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25th September 2016
02:20pm BST
A combination of all three of these truisms has led to Liverpool supporters hailing their new man, even though their premature surety of his virtues is thus far lacking real evidence. They seem to be projecting onto him their best-case scenario, and thereby in fact wishing him into existence.
Whereas Mignolet's general aura and perception is one of nerves, panic and general imminent failure - even when playing well - Karius has the opposite effect.
Karius has confidence within himself, the fans have confidence in him, his teammates channel that confidence, and the opposition perceive less weakness to exploit.
He is the anti-Simon, or the inverse Mignolet if you will. Without proving anything, he creates a multiplier effect that invents its own reality. If everyone assumes he's good, he actually becomes good. If the fans, the defenders in front of him, opposition attackers, and he himself buy into the hypothesis, he is tested less.
It that sense he is like football's equivalent to Radiohead's recent music. Everyone says it's great purely because everyone says it's great; because everyone says it's great, it is therefore universally accepted as great and becomes great. No one really understands it, but enjoys it regardless.
Karius may be the world's first 'Schrödinger’s goalkeeper' - existing in his box purely due to imagined perception. In fact thus far there is little to suggest he's anymore real than Bill Shankly's hologram. His only real achievement in a Liverpool shirt is not being Simon Mignolet - but maybe that's enough.
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