Liverpool fans have expressed their surprise at Konstantinos Tsimikas' inclusion in the starting lineup to face AC Milan in their first Champions League match of the season. The two European heavyweights are set to clash at San Siro on September 17, with Tsimikas being picked over Andrew Robertson to start at left-back for the Reds.
Arne Slot has surprised many by giving Tsimikas his first start of the season in a high-profile match. The 28-year-old Greek full-back played 11 minutes in their first game of the season against Ipswich, and did not even come off the bench in their second game against Brentford.
Against Manchester United, where the Reds won 3-0, Tsimikas played for only seven minutes. In their most recent fixture, a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on September 14, the full-back played only 15 minutes.
The Anfield faithful took to social media to share their concerns with posts like these:
"Wasn't expecting Tsimikas to start, tbh," a fan wrote.
"Tsimikas stating UCL nights but we don’t need a left back," another sarcastically said.
"Tsimikas isn’t a solution. At all," a fan added.
"Tsimikas starting a Champions league game? Game has gone," a fan wrote.
"This Tsimikas stinker is going to hurt my soul," another claimed.
Arne Slot demands improvement from Liverpool players ahead of Milan clash
Liverpool are set to face arguably their biggest test of the season so far when they meet Milan at San Siro on September 17. They enter the game on the back of a shock 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest at Anfield in the Premier League.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of the Milan game, Arne Slot spoke about the loss to Forest. He told reporters (via GOAL):
"Not only the journalists were disappointed about the result from us against Nottingham Forest, the team and me were really disappointed. Although we always put it in the right perspective when we beat United, the journalists and us were really positive. Of course, we also saw things we have to improve."
Slot will be hoping for an improved performance against Milan, as the Liverpool fans will want to start their Champions League campaign with a win.