Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson is the latest ex-player to slate Reds goalkeeper Loris Karius.
Speaking to the BBC this week, Lawro scathed:
"Klopp has stuck his neck out with Loris Karius, and might improve, but at the moment he is just not good enough".
Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have also offered similarly withering assessments this week:
* Neville: "He [Karius] looks nervous, and he isn't good enough. Goalkeepers can transmit anxiety, and the likes of Karius and Stekelenburg, that's what they do. The challenge for Liverpool is the defence, but also the goalkeeper".
* Carra: “In eight starts for Liverpool he [Karius] has not shown me one thing to suggest he’s good enough. He’s miles away.”
In the midst of such criticism, Karius should just keep his head down, and focus on improving his game. Instead of doing that, though, he conducted an interview with the Daily Mail, where he basically entered into a war of words with Neville and Carra, thus bringing even more pressure and scrutiny on himself (and only days before a vital LFC game).
One of Karius's observations in the interview particularly sticks out:
"Carragher was here at Liverpool for a long time so maybe after the game he was a bit frustrated. He is probably still a supporter. I have to accept it".
Carra is 'probably still a supporter'?! To me, this shows that Karius has little knowledge of, or real feeling for, the club, something he proved already in September, when - over FOUR months after signing - he admitted that he'd still not visited Anfield.
As I argued at the time, I found it strange that Karius didn't have the enthusiasm to visit a stadium as historically famous as Anfield. Wasn't he in the least bit interested in exploring the club's famous history? It's not like he lives that far from the stadium.
Joel Matip is another prime example of the risible disdain for Liverpool's history amongst the club's newest players. Last week, the German admitted that he'd never heard of Reds legend Alan Hansen, a mind-boggling statement that simply shows that he couldn't be bothered to take five minutes to learn about the club's history.
Unfortunately, this kind of behaviour is only to be expected when the club is managed by a guy who seems to actively discourage any reference or reverence for Liverpool's illustrious history. Klopp constantly rails against reference to the club's past, and his irritated and graceless dismissal last week of questions about Steven Gerrard's retirement was nothing short of disgraceful (IMO).
Klopp got angry with journalists for having the temerity to ask questions, and he simply refused to offer any opinion on Gerrard's impact for Liverpool. God forbid the Messiah should be asked questions about one of the club's greatest ever players on the day he retired from the game (!) Can you imaging Kenny Dalglish being so dismissive about a legend of the club? No chance. I wish I'd written about this at the time, but for some reason, I decided against it.
As for Karius - The scrutiny in English football is off the charts, but players/managers are paid obscene amounts of money to deal with it, and if Karius or Klopp can't hack it, then they can quit and allow someone less thin-skinned take over.
Speaking to the BBC this week, Lawro scathed:
"Klopp has stuck his neck out with Loris Karius, and might improve, but at the moment he is just not good enough".
Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have also offered similarly withering assessments this week:
* Neville: "He [Karius] looks nervous, and he isn't good enough. Goalkeepers can transmit anxiety, and the likes of Karius and Stekelenburg, that's what they do. The challenge for Liverpool is the defence, but also the goalkeeper".
* Carra: “In eight starts for Liverpool he [Karius] has not shown me one thing to suggest he’s good enough. He’s miles away.”
In the midst of such criticism, Karius should just keep his head down, and focus on improving his game. Instead of doing that, though, he conducted an interview with the Daily Mail, where he basically entered into a war of words with Neville and Carra, thus bringing even more pressure and scrutiny on himself (and only days before a vital LFC game).
One of Karius's observations in the interview particularly sticks out:
"Carragher was here at Liverpool for a long time so maybe after the game he was a bit frustrated. He is probably still a supporter. I have to accept it".
Carra is 'probably still a supporter'?! To me, this shows that Karius has little knowledge of, or real feeling for, the club, something he proved already in September, when - over FOUR months after signing - he admitted that he'd still not visited Anfield.
As I argued at the time, I found it strange that Karius didn't have the enthusiasm to visit a stadium as historically famous as Anfield. Wasn't he in the least bit interested in exploring the club's famous history? It's not like he lives that far from the stadium.
Joel Matip is another prime example of the risible disdain for Liverpool's history amongst the club's newest players. Last week, the German admitted that he'd never heard of Reds legend Alan Hansen, a mind-boggling statement that simply shows that he couldn't be bothered to take five minutes to learn about the club's history.
Unfortunately, this kind of behaviour is only to be expected when the club is managed by a guy who seems to actively discourage any reference or reverence for Liverpool's illustrious history. Klopp constantly rails against reference to the club's past, and his irritated and graceless dismissal last week of questions about Steven Gerrard's retirement was nothing short of disgraceful (IMO).
Klopp got angry with journalists for having the temerity to ask questions, and he simply refused to offer any opinion on Gerrard's impact for Liverpool. God forbid the Messiah should be asked questions about one of the club's greatest ever players on the day he retired from the game (!) Can you imaging Kenny Dalglish being so dismissive about a legend of the club? No chance. I wish I'd written about this at the time, but for some reason, I decided against it.
As for Karius - The scrutiny in English football is off the charts, but players/managers are paid obscene amounts of money to deal with it, and if Karius or Klopp can't hack it, then they can quit and allow someone less thin-skinned take over.
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