---
title: "Can Liverpool compete for titles with Loris Karius in goal?"
canonical: "https://readliverpoolfc.com/articles/can-liverpool-compete-for-titles-with-loris-karius-in-goal/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Brian Gosden"
section: "Articles"
published: "2018-07-13T08:46:20Z"
modified: "2018-07-13T08:46:20Z"
---

# Can Liverpool compete for titles with Loris Karius in goal?

Déjà vu gripped Liverpool fans inside Prenton Park this week as they watched Loris Karius spill a routine save into the net. It evoked painful memories of his Champions League final howler and suggested that the error-prone goalkeeper’s gaffes will continue to hurt his team’s chances of success in future. Every Premiership title-winning side has been blessed with a solid goalkeeper that provides reassurance to those in front of him. Can the Reds really hope to beat the likes of Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea to the title next season with Karius between the sticks?

The Reds have already bolstered the side with £100 million worth of [midfield talent](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/team/first-team) and that should spark huge optimism among fans. This is a team that beat champions Man City three times in 2018 and surged into the Champions League final. They could be champions of Europe now were it not for Karius’ errors gifting Real Madrid a 3-1 victory. Going forwards Liverpool are immense: Mohamed Salah has [proved he is a world-class forward](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcPKq8EJTtQ) and he should enjoy another fruitful season dovetailing with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. Virgil Van Dijk has tightened the defence somewhat, and Liverpool have great options at full-back. Having Naby Keita and Fabinho alongside Jordan Henderson in midfield will allow the Reds to kick on to another level.

But the club have done nothing to address a real problem position. Karius established himself as the first choice goalkeeper in the second half of the 2017/18, as Simon Mignolet had struggled on numerous occasions. But the young German never really convinced, and it all unravelled in spectacular fashion in the Champions League final, as he threw the ball straight onto Karim Benzema’s foot for Real’s opener and then dropped a simple save from Gareth Bale’s speculative effort into his net.

![Jan Kruger/Getty Images Sport](https://cdn.readeverything.co/readliverpoolfc/2018/07/996033432.jpg)

Credit to Jurgen Klopp for backing the young lad publicly and credit also to Karius for apologising to the fans and behaving with dignity and humility throughout. It was an awful situation for him to be in, and he has made all the right noises about learning from it and growing as a person. But the error against Tranmere will cause worry and consternation among supporters looking forward to the new campaign. Karius could develop into a great goalkeeper, but ideally, he would go on loan or serve as the backup to an elite stopper at Anfield.

The Reds have identified several problem positions recently and invested heavily in order to correct them. The arrivals of Van Dijk and Fabinho should make Liverpool a lot more solid and harder to break down. But any remaining funds should be diverted towards bringing in a new goalkeeper before worrying about signing forwards like Nabil Fekir. We all know that Jurgen Klopp loves to play exciting, free-flowing, attacking football and fans have been treated to some magnificent performances. But spending the summer pursuing Fekir and Xherdan Shaqiri when they should be hunting for a new number one and perhaps bolstering the defence seems risky.

[Checking the best betting sites around](https://www.sportsbookreview.com/betting-sites/) will lead you to find bookmakers offering futures odds on the 2017/18 Premiership campaign. Liverpool are second favourites to win the title, behind only Man City. They are ahead of Man Utd, Chelsea and Spurs in the betting, and they are attracting a lot of action. No team has successfully defended the Premiership title for a decade, so City are there for the taking. Liverpool beat them comfortably in the Champions League, and they should fear no one heading into the new campaign. This feels like a side on the brink of glory, but you need a reliable goalkeeper and we can only hope that the club has a plan to sort out this glaring issue.