Kostas Tsimikas admits he is glad to be back at Liverpool following a "strange" season on loan at Roma - as he hinted at the changes Andoni Iraola is making during training.
Tsimikas endured a frustrating time at the Italian side, restricted to just six Serie A starts and five in the Europa League, all of which were at wing-back. The 30-year-old Greece international, who is in the last year of his Liverpool contract, has subsequently returned to the Reds and is expected to provide competition for Milos Kerkez in the left-back role this season. He has travelled as part of the tour to the United States and is in line to feature in the first friendly against Sunderland in Nashville on Saturday evening.
Back at Liverpool
Of being back at Liverpool, Tsimikas said: "I couldn’t wait, to be honest. I had a very tough and strange season last year, but I’m fully here, I trained so hard alone in the off-season."
"And during the last season, even if I didn’t have so much game time for some reasons, I’m really here, I’m really happy to be back, really glad and I can’t wait to wear the jersey."
"For me, it’s like I never left the club. It has a very big sense in my heart always. I’m very happy even now I came back, I just feel like I never left."
"The mood is in the best levels, even the young kids are very positive and try to give everything. All together, we try to achieve our goals."
Iraola's training methods
Tsimikas was among the players who returned for pre-season training a week early, and has already seen the tweaks new head coach Iraola is introducing as he imposes his style of play on the squad. "We did some throw-ins, some build-ups and all these kinds of things; he likes the intensity in the training, everything is with the ball," he said. "He wants us to keep the ball, don’t lose the ball, and try to play good football."
"As I say, it’s very early, it is new for us, but all the players try to give absolutely everything to try to understand what exactly he wants and to do the right things inside the pitch."
Speaking to liverpoolfc.com, Tsimikas added: "The pre-season is the foundation of the whole year. All the players want and try to give absolutely everything to be ready for the first games of the league."
"I think we improve in some parts, even with the young kids that came – the older players, we try to help them. It’s a start with the new manager. I really enjoy it, I really try to work very hard and to be healthy. And always I want to improve."
