Arsenal winger Christos Tzolis has received rave reviews after he excelled in Greece’s 2-1 win over Serbia in their Nations League opener on Thursday.
The 24-year-old netted the equaliser for the visitors after Andrija Zivkovic had opened the scoring, before Anastasios Douvikas‘ 95th-minute winner secured a famous victory.
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Tzolis has experienced a strong to life in North London, providing four assists in eight games across all competitions so far.
The forward cost Arsenal just £34million to sign from Club Brugge in the summer, but it was not expected that he would be Mikel Arteta’s main option on the left.
Moves for the likes of Vinicius Junior, Morgan Rogers and Julian Alvarez were all explored but ultimately proved fruitless, with Tzolis now facing the pressure of carrying the Premier League champions’ left-sided attack.
That weight of expectation has looked to prove a burden at times already this season, but there is confidence that the Greece international will enjoy a strong campaign.
Greek media applaud Christos Tzolis
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There is huge excitement surrounding Tzolis, and a real expectation that he could go down among the best Greek players ever.
At just the age of 24, his goal on Thursday night saw him enter the top 20 all-time leading goal-scorers for his nation, and he needs just 20 more to take the top spot.
It was a brilliantly taken effort that snuck into the bottom corner via the post, and there was so much more to his performance.
Tzolis created four chances – more than anybody else on the pitch – took six shots overall, and made 12 touches in the opposition box, in what was a incredibly efficient display in front of goal.
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Greek football website, Hellas Football, gave the Arsenal man a nine out of 10 for his display, and wrote: “He’s just mustard, isn’t he?
“Even while Greece toiled in front of goal for the majority of the match, Tzolis’ movement, interplay and cut-backs meant they remained a dangerous prospect throughout. Quality simply drips off his every touch, dribble and shot.
“He deserved a goal to crown a consummate performance and what a goal it was. Weak foot, angle tightening, defender closing, low, hard, post, in. Tzolis is the golden standard.”
Christos Tzolis is now undroppable as 0.77 and 91% Arsenal stats emerge How can Arsenal get more out of Tzolis?
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While Tzolis has started well at Arsenal, there is undoubtedly a sense that he can be doing much more in the final third.
The winger scored 22 goals and provided 29 assists across all competitions for Club Brugge last summer – efficiency is his game.
Yet often when he receives the ball from his Arsenal teammates, he is too far away from the goal to produce a shot or cross.
If Arteta wants to extract the very best from Tzolis, he must find a way to get him closer to the goal.
