Karius keen not to take all the plaudits for Liverpool’s defensive success

He may have enjoyed a strong start to his Liverpool career, but shot stopper Loris Karius insists much of the credit has to go to the ten men lined up in front of him.

Former Manchester City youth player Karius joined the Reds from Mainz over the summer and has played in eight in of their 15 games so far, going into this weekend.

Last Saturday he was part of the side which prevented Southampton registering a single shot on target across 90 minutes – the fourth time Liverpool have done so this season.

(Photo by James Baylis – AMA/Getty Images)

And while Karius is currently averaging just over a shot saved per game – the lowest of any other Premier League goalkeeper – the 23-year-old is adamant that praise also has to go to his teammates.

“It’s not just the back four; it starts from the striker, [who] has to work hard to win the ball back, and if the midfield didn’t work hard to counter-press when we lose the ball then it would be hard for just the back four and me to sort it out,” he said.

“That’s the whole team effort that everybody puts in, working hard, and that makes the difference.

“[You have to stay] in the game mentally because there could be one shot in the whole game and you just have to make sure you’re ready for it.

“You stay in the game by talking to the defence and following the game – you can’t switch off.

“As a goalkeeper, that’s always the case, whether you [face] zero or ten shots, you have to be ready.

“Sometimes there are games like this so it’s nothing brand new. Of course, here it happens more often than at Mainz, but it’s nothing you can really train.”