Arsenal’s Christos Tzolis Faces Injury Scan After Greece Muscle Issue
Arsenal winger Christos Tzolis is set for further checks after suffering a muscular problem just 18 minutes into Greece’s 2-2 Nations League draw with the Netherlands in Thessaloniki on Thursday.
Tzolis is likely to sit out Greece’s meeting with Germany this weekend as the national team assesses the extent of the issue. Greece coach Ivan Jovanovic hopes the problem proves to be no more than a temporary muscle twitch, but the player was withdrawn as a precaution.
The 23-year-old fell to the turf holding his leg and needed treatment from the medical staff. He appeared upset during the stoppage, pulling his shirt over his face, although he later moved more comfortably after receiving attention.
Jovanovic explains touchline disagreement
Tzolis initially wanted to stay on, despite Jovanovic deciding he should be replaced. The Greece boss said the player resisted the instruction to leave the pitch, creating an unusual exchange beside the field.
“What could I do?” Jovanovic said. “I am his coach and told him to come off, but he replied that he was not coming out. People close by saw what happened. I asked him to leave because I felt he would not have reacted like that unless he had felt something.”
Tzolis eventually continued long enough to track back for a Netherlands corner before heading towards the bench and making way.
Jovanovic said the decision was based on the advice of Greece’s medical team and stressed that player welfare had to come first in a non-qualifying international fixture.
“A coach does not make a substitution decision over a suspected injury without medical guidance,” he said. “We have doctors, and they are very good. When they believe a player should not continue, particularly with a muscular matter, the coach has to make the change immediately.”
He added that it was still too early to know the scale of the damage, but said he hoped it was only a short-lived problem.
Arsenal wait on international-break fitness news
The scare adds to Arsenal’s concerns during the international window. Kai Havertz also sustained a knock while playing against the Netherlands, increasing the workload for the club’s medical staff before domestic action resumes.
Captain Martin Odegaard was also involved in a worrying moment after taking a strong challenge from Bernardo Silva in Norway’s game against Portugal. However, the midfielder recovered from the tackle and was cleared to play for Norway on Thursday night.
Arsenal now await Tzolis’ assessment before returning to a packed run of fixtures, with Mikel Arteta keen to avoid another extended absence in his squad.
