Well, this is a change of pace from our usual Karius articles…
Since he joined Liverpool in 2016, the world has grown accustomed to reading articles about errors from German goalkeeper Loris Karius.
He is by no means a bad goalkeeper, if he was then Liverpool probably wouldn’t have signed from Mainz, but he is also not a very good one, with a seeming lack of concentration and severe nerves being his main weaknesses.
His serious struggles at Anfield, encapsulated by his nightmare performance in the 2017 Champions League final (in which two errors handed Real Madrid a two-goal victory) saw Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp send his compatriot out on loan to Turkish Super Lig giants Besiktas during the summer.
While it was hoped that a change of scenery would help the 25-year-old find form, that hasn’t exactly gone according to plan.
Offload
His time in Turkey – while not as high profile as his spell at Anfield – has been blighted by mistakes, leading some to question whether the Istanbul club will look to offload him soon.
Those rumours were debunked by Besiktas’ president recently, and Karius’ most recent performance for his side – against Alanyaspor on December 7 – suggest that their faith in him is not misplaced.
During the game, which ended goalless, Karius made not one but two stunning saves to keep his side in the game and in the top three of the Super Lig.
Both saves were brilliant, one a close-range stop with his feet that was straight out of the David de Gea school of foot saves, while the other was a diving stop to prevent an Alanyaspor player from knocking the ball into what appeared to be an open goal.
https://twitter.com/BesiktasOrdusu/status/1071104104179621888
All in all, it was a very good day for Karius, and one which may suggest that all is not lost for him.
