Tsimikas vs Robbo: Champions League group stage stats show exactly why Liverpool target Olympiakos left-back

• According to The Athletic's James Pearce, Liverpool are now in advanced talks with Olympiakos about left-back Kostas Tsimikas.
• As the 24-year-old is going to be a back-up for Andy Robertson, drawing a comparison between the two of them could help understand better whether or not the Greek could handle the role.
• David Comerford, a Liverpool fan and writer, has gathered key numbers from the 2019/20 Champions League group stage to see how the defenders fared.

Andy Robertson vs Kostas Tsimikas in the 2019/20 Champions League group stage

• Minutes played: Robertson - 439; Tsimikas - 540
• Key passes per game: Robertson - 0.5; Tsimikas - 1.7
• Passing accuracy: Robertson - 87%; Tsimikas - 75%
• Crosses per game: Robertson - 0.5; Tsimikas - 2.2
• Expected assists per game: Robertson - 0.05; Tsimikas - 0.19
• Dribbles per game: Robertson - 0.5; Tsimikas - 2.3
• Dribbled past per game: Robertson - 0.8; Tsimikas - 0.8

Why it actually impresses

• Naturally, stats don't necessarily reflect the reality as football cannot be reduced to pure numbers.
• Yet some facts just can't be denied: Tsimikas played against Bayern Munich, Tottenham and Red Star - an exceptionally difficult group; and Olympiakos lost 4 games, winning just once.
• The 24-year-old performed like that against much stronger teams and he was more aggressive than Robbo offensively, which shows how attack-minded he is.