The football world was left divided after footage emerged of Newcastle United goalkeeper Loris Karius dropping clangers in a warm-up session ahead of the Carabao Cup final.
The German shot-stopper, who is on loan from Liverpool, was seen making a series of errors during the session, which was held at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
The footage, which was shared on social media, showed Karius spilling a number of shots from close range, as well as failing to catch a number of crosses.
The video quickly went viral, with many fans taking to Twitter to express their shock at the goalkeeper’s performance.
Some fans were quick to defend Karius, pointing out that the warm-up session was not a competitive match and that the goalkeeper was likely just having an off day.
Others, however, were less forgiving, with some suggesting that the errors were indicative of a deeper problem with Karius’s game.
The debate was further fuelled by the fact that Karius had been in good form for Newcastle in recent weeks, keeping four clean sheets in his last five appearances for the club.
The 26-year-old had also been praised for his performance in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup, where he made a number of crucial saves to help Newcastle reach the final.
Karius’s performance in the warm-up session was also put into perspective by the fact that he was playing against a team of Newcastle’s youth players, who were likely not as experienced or as skilled as the opposition he would face in the final.
Ultimately, the debate over Karius’s performance in the warm-up session is likely to continue for some time, with fans divided over whether the errors were indicative of a deeper problem or simply a one-off.
What is certain, however, is that Karius will be hoping to put the incident behind him and focus on the task at hand, as Newcastle prepare to take on Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
