KLOPP’S CRUNCH CALL ON KARIUS
LIVERPOOL will play their first pre- season friendly at the weekend and Loris karius will be in goal. The word is that Jurgen klopp is not a great fan of any of the goalkeepers potentially available — including Jack Butland at relegated Stoke — and will not pay the price for his two fancies, Alisson at Roma and Jan oblak of Atletico Madrid.
Alisson is likely to have several suitors and a bidding war means his price is unknown. But oblak? He has a release clause believed to be £88million. Given that Liverpool paid £75m for a centre half, virgil van Dijk, is that really so enormous?
This is a team that got to a Champions League final and lost, largely because the goalkeeper was not of the elite standard required. it may be that klopp feels karius will train on — it may be that he will — but right now he does not look ready to land a major title.
How will the players feel with karius behind them, for instance?
None appeared particularly supportive or forgiving that fateful night in kiev. Lack of faith in a goalkeeper affects the entire defensive unit. van Dijk will never look a £75m defender if he does not trust the man guarding the net.
oblak is magnificent. one of the stars of a fearsomely resilient defensive unit at Atletico Madrid, and if he is the signing that makes Liverpool a title-winning force he will have as good as repaid that buy-out clause in a year.
Alternately, Liverpool soldier on with what they have, but karius needs a flawless start to the season or the pressure will be immense — and, by then, with the transfer window closing early, it will be too late. England will kick off against Sweden at 3pm on Saturday back home. The last time the national team played in a World Cup at the traditional and iconic start time for football in England was the 1966 World Cup final. This is getting ridiculous. all together now: ‘It’s coming home, it’s coming home…’ SURELY, after the Colombia debacle, FIFA have to get to grips with the abuse of VAR. On Tuesday, every free-kick took an age to deliver, and England’s penalty was finally taken three minutes and 31 seconds after the award. Want to know what three minutes and 31 seconds feels like? Listen to Bootylicious by Destiny’s Child or Salt n Pepa’s Push it. That’s three minutes and 31 seconds. It’s the perfect length for a pop song, not the time you stand over the ball while opponents scuff up the spot, and their team-mates debate with the referee. Colombia’s treatment of Mark Geiger was disgraceful. Radamel Falcao whinged that the official spoke only English placing Colombia at a disadvantage, so why waste time talking? What were they actually discussing — or was intimidation simply the aim? If so, that must be stopped and can be with one simple FIFA directive that referees issue yellow cards to any player approaching them over VAR bar, perhaps, the captain. It is ridiculous to have brought in such a worthwhile aid to decision making, only to see it undermined. VAR will only succeed long-term if FIFA are prepared to fight for the integrity of the process. They have been toothless so far. THERE is a wonderful photograph of a suburban semi in SW19 with a crowd of maybe 50 gathered outside. The reason? it is on the walk home from the All-England Club and as England played Colombia on Tuesday it was noticed the householder had a large screen Tv and open curtains.
Because, at Wimbledon, the football isn’t shown. Even in the media centre, where terrestrial channels are available, blinds have to be down to prevent the public peering. This is ridiculous. Yes we get it, Wimbledon is a tennis tournament. But being a tennis fan, or a football fan, is not mutually exclusive. Most sports enthusiasts follow both.
So, yes, understandable if Henman Hill remains a tennis stronghold, but every screen when England are playing? it just shows the insecurity of other sports around football. Twickenham is the same. There is always a row about getting a good football match on in the press room during the Six Nations.
Were the situations reversed, there is no football ground in the country that would not happily broadcast kyle Edmund in a championship final.
Tennis will always be king at Wimbledon; but allowing the paying customers to watch England in the World Cup is not a challenge to its supremacy, but a simple public service.