Karius: Personal criticism of my Champions League final appearance was disrespectful

[TLW]

Loris Karius has spoken publicly about the level of animosity that he received following his calamitous performance in the 2018 Champions League final.

The German keeper who signed for the Reds in the summer of 2016 made a number of errors during his two seasons as a first team squad member, but was supported by Jürgen Klopp throughout that period.

When you have a public profile, you are bound to receive criticism angles whenever a high profile error is made.

Karius was directly at fault for two of the Real Madrid goals in their 3-1 victory, but says that there were a number of mitigating circumstances that were behind his poor display.

The Mirror (via Sports Bild) reported Karius as saying:

“Believe me, I’ve learned a lot from that.

“In retrospect, I should have dealt with it more aggressively in public.

"I had a concussion after a blow from Sergio Ramos, which restricted my spatial vision. 

“This was unequivocally ascertained in a detailed study by one of the world’s leading brain specialists.

"At first, I was happy to know what went on in this game. I didn’t want to make it public myself.

The keeper knew that there would be some critical analysis, but even he was taken aback by the pure vitriol.

"When the result was released, there was a lot of malice and insult, often well below the belt. I never used it as an excuse. 

“But when people make fun of someone who has badly injured their head, I have no understanding.

"The reactions were over the top and disrespectful. 

“My mistakes were not assessed fairly.

Karius believes professional Footballers have to accept that they are going to be in the firing line for supporters, but there is a line that should not be crossed.

 

"All my efforts and good performances before were suddenly no longer relevant. The reactions were over the top and disrespectful, especially that it has been drawn out in this way. 

“Errors are measured with different, even abnormal, dimensions and are not assessed fairly.

“You can’t blame fans if they whistle a player. 

“You pay an admission [fee] and have the right to be dissatisfied.

 

"A professional has to endure that.

 

"If there are personal insults or death threats, the line is then crossed.

"There were some of them [death threats]. 

“But I can’t take that seriously.

 

"These are people who write anonymously and don’t even show their faces in their profiles."

It became evident after the final that a new first choice Goalkeeper would be on the top of Jürgen Klopp’s transfer hitlist.

Klopp assessed his options and took his time before finally identifying his man which was Alisson.

The rest as they say is history.

Karius was soon on his way to a Turkey to play for Besiktas on a two year loan.

It has been anything but smooth sailing and while his future remains clouded, he still has a fondness for his parent club and keeps in close contact with certain figures there.

“I primarily write with goalkeeper coach John Achterberg. 

“Almost weekly, he is my first point of contact.

“But now and then I also write with Jurgen Klopp, I am in good contact with everyone. I was never out of it.

“The fact is that I have a contract in Liverpool until 2022. 

“And at the moment I'm just concentrating on the season at Besiktas.

“It is far too early to say anything about summer.

 

"Especially now that nobody knows exactly what to do because of the coronavirus."





 

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[VladimirIlyich]

This would be fair enough if it was a one off but he has been largely pretty shit since and was terrible in a pre season game against Tranmere soon afterwards.

[VladimirIlyich]

Also,disrespectful? He is a professional football getting paid thousands of pounds a week while a good amount of the people watching him had paid months of wages,begged or borrowed just to get to Kiev. He could argue it may have been over the top if he received death threats (that is ridiculous,but often through Social Media,attention seeking blerts) but disrespectful is the least of his problems.

[Bjornebye]

Why didn’t he go off if he knew he was concussed ???? Disrespectful? He has become a millionaire off this club by wearing gloves made of flora buttery and olive oil.
 

Give me all your money, I’ll take the abuse on your behalf .... oh no? That’s a no is it? Right well fuck of then you rich delicate lucky shitehawk. 
 

Zero self-awareness. Doesn’t know how lucky he is and here he is crying over a few people on twitter calling him shit for not doing his job properly in the biggest game of his and their lives despite pocketing more money in a week than most of them do in a year. Fuck off 

[Jimmy Hills Chin]

I reckon he lost more support after his ill-judged video than he did for that performance.

[Pete]

I don't wish him ill as we've all moved on since 2018, I just wish he'd shut up. I'm sure he got it in spades from everyone and probably still does but banging on about it nearly 2 years since it happened isn't helping him or anyone else.  

[Elite]

I agree, he just needs to shut the fuck up and spend the rest of his career in obscure leagues.

 

As Stig said, if he knew he was suffering vision he should have come off but he's just making excuses for being absolute shite.

[El Rojo]

37 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

Why didn’t he go off if he knew he was concussed ?

Yep. Similarly, ridiculous that the club were getting scans done in the States in the weeks afterwards yet they didn't see fit to even take him off during the game.

 

Salah being brutalised by Ramos was as big a factor, though. He had been absolutely sensational that season.

[s(k)aturation]

4 hours ago, TLW said:

“This was unequivocally ascertained in a detailed study by one of the world’s leading brain specialists."
 

 

 

 

In retrospect, I don't think that world-leading brain specialist had much to work with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Section_31]

What a twat. Mate, you threw the ball onto an opposition player's boot. 

[Captain Turdseye]

Was he still concussed at Tranmere when that no mark screamed “YOU’RE FUCKING SHIT” at him?

[Turkish Delight]

1 hour ago, Bjornebye said:

Why didn’t he go off if he knew he was concussed ???? Disrespectful? He has become a millionaire off this club by wearing gloves made of flora buttery and olive oil.

Exactly this.

 

He was fucking awful in the run up to that final and got away with mistakes against City and Roma through bad refereeing and luck.  He was a ticking timebomb that was always going to cost us at some point.

 

I remember in Istanbul having no real sympathy for Harry Kewell when he went off injured but I actually ended up meeting him and chatted to him about it years later.  He said going off in the European Cup final was one of the toughest moments of his career but he knew he'd picked up an injury and wasn't going to be able to perform at a level the team needed him to so he asked to come off for the good of the team.

 

Karius instead stayed on and cost us the game.  For all Mignolet's faults, if he'd come on in that match I don't think we'd have lost.

[Code]

Its hard to be a pretty boy, the masses will want you to fail.

 

 

[Section_31]

Read a writing book once which talked about characterisation and it said human beings instinctively don't like incompetence (unless it's a comedy) that we can respect (or even root for) a villain, no matter how evil they are, as long as they're good at what they do. 

 

Karius's shitness - a bit like oyvind leonhardsen before him - brings out a kind of primal disgust. 

[Kevin D]

Whatever happened to Gary Cooper?

[Funkasy]

One thing is having the worst game of your life in a cl final and tell everyone how sorry you were, but then fly to LA and make some sort of a model baywatch video right after was a even bigger brain fart then both of the howlers he had in the final. 

[Code]

45 minutes ago, Funkasy said:

One thing is having the worst game of your life in a cl final and tell everyone how sorry you were, but then fly to LA and make some sort of a model baywatch video right after was a even bigger brain fart then both of the howlers he had in the final. 

Why? Who gives a shit?

[TheHowieLama]

Hasselhoff was probably enraged.

[VladimirIlyich]

26 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

Hasselhoff was probably enraged.

Even he arranged a better wall than Karius.

[magicrat]

He was a useless cunt from day 1 and whilst I want nothing to do with idiots that threaten to harm him he more than anyone else cost us the CL. So if he gets the odd insult then fucking tough , suck it up you useless cunt. 

[suzy]

He’s a millionaire? Bloody shocking that.

[Rick Sanchez C-137]

If we agree it was disrespectful will you agree to never come back?

[Rick Sanchez C-137]

12 hours ago, Section_31 said:

What a twat. Mate, you threw the ball onto an opposition player's boot. 

 

Then let one slide through his fucking hands.

 

Two all time hall of famer howlers. In the biggest match the club had played in over a decade.

 

On top of being generally shit leading up to that match.

[Harry Squatter]

The radio commentary made a big thing about none of his team.mates going over at the end of the game to console him. 

 

I bet loads of them wanted to murder him. 

[Jairzinho]

13 hours ago, Code said:

Why? Who gives a shit?

Not him, I think that's the point.