Klopp Is Not Interested In Karius Criticism

Jürgen Klopp has his reasons. He has his reasons for bringing Loris Karius to the club and he has his reasons for making the young German his number one goalkeeper at Liverpool. A poor showing against Bournemouth that happened to fit so terribly with a poor second half showing by the team as a whole won’t change those reasons.

Another thing that won’t change those reasons is the widespread criticism thrown Karius’ way after Liverpool, as a capitulating unit, handed the game to Bournemouth after having controlled and taken the game in the first half.

“I only heard about harsh criticism,” said Klopp. “When we analysed the game, there were eight players who could have defended the goal before Loris was involved.”

The manager will not toss his players under the bus. But, Klopp is also making it clear that his focus is on the team and when something breaks down, sussing out a scapegoat is fruitless. The work to be done is team-wide in scope.

Mistakes will be made—dire, dire mistakes, at times. Bad back passes. Giving up possession in vulnerable areas. Letting the opposition have a free shot on goal. Failing to clear bouncing balls in the box. But, these errors can be rectified through training. The players jobs will become clearer through training. Mentally, they will be better prepared to deal with confusion and emotions through training. Communication becomes quicker through training.

Loris Karius is still very young and, while he’s a very promising young goalkeeper, he is still in transition.

“We live in a public world,” said Klopp while addressing the Karius flak, “everything is interesting and we have to deal with pressure. Shut your ears, I would say, it helps a lot.”