Jurgen Klopp has jumped to the defense of Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius after he had another big mistake.
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Liverpool beat Tranmere Rovers 3-2 in their latest preseason friendly but Karius spilled a routine second half free kick which led to Tranmere making it 3-1.
Asked afterwards about Karius’ mistake and the focus on his German goalkeeper after his two big errors in Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in May, Klopp wasn’t a happy man.
“No one likes that goal but, if we talk about that, then the second goal is Milly’s [James Milner’s] fault,” Klopp said. “Two brilliant footballers make mistakes but we only talk about one. We can’t make a story after each mistake. Let’s carry on and make the best of the situation and learn from it.”
Klopp seemed particularly annoyed about the focus remaining on Karius.
The 25-year-old goalkeeper underwent concussion tests in Boston after the UCL final which determined a blow from Sergio Ramos in the second half in Kiev played a part in his errors. That’s something Klopp backed up, but now he wants everyone to stop focusing on Karius.
“You can stop it by not asking, promise? Until he has a few fantastic games you cannot change that. Our job is to support Loris,” Klopp said. “That’s our part of the deal. I saw this situation 500 times in my life: the ball hits his chest but what can you do?”
With Karius clearly struggling to overcome the huge disappointment of his mistakes in the UCL final, it seems as though Liverpool may make a move for a new goalkeeper in the summer window.
Their pursuit of Brazil and Roma goalkeeper Alisson seems to be over, at least for now, as they were priced out of a move.
Who else would be an upgrade on Karius or second-choice goalkeeper Simon Mignolet? Nick Pope and Jack Butland stand out, with the latter perhaps a better option as he will surely leave relegated Stoke City before the new campaign begins.
However it all plays out, it seems as though it will take quite a while for Karius to recover from his mistakes in the UCL final.