Translated by

Liverpool's nightmare revives his career: Klopp in a difficult predicament

Loris Karius is enjoying a fresh start after years of decline, rediscovering his best form as Schalke's goalkeeper. His name is being floated once again for a Germany call-up, just as Jürgen Klopp takes charge of the national team for the first time.

You can't tell the story of Karius's comeback without the most painful night of his career. He made two decisive errors in the 2018 Champions League final against Real Madrid, handing Liverpool a 3-1 defeat.

Tears followed at the final whistle, and he apologised to the fans. Medical tests days later revealed he had suffered a concussion, and Klopp went on to confirm the injury may have affected his performance.

From collapse to Schalke
Karius saw his career nosedive after that final, and the arrival of Alisson at Liverpool only made matters worse. The German goalkeeper drifted through a series of loans and trials, none of which gave him the stability he craved.
Schalke offered a fresh start. The 33-year-old became one of the standout figures in the side that returned to the German league, keeping a clean sheet in 13 of his 30 matches last season. Schalke conceded just 31 goals, the best defensive record in the second division.
An impressive start to the current campaign followed. Karius saved 14 shots across the opening two rounds, then kept a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw with Bayern Munich, denying Harry Kane with several crucial stops to earn widespread praise.
Read also: "Complicated": Pellegrini reveals the latest on El Zalzouli's condition

Klopp faces a difficult decision
Karius's return coincided with Klopp taking charge of the German national team. The Liverpool boss knows this goalkeeper well. He signed him for the Reds in 2016, leaned on him as a first-choice option, and lived through every detail of the 2018 final and the collapse that followed.
Karius has yet to play a single international for the senior side, but Oliver Kahn and Roman Weidenfeller reckon a call-up is now a realistic prospect. Schalke's sporting director Youri Mulder went further, describing his display against Bayern as national-team standard.
The path will not be easy. Manuel Neuer may have retired, but Klopp can still turn to Marc-André ter Stegen, Alexander Nübel and Oliver Baumann, alongside rising talents like Jonas Urbig and Noah Atubolu.
Even so, Germany have no clear first choice between the posts, and that hands Karius a genuine opening, according to a report published by Tribuna.
One question lingers. Will Klopp hand the very goalkeeper who became a "nightmare" for Liverpool on one of the club's historic nights a fresh chance to rewrite a story that began with disaster in a Champions League final?
Read also: A sudden earthquake: Morocco star: I will not play for Morocco again while Wahbi is there

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Add as preferred source on Google

Translated by

From collapse to Schalke

Read also: "Complicated": Pellegrini reveals the latest on El Zalzouli's condition

Klopp faces a difficult decision

Read also: A sudden earthquake: Morocco star: I will not play for Morocco again while Wahbi is there

ENJOYED THIS STORY?