Panagiotis Kikianis is a 19-year-old Australian centre-back who plays for Adelaide United in the A-Leauge. Kikianis made some cameos in 23/24 but has nailed down a regular starting spot this season. He has played for Australia at U-18 and U-20 level.
Kikianis is a little on the small side by centre-back standards. He’s 6’0 (1.85M) with a very slight build. But what he lacks in brute strength he makes up for in agility. Kikianis can turn very quickly and contort himself to make acrobatic clearances. As such he’s rarely beaten by quick changes of direction or if the ball bounces funnily. His relatively small stature can disadvantage him in physical battles but he’s very good at using his body to prevent opponents to win them cleanly. He’s reasonably quick and his aforementioned agility makes his movements very efficient. His positioning is quite good and he tracks opposition runs into the box effectively
Kikianis has occasional hiccups but in general he is a good passer. He beats the first line of pressure through passing quite consistently. He is comfortable playing the ball with both feet. He is often able to disguise his intentions when passing. He also has a tendency to float a long-range pass over opposing defences. This can cause problems for opponents as Kikianis generally hits these long range passes with pace and accuracy. The speed of his decision-making could be a little bit better, sometimes the opportunity to hit more aggressive long-range passes is on but he is a little slow to spot it. His first touch is generally strong. Kikianis’ small stature means he is not a very big threat from attacking set pieces.
Kikianis looks extremely comfortable in the A-League at 19 and has very few professional appearances under his belt. I am therefore quite confident he will eventually take a step to a higher level. How high is the real question. His lack of size might hold him back from the top level but the rest of his profile is very enticing. Adelaide has a midfielder split the centre-backs in possession so Kikianis already plays as a wide centre-back when his team has the ball. Perhaps playing on the outside of a back three could be his ticket to a significantly higher level. He should probably at least complete a full season in the A-League. After that, his Greek heritage might make Greece a natural next step. In the long run, I think a top club outside the top-5 leagues is possible for Kikianis.
Target Scouting 