaving the defender’s long-term future uncertain. Unless form and fortunes improve dramatically in the coming months, a permanent switch to the Stadio Olimpico looks increasingly unlikely.