Konstantinos Tsimikas

Key strength: Pace and recovery

Overlapping full-back

Stranded in 20th place yet somehow riding a sensational five-match winning streak, AS Roma's improbable revival under Daniele De Rossi has become the league's most compelling subplot—and quietly anchoring this defensive renaissance is Konstantinos Tsimikas. The 28-year-old Greek left-back, a €20 million summer acquisition from Liverpool, embodies the unsung graft that winning runs demand. With 7 appearances and 630 minutes under his belt this season, Tsimikas may not light up the stat sheet—zero goals, zero assists—but his 70-rated defensive intelligence and disciplined positioning (just one yellow card across all outings) provide the structural integrity De Rossi's overlapping system requires. Competing with Angeliño for the starting berth, Tsimikas leverages his pace and recovery abilities to ensure Roma's left flank remains unbreachable. As the Giallorossi defy gravity in their survival chase, the former Anfield utility man represents precisely the squad depth that separates genuine survivors from relegation casualties—a €20 million insurance policy whose composed, combative presence could yet prove decisive in this extraordinary campaign.