It’s rugby training for Karius!
Bid to toughen up keeper
LIVERPOOL have been roughing up goalkeeper Loris Karius with rugby tackle pads to help smooth his transition to English football.
Teams have targeted the Germany Under 21 international as he has endured an unforgiving start to life in the Premier League.
There have been times when he has looked vulnerable when high balls are fired into his penalty area — including during Saturday’s 4-2 win at Crystal Palace.
Manager Jurgen Klopp has put his faith in Karius, signed from Mainz in the summer for £5million, and accepts there will be times when he makes mistakes but Liverpool have taken steps to improve his education with a series of special drills at their Melwood training ground.
John Achterberg, Liverpool’s goalkeeper coach, has been using rugby tackle pads to buffet Karius as he works on claiming crosses under pressure, teaching him to fight his way through a crowd to claim the ball.
Another drill has Karius weaving past mannequins while Achterberg or No 2 keeper Simon Mignolet push or block him. Klopp believes this sort of rough treatment will reap dividends.
‘John usually does it (pushes the keepers) with his hands,’ said Klopp. ‘Of course, that’s important. It is different things you have to do as a coach.
‘First (Loris) has to learn the technique, then you have to adapt to the real circumstances — six, seven players around him.
‘No one gets out of your way. That’s (how it is) for goalkeepers in the Premier League.’
Karius has conceded five goals since his first Premier League start against Hull on September 24 — three coming from set- pieces — and Palace’s James McArthur beat him twice with headers on Saturday evening.
Yet Karius — who missed the beginning of the campaign after breaking his hand in pre-season — has a 100 per cent success rate when catching crosses and Klopp is adamant the 23-year- old will learn from experiences such as that at Selhurst Park.
‘West Brom was the same, it was pretty much the same against Manchester United,’ said Klopp.
‘That’s goalkeeping life. You cannot say, “No long balls in the box!” and if there are, immediately whistle. That’s not how it works.
‘So we need to prepare the boys. That’s what John is doing.’ ROMELU LUKAKU has told Everton team-mate Ross Barkley that he needs to score more goals to fulfil his potential and become an England regular.
Barkley is not certain of a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for this month’s games against Scotland and Spain, but Lukaku believes the 22- year- old midfielder still has what it takes to ‘become the best player in English football’.
He said: ‘The players who play in his position, like Dele Alli and Wayne Rooney, have got goals in them. I think Ross has to score more.
‘If he does that and fulfils his potential, you are talking about the best player in English football. He has got everything.’