Loris Karius is only going to get better and he can make tweaks to his game that will ensure Liverpool benefit even more from the keeper’s polished displays.
That’s the verdict of former Reds No.1 Bruce Grobbelaar, who believes the German ace, 23, has already shown why boss Jurgen Klopp brought him to Anfield from Mainz in the summer.
Maverick keeper Grobbelaar points to the fact that Karius was voted the second best player in his position in the Bundesliga, behind World Cup winner Manuel Neuer.
Karius has emerged as a mainstay guarding the Reds goal and his impressive performances have helped the Merseysiders to the top of the Premier League table.
And Grobbelaar said: “I’ve been watching Karius since last season, when he was with Mainz. For him to come second to Neuer in the Bundesliga was a great achievement. He is one for the future”.
“When you watched his highlights, you could see that he did things that reminded me of me when I was that age. It was the use of the ball with his feet, but also how he read the game. I saw some games where they were in the opposition box with a corner, and left only one defender back, not two”.
“The second defender was Karius. While the defender was marking, Karius came over the top and headed the ball near the halfway line. That’s extreme but something that I thought was very good”.
“I hope he can go on to do what I did and I’m sure he definitely can step up to the next level, which is keeping clean sheets and coming for more crosses”.
“At Mainz he might not have had the short pass to get the ball out. But at Liverpool, they have got the quality”.
Grobbelaar, who won a clutch of silverware with the Kop giants, believes the ball-playing aces in front of Karius will help him develop his game and continue to flourish for Liverpool.
He added: “Matip is brilliant with his feet. Lucas, when he comes in, is good with his feet. Everybody can pass the ball at the back – Milner on the left, Clyne on the right and when Henderson or whoever drops into the midfield gap, he can play the short passes”.
“You’re always going to have a numerical advantage with a goalkeeper that can play with his feet. That’s what Klopp is looking at”.
