Ivan Jovanovic hopes Christos Tzolis suffered only a temporary problem after the Arsenal winger was forced off during Greece's draw with the Netherlands.
Christos Tzolis wanted to stay on the pitch after feeling something during Greece’s 2-2 draw with the Netherlands, but Ivan Jovanovic took him off to protect the Arsenal winger.
The Arsenal winger initially resisted the substitution and even went back to defend a corner before eventually leaving the field. Jovanovic explained afterwards that his reaction had actually contributed to the decision to remove him.
“When I told him he was coming off, I had my suspicions, because he wouldn’t have made that move if he hadn’t felt something. We don’t know today how serious the damage is. I hope it’s only a spasm, something temporary,” the Greece manager said in his post-match press conference.
There was no firm diagnosis immediately after the game, leaving Greece and Arsenal waiting to discover whether Tzolis will miss any further football.
Jovanovic had spotted enough to intervene despite the 24-year-old making it clear he wanted to carry on. Asked about the exchange on the touchline, the Greece boss joked that there was not much to manage when he told a player to come off and the player effectively told him he was staying on.
“How am I supposed to manage it? I’m the coach, I tell him to come off, he tells me he’s not coming off. How do I manage that?”
Greece have another Nations League game against Germany to come after a demanding run of fixtures, and Jovanovic said his first concern was protecting Tzolis.
The decision was also taken with input from the Greece medical staff. When the subject came up again later in the press conference, Jovanovic rejected the suggestion that he had acted purely on his own suspicion.
“A coach doesn’t make decisions on substitutions, or on a suspected injury, without medical advice. We have doctors, and very good doctors.”
Jovanovic added that once he had received the information from the medical team, his responsibility was to make the substitution rather than allow Tzolis to continue.
The timing is awkward for a Greece side playing four Nations League matches across a short period. Jovanovic had already described Tzolis as a "very important player" while discussing the physical demands on his squad, with games against Serbia, Germany and the Netherlands all forming part of the current run.
Tzolis has also been settling into a new club season following his summer move from Club Brugge to Arsenal. He arrived in North London after scoring regularly in Belgium and has been Mikel Arteta’s starting choice on the left wing this season.
Whether he will play again during the international break remains to be seen.
Jovanovic's hope that the problem is only temporary is the most encouraging part of the initial update, but he could not say immediately after the Netherlands game whether Tzolis would be ready to face Germany.
That should become clearer before Greece play again. For Arsenal, the winger has more time to recover. The Gunners don’t return to Premier League action until October 10, when Leeds United visit the Emirates.
