Karius experiment is over and Liverpool need to move on
By David Gate
The decision to use Loris Karius in the Champions League came back to bite Jürgen Klopp last night as Liverpool need to move on from the German keeper.
As Fernando lined up his free kick last you could just tell Loris Karius was in the wrong place. I am no goalkeeper expert but I have seen this a thousand times. He was too far to his right and too far forward.
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It was a good free kick but not an unstoppable rocket. It was neither right in the top corner nor with any extreme curl or pace that you were astounded with its quality. You also are pretty confident that Simon Mignolet would have saved it.
The decision to make Karius the designated goalkeeper in the Champions League is a curious one and makes little sense. The idea is to give Karius opportunity to grow by giving him minutes and experience of high pressure games. Except if you are not the regular keeper and this your golden chance they not just high pressure, they are bursting pressure.
Champions League standard
The policy of using your second keeper in Europe has been used by both Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger in recent seasons. Wenger especially has come under huge criticism for playing David Ospina in big Champions League games. Their annihilation by Bayern Munich last season is a prime example. Outside of having a not-so-good keeper you also fill the rest of your side with a pang of uncertainty.
Mourinho used Sergio Romero over David de Gea in their Europa League run last season. Interestingly he has reverted back to only using de Gea this year. The games are too important and the standard is too high.
Karius is done
Karius has had 18 starts for Liverpool since joining last summer. He had a whoscored rating of 6.33 last year and is currently on 6.22 for this term. But you don’t need to go to stat websites to know he isn’t very good.
I think it is very unlikely that he develops to be better than Mignolet. While not the biggest sample, 18 games usually gives you a fair assessment of a player’s potential. And Karius just doesn’t have it. We should send him out on loan and see how he does. If he thrives? Great, give him another shot. If he doesn’t? Who cares, sell him.
Danny Ward has flashed more potential than Karius and it is now absurd that we are sticking with the German ahead of him. Mignolet in the league, Ward for FA Cup and back up. It’s not complicated.