Jurgen Klopp Confident Loris Karius will Rise up to the Challenge of Becoming the first choice goalkeeper ahead of Simon Mignolet.
Karius started ahead of regular first-choice Simon Mignolet in last Sunday’s 4-3 victory over Manchester City and, despite some aspects of his performance being criticized, he is set to retain his place for the foreseeable future.
The 24-year-old was dropped by Klopp last season after a series of costly errors and has only featured intermittently since, but the Liverpool manager is now ready to persist with him in the hope he establishes himself as a Premier League ‘keeper.
“It is a difficult job being a goalkeeper or centre-half at Liverpool because no-one forgives you one mistake,” Klopp said while previewing his side’s Premier League trip to Swansea City on Monday.
“Obviously since I'm in it feels like 'wow', if our goalkeeper makes a mistake it is a disaster and if any another goalkeeper makes a mistake he is still a fantastic goalkeeper and we should buy him.
“He is a really good goalkeeper and we brought him in because we wanted him to play.”
Upon his arrival in the summer of 2016 from Mainz, Karius was expected to take Mignolet’s place in Liverpool’s goal but a broken arm delayed his debut.
Once he finally broke into the side, mistakes in a 4-3 defeat at Bournemouth and a 2-2 home draw with West Ham United led to Mignolet regaining his starting spot.
On Karius, Klopp added: “There were a few difficulties [at first] but meanwhile he has settled as well and there are a lot of really good things in his game which are natural and I like them and now he can show them.”
When asked why he had decided to promote Karius now, Klopp claimed that he had been impressed with the “good things” the ‘keeper has shown in training and in Champions League matches this season.
“We changed a lot of positions during the year not only with the goalkeeper but it looks like we have to stick to our opinions for 20 years if we have made a decision one time,” Klopp said. “I changed not my opinion but I changed the situation and that is all.
“But of course Loris has to deliver and he knows that. He is the number one and that means he can play a game and can concede a goal against Manchester [City] – it's not that we want that but it is possible – but all the good things I'd like to see again.
“I saw a lot of good things in the games he played in the last few weeks and that is why he is in.”
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