Jurgen Klopp’s arrival to Liverpool promised the return of exciting football to Anfield. The German delivered on his words and Liverpool since have gone on to produce some scintillating attacking displays.
In their offensive third, they have a host of talented players capable of causing relentless damage to the opposition. However, despite such attacking heroics, Klopp’s managerial record at Anfield has been average at best. The sole reason for this is the defensive frailty his side is guilty of.
They have conceded silly goals to drop points from winning situations against smaller teams and have caved in too easily when asked to deal with a half decent attacking side. The situation has been worsened by the lack of a dominating figure in goal who can marshal his defence.
Liverpool have had Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius in goal under Klopp’s tenure and neither of the two keepers has been in good form. They have conceded average goals, made costly errors at the back and been shaky when it has come to dealing with high-pressing opponents.
It is now being reported that Liverpool are considering a move for Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas to solve this crisis.
The Costa Rican custodian has been an integral part of Zinedine Zidane’s two-time Champions League winning team. However, as is always the case with Real, there is something more needed than just good performances to become a hero at Santiago Bernabeu.
The first and foremost problem Real have with Navas is the fact that he is turning 31 this year and does not have a long career ahead of him. This has prompted the Spanish capital outfit to look for other options despite Navas being in terrific form in goal.
The second situation at the Bernabeu is that Real have actively chased Manchester United’s David De Gea and have been linked with Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois. The reason for this is because the two keepers are young and have time on their side, on top of the fact that they are the best in the world in what they do.
The third and final reason for Real to not stick with Navas is because the Costa Rican lacks the superstar factor needed to thrive at Real Madrid. The players in Real are not just professionals but celebrities followed by the world. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Marcelo, Toni Kroos, Isco and company have set a certain “Galactico” standard in terms of their celebrity like lifestyle, something Navas has been unable to do.
Despite some excellent performances in the white jersey that has seen Navas keep 38 clean sheets in 109 matches and produce some heroic saves to give Madrid two European trophies, he might be on the move. For a player of his calibre and his position, 31 is not a very big number. He still has a good five to six years of football left in him and it would be a good piece of business from Liverpool to snap up the Costa Rican as he can add some much-needed steel at the back.
