Former Liverpool Teammates Engage in Twitter War over Loris Karius

It seems that Loris Karius cannot escape the headlines even when he hasn't done anything wrong. Former Liverpool teammates were less than united on the subject of the club’s current number one. Carragher blasted Karius on Sky Sports, telling him to “shut up and do your job” at half time. Dietmar Hamann, however, found Carragher’s approach quite disrespectful and let him know exactly that.

What followed was quite a heated exchange on Twitter between two players that spent seven years together under Gérard Houllier and Rafa Benítez. Together they won nine trophies, including the UEFA Cup and Champions League.

This continued in mature fashion with Carragher reminding Hamann about Tokyo and 2005 when the defensive midfielder got locked up after losing the World Club Championship final. The story goes that Hamann jumped on the bonnet of a taxi as some of his teammates filled it up, but unfortunately for a footballer not renowned for his pace, twenty-five Japanese police officers could catch up to him.

Karius had already responded to criticism from Gary Neville with some fine observations of his own before making another high-profile error at Anfield that only served to increase the pressure around him. Karius has also been subject to criticism from the Neville brothers, with Philip surprisingly following his older brother’s lead when he had the opportunity on Match of the Day 2. Backing his brother while laying into a Liverpool player at the same time must have been a professional highlight for the younger Neville.

This latest social media battle reveals how Karius' form has become a hot topic and an unnecessary distraction. Klopp made a decision to bring in Karius after spending most of last season assessing his squad, but eleven games is too soon to write off a 23-year-old goalkeeper. Hamann clearly thought that Carragher was out of line and told him so, just as Carragher shared his thoughts on Karius. It's interesting that pundits are paid to provide opinions and analysis, but when their own observations are questioned, they react. It's almost as if being criticised is an unpleasant experience.

Both Carragher and Hamann made up in the end, but everyone really needs to lay off Loris Karius.