Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp blasts Loris Karius’ critics and hits out at fans mocking blunder goalkeeper during pre-season friendlies
Karius has received death threats from sick internet trolls following his pair of howlers against Real Madrid in the Champions League
JURGEN KLOPP has hit out at the internet trolls mocking Loris Karius.
Liverpool's calamity keeper has been derided by fans in the stands and on social media since his pair of howlers in the Champions League final.
Eagle-eyed fans picked up a shocker from Karius in the warm-up before their opening pre-season friendly game with Chester, which they won 7-0.
The German, 25, then cost Reds a goal in a 3-2 victory over Tranmere and made two further mistakes in the 3-1 defeat to Klopp's former club Borussia Dortmund.
Liverpool boss Klopp told : "If you want to tell me you're not happy with me, tell me now, but don't go out and write it on your smartphone and put it on Facebook, Instagram, whatever.
"Obviously, in their rooms when they write, they don't care about the person.
"Not only Loris - [they care] about nobody. They don't care. It's like they have a lot of power in that moment and they use it, but power is two things.
"When one has power, the other one who feeds it and so I really would say it's a good idea in life to really don't get in these things.
"Loris is still a really good goalkeeper. Did I like what the fans in the pre-season games did and they start kind of making noises in the moment when he gets the ball?
"I never understood people doing that, but if they think it is part of the game, yeah, then do it.
"It still doesn't say anything about you as a goalkeeper - it's a pre-season game and all the players on the pitch made mistakes."
Jose Mourinho has piled the pressure on Klopp by telling him that Liverpool will be expected to win silverware after his spending spree.
The Reds spent £75million on Virgil van Dijk in January and have shelled out a combined £176.75m this window on Alisson, Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri.
Alisson is almost certain to start the season as Reds' No1 ahead of Karius after arriving for £67m – a world-record fee for a keeper.
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But Klopp is adamant he won't be feeling the heat after his mega outlay.
"We don't have a free way to go to the championship, it will be really hard.
"They are still there, but we have improved our position for us. What it means for the league we will see.
"Pressure is only on the outside. That is not important really. What you say about me in three months doesn't change my life completely.
"It is exactly the same with our owners. We are completely fine. It is not as though the others are asleep.
"You are right, the pressure comes from outside. It is probably increasing. I don't care about that. I want us to play the best football we can play and make our fans happy. That is it. What other people say, I don't care.
"I am not a dreamer, I don't dream that we can be there or there. Other people can do that but we have to build a ground for these dreams.
"We need to play football and that is 80% of the season, if not 90%, the hardest work. The 10% is the day when you go bang, bang, bang and win 5-0. Wow. That is football."