While fans are dishing out blame for Liverpool losing the Champions League final one member of the coaching staff is receiving plenty of finger wagging.
While plenty of fans are laying into Sergio Ramos for injuring Mohamed Salah many are turning their disappointment to Loris Karius. The goalkeeper’s errors handed Real Madrid two goals that won them the game 3-1 on Saturday.
However many have sympathy for the German who was clearly distraught at his culpability for the loss. Instead those fans are looking further to appoint blame and are laying in at the door of a member of Jurgen Klopp’s backroom staff: goalkeeping coach John Achterberg.
The Dutch coach has long been a figure of suspicion amongst a portion of the Liverpool fanbase. The ex-Tranmere goalie came on staff at Anfield in 2009 under Rafa Benitez to help with keepers in the reserves and academy.
He was promoted to a first team coach under Kenny Dalglish in 2011. That was the same time the form of Pepe Reina tailed off dramatically. He was a world-class keeper prior to that dip and has since proved himself a top-level stopper at Napoli. Fans blamed Achterberg for that drop in form.
Liverpool's goal keeping coach should be fired for incompetence not Karius.
— Jurgen added Klopp (@ekwaraz) May 28, 2018
Reina lost favor with then manager Brendan Rodgers who brought in Simon Mignolet to be the Liverpool number one. The Belgian keeper showed potential at Sunderland but failed to improve in his four seasons as Liverpool’s undisputed number one – committing plenty of costly errors along the way.
Now the calamity of Karius in the Champions League final is the final nail in the coffin of John Achterberg’s legacy. There is a growing feeling that it doesn’t matter who Liverpool sign – even Alisson Becker or Jan Oblak – Achterberg will make them worse.
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His record is clearly not great. While you don’t think Klopp would suffer a damaging coach on his staff, eventually you need someone who can improve the talent given to him. John Achterberg has given us no indication he can do that.