One of the few bright spots for Greece against Argentina was the performance of goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas.
By Conor Hogan
Tzorvas, making only his tenth appearance for Greece at the age of 27, made several outstanding saves, and without him Argentina could easily have plundered five or six goals.
Tzorvas has had an indifferent career, despite always having been looked upon as a keeper with potential. He started out as a youth player at Panathinaikos, but struggled to make the team, as they already had Antonios Nikopolidis and Kostas Chalkias, two netminders who would go on to establish themselves as Greece internationals. Tzorvas was loaned out numerous times, before eventually making a move to OFI Crete.
Following a string of outstanding performances for OFI, Panathinaikos bought him back as cover for Mario Galinović. After some indifferent form, Galinović was dropped, and Tzorvas was made first choice.
Potential suitors: Fulham, Celtic
For most of the qualifying campaign, Tzorvas was second choice for Greece. An injury to Chalkiss, however, earned him the number one jersey, and he’s kept it ever since. He was man of the match in both legs of the playoff against Ukraine, keeping a clean sheet in both.
Tzorvas’s main strength is his agility. He is an excellent shot-stopper, and is decisive when coming for crosses. He can also kick the ball a long distance, which suits the Greeks’ direct style of play.
With rumours that Mark Schwarzer might be going to Arsenal, he could be an ideal replacement for Fulham. Schwarzer is 38 anyway, so Fulham will need a replacement sooner rather than later. Artur Boruc is set to leave Celtic, so the Bhoys – who already have one Greek in Giorgios Samaras on the books at Parkhead, might look to another in Tzorvas.
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