After being linked all summer with moves for Alisson and Jan Oblak, Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp might have decided to stick with Loris Karius as our No.1 for the upcoming season.
Cue the pitchforks and flames all around the Liverpool fanbase. Afterall, many of us were sure that we would be investing in this position after the Champions League final. With almost every other position having a world-class player, we needed an upgrade on our keeper.
However, Klopp is a stubborn man and more often than not, his moves do work out for the better. The German stuck to his guns about bringing Virgil van Dijk into the club and it did pay off. Similarly, Andy Robertson has been a star, and no one expected that from him before.
Sticking with Karius can lead to the rise of a star keeper
Karius is only 25 and is yet to hit his prime. Sure, he has made a few mistakes but the German did suffer a concussion in the Champions League final before he conceded the goals.
Before joining the club, the German was voted as the second-best keeper behind Manuel Neuer, and that has to count for something.
Players need time to understand a league and this would be Karius’ third year at Anfield, meaning he could pull off a David De Gea.
Additionally, Klopp and the team must work with the German keeper and try to fix the issues. After all, Karius is an excellent shot-stopper but his skills are questionable when it comes to collecting crosses and set-piece deliveries.
From next season onwards, Fabinho and Naby Keita will bolster our midfield and serve as additional protection for Karius.
The German must strive to do well but those counter-attacks that demolished our defence for the past two seasons might be a thing of the past with the presence of Keita and Fabinho.
And then there’s the financial aspect. Alisson and Oblak are being quoted for crazy prices and unless Klopp believes a player is worth it, he will not make a move.
Spending world-record sums on a keeper might not be Klopp’s way of doing things and with a good pre-season, Karius could well turn out to be the signing that improves the most this time around.
We could end up with an unmitigated disaster that should have been avoided
Of course, the other side of the coin could see it all spiralling into chaos at the back. Karius has often displayed a nonchalant character at the back, a little too relaxed and not vocal enough to be in sync with Dejan Lovren and Van Dijk.
That has been a regular feature of his game but if he makes one mistake on the first day of the season, there will be a ton of abuse not just directed at him but also towards Klopp.
To win major trophies, we need to have world-class players in all departments and Liverpool lack a quality goalkeeper.
Besides Karius, we have Simon Mignolet (who could leave before the start of the season) and Danny Ward which goes to show that we are extremely short of solid talent between the sticks.
Again, bringing someone who is world-class would have been a statement of intent from FSG too. They have paid huge sums to bring in Van Dijk, Keita and Fabinho, so why not do the same and bring in a keeper that will guarantee us a few more points next season?
Karius might have hit his peak at Liverpool and it would require a bit of a miracle for him to become someone like a Petr Cech or David De Gea next season.
The German’s confidence might take a hammering if he makes any errors from here on and the opposition will target him, there is no doubt about that.
Klopp playing a dangerous game
Klopp is someone who is willing to take risks and this one will certainly be one of the biggest he makes during his time at Liverpool.
Think about it this way, Liverpool are a few minutes away from winning a trophy and an opponent has let rip from outside the box.
Karius is standing between the sticks and what he does next might either lead us to glory or end up costing us the trophy.
Read more: Reputed British Journalist Rubbishes Of Rumours About A New Goalkeeper Target For Liverpool
Answers on a postcard, please.
