Loris Karius dropped by Liverpool, Simon Mignolet to start in goal at Middlesbrough
Wednesday 14 December 2016 23:13, UK
Loris Karius has been dropped for Liverpool's Premier League game with Middlesbrough on Wednesday at the Riverside.
The 23-year-old goalkeeper was criticised for his performances in recent matches, which saw the Reds drop points against Bournemouth and West Ham, and has been replaced in the starting line-up by Simon Mignolet.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher singled out Karius for his error in the 4-3 defeat to Bournemouth on December 4.
The German's questionable goalkeeping was also blamed for both of West Ham's goals in the 2-2 draw at Anfield at the weekend.
However, Karius has been dropped to the bench for the clash with Aitor Karanka's side and Mignolet handed his first league start since the 2-1 win against Chelsea on September 16.
Klopp was asked about his decision to name Karius on the bench by Sky Sports before kick-off.
"You know better than I do, there was a lot of talking about his position in the last few weeks," said the Liverpool manager.
"There is absolutely no reason for pushing Lorius through this situation because he is a much better goalkeeper than he has especially shown for example in the last game or whatever.
"It's a long-term project, the whole Liverpool team. There is no reason to push it, especially when you have a goalkeeper like Simon, who is training at an outstanding, high level, so that was the easy decision."
