17 Dec 2016

Klopp Confirms: 'Brilliant' €23m Liverpool star 'will' start against Everton 'for sure'. Good decision?

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has confirmed at least one member of his starting XI for Monday's Premier League clash with Everton.

When asked on Friday about the possibility of Loris Karius returning to the team, Klopp told reporters:

"I don't want to change each week. Simon had a really good game at Middlesbrough so he will be in goal for sure. He's in brilliant shape."

When Karius usurped Mignolet back in September, he got a run of 10+ games in the team, and unless he makes some catastrophic mistakes over the next couple of games, I'm sure Klopp will give Mignolet a similar stint in the team.

Will Mignolet be able to keep his place in the long-term, though? Reds legend Jan Molby doesn't think so, and in his column this week for the Liverpool Echo, Molby admitted that he was 'surprised' to see Klopp dump Karius, but insisted that Mignolet's return will only be a short-term solution:

"I don't have any doubt that Karius is Liverpool's No.1 for the future. He was signed for that, and he will become that".

I'm not so sure. After dropping him so quickly, Klopp has now put intolerable pressure on Karius to perform. When he returns to the team, the scrutiny will be intense, and if he makes one mistake, he'll be labelled a calamity 'keeper, and the media will have a field day.

I suspect that Klopp will sign another goalkeeper in the summer and leave Mignolet and Karius to battle it out for a place on the bench.

* ^ Mignolet: €23m-rated (CIES Football Observatory).


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