In brief
With Schalke, Karius had a brief period of success. He made crucial saves in his debut but struggled in subsequent games.
Schalke’s manager maintains Karius as the starting custodian in face of media criticism.
To resurrect his career in Germany’s second tier, Karius needs to remain composed and continue to put up impressive performances.
Since 2018, Loris Karius has carried the burden of his past with him wherever he has gone. After an outstanding debut, the former Liverpool goalkeeper’s return to football with Schalke has raised questions about his skills once more, and he may never fully recover from his terrible Champions League final performance against Real Madrid.
Karius joined Newcastle on a free transfer that September after going unsigned since July 2022. He only played for the Magpies twice, though, until he was once more named a free agent in 2024. He decided to become Schalke’s understudy for Justin Heekeren in January of this year, but he didn’t make his debut until late February.
Since then, Karius has appeared in three games for the 2. Bundesliga team, and his performances have been evaluated by the German press. He appeared to be recovering from the rust at first, but his most recent performance against Hannover saw him revert to his old, problematic habits.
German Media React To Loris Karius’ First 3 Schalke Games
It’s been a mixed start for the 31-year-old
With a series of crucial stops in his 1-0 debut triumph over Preussen Munster, including a double save in the final minute to deny Niko Koulis and then David Kinsombi, Karius appeared to have cleared the cobwebs right away.
The VfB Stuttgart academy graduate finished with three punches, a 45% (14/31) pass accuracy, and five saves in his 90-minute performance, four of which (80%) came from within the box. His highlights are shown below:
Man Of The Match – Loris Karius Debüt vs Münster 🔥💙 pic.twitter.com/9C9fSowEbJ
— maaj1904 (@maaj1904YT) February 28, 2025
However, despite a few encouraging moments, Karius has struggled to stay consistent thereafter. During his most recent game, which resulted in a 2-1 loss to Hannover, the 31-year-old was heavily criticised. Other media outlets were far less understanding, but the German publication Kicker was comparatively lenient, praising his exploits in his previous two games and speculating that a possible foul may have contributed to his costly 88th-minute mistake.
Although Karius made two saves over the ninety minutes, Ruhr 24 gave his performance a pitiful 5/10 due to his last-minute mistakes, writing:
“Loris Karius: Be vigilant when battling Ngankam. Additionally, he made an incredible save on a long-range attempt by the Hannover attacker. Otherwise, Schalke was not put to the test this time around because of his strong defensive play, until Rochelt and Nielsen totally changed the tide of the match in the visitors’ advantage. He is solely to blame for the 1-2 loss.
The goalie was also criticised by Bild, who said: “The former Liverpool player’s form appears to be deteriorating a little. When Hertha equalised in Berlin (2-1), Karius appeared worse even though he had won the game against Munster (1-0). Additionally, he missed a Hannover corner with a punch on Friday night.
Positives For Loris Karius Kees van Wonderen, the manager, is determined to keep the German as his top pick.
The goalie was also criticised by Bild, who said: “The former Liverpool player’s form appears to be deteriorating a little. When Hertha equalised in Berlin (2-1), Karius appeared worse even though he had won the game against Munster (1-0). Additionally, he missed a Hannover corner with a punch on Friday night.
Positives For Loris Karius Kees van Wonderen, the manager, is determined to keep the German as his top pick.
Although the media is still unsure about Karius at the beginning of his time at Schalke, his boss has not exhibited any hesitancy. The Dutchman Kees van Wonderen has not wavered in his resolve to rank Karius as his top player. He reiterated that the 31-year-old is still his first-choice custodian for the time being after the loss to Hannover. According to Bild, he stated:
“I’m not someone who moves back and forth – that’s not an issue at the moment.”
Additionally, there is no cause for anyone at Schalke to panic just yet, given that Karius has saved 82.3% of the shots he has faced in the last three games and that he has a record of neutralising 29% of the major chances he has faced.
But in actuality, Karius has a lot more to lose than to gain, and he needs to maintain the poise he showed in his opening two games if he wants to restart his career in Germany’s second division. After the international break, Schalke will have another chance to achieve just that when he plays Furth in the league.
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