In defence of Loris Karius: The goalkeeper quietly had one of his best games in a Liverpool shirt It’s fair to say Loris Karius’ first 18 months at Liverpool have been a disappointment. More than anyone, Jurgen Klopp […]

It’s fair to say Loris Karius’ first 18 months at Liverpool have been a disappointment. More than anyone, Jurgen Klopp will have been frustrated at the young German keeper’s inability to cope with life at Anfield, especially given Karius’ familiarity with the English game after his previous spell with Manchester City. This was meant to smooth his transition from Germany but until now it’s been anything but smooth.

That is until Sunday’s game against Spurs. This was the first time he finally began to look like the keeper Liverpool thought they had signed.

There was a new air of confidence about him. Taking up good positions, clean handling and most of his decision making was positive and aggressive. His second half save from Son as he faced him up 1v1 was the antithesis of similar situations in recent weeks.

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Penalty save underplayed

Without forcing him in to making too many crucial saves, Spurs applied pressure on Liverpool’s usually brittle spot yet he stood up to the task well. There were some moments of imperfection but nothing that would cause too much concern. Maybe he could have been a little stronger when coming for a high ball to the back post but danger was averted and nothing came of it.

And the decision to come flying out to concede the first penalty was a little rash in hindsight but Kane was offside and he saved the spot kick, fully making amends for this. The save itself seemed to be well underplayed amongst the drama. To stand as long as he did in expectation of Kane striking the ball down the centre at him takes nerve and he resisted the temptation to dive early which is credit not just to Karius but to John Achterberg – his coach – too.

The big talking point of the game where Karius is concerned was his part in Wanyama’s thunderous top corner strike and the criticism has incensed me, with those analysing the game on TV particularly poor, I thought. One comment of “well, that’s what you get with foreign keepers” is one I’d take great offence to if I was one of the many keepers who has been imported to the Premier League and shown our own how goalkeeping should be done.

Unfair criticism

To describe Karius’ decision to punch as “diabolical” and “awful” goalkeeping without any thought of why he did so is unfair on a keeper who has been under heavy, and mostly deserved, fire since he arrived.

I get that there isn’t a great deal of time to go in to the detail it deserves but the very least that’s required is a modicum of understanding of the position. Those who simply say “he should should catch it” are the same people who say “he should score there” without taking in any of the factors that may contribute as to why the player didn’t.

Look at the play as it unfolds. The ball is lofted out wide to Eriksen who now finds himself behind the right hand side of Liverpool’s defence. Matip and Van Dijk don’t react quickly enough to fill the huge space that appears at the near post area.

The ball is lofted out wide to Eriksen:

Van Dijk and Matip (circled) fail to cover the near post:

That forces Karius to dive in and stop the ball falling to Kane:

This gives Karius something to worry about. Ideally he’d take up a position closer to the centre of his goal but that big area in front of him makes him somewhat vulnerable so he edges closer to his near post.

Now the cross comes in and a big factor here is that it’s a volleyed cross, not a regulation one from the deck. For those saying there was no pace on the cross go and pass a ball from the floor and then with the same on the volley. Volleying makes it come in that little bit sharper and a more difficult flight to read.

‘Just because the end result was bad, doesn’t make it a bad choice to punch’

When the ball eventually reaches Karius it’s actually past him, so when he moves his feet and dives to meet the ball, he’s actually diving slightly backwards, a technical no-no in diving technique but sometime a necessity. What this does is increase the chances of fumbling the ball. Add in the close proximity of Matip who will enter Karius’s peripheral vision, possibly hindering him, he elects to punch. It isn’t a nervy indecisive punch, but an assertive intervention to cut out the cross and deal with the initial danger.

The punch itself isn’t bad. He gets a good contact on the ball and given it is behind him slightly, it’s difficult for him to get more height or distance on the clearance but still, it ends up 30 yards from goal. Can doesn’t react well, and Oxlade-Chamberlain reacts too late as Wanyama powers on to the ball, but in these situations, the attacking players have the upper hand coming on to the ball so I wouldn’t be too critical of them.

Can and Oxlade-Chamberlain fail to follow up with a clearance:

Wanyama wallops it home:

As for Wanyama’s strike, I’d take the odds of him hitting Row Z over where it actually ended up any day so you just have to applaud as you pick the ball out of the net. Beat me from there and I’ll gladly shake your hand in congratulation. It’s a magnificent wallop and that’s more relevant than Karius’ decision to punch. Just because the end result was bad doesn’t make it a bad choice to punch.

Further proving my point about Karius’s body shape making it a more awkward and less simple catch when meeting the ball, he ends up lying on his front. After that, regardless of how quick he gets back to his feet, even if he had Simon Mignolet alongside him, two keepers wouldn’t have kept that ball out.

So after all the jibes of the past 18 months, including those from me, don’t attach blame to Karius. He should be given credit for his overall performance, one that might just be a sign that a long run of games is exactly what he needed.

The threat of an incoming Alisson or Jack Butland may still linger but more performances like this will ease everyone’s nerves around Anfield. None more so than Karius himself.