Loris Karius refused to campaign publicly for a Germany call-up after producing another decisive performance for Schalke 04 in Friday evening's 3-1 Bundesliga victory over Union Berlin . That hasn't stopped the talk from escalating.
One week after emerging as Schalke's clear hero in a goalless draw with Bayern Munich , Karius again supplied several crucial interventions as Miron Muslic's side secured their first Bundesliga victory since returning to the German top flight.
The 33-year-old was barely tested during a dominant Schalke first half at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. That changed significantly after Adil Aouchiche doubled the visitors' advantage immediately following the restart. Union responded by pushing Schalke progressively deeper.
Karius first denied Andras Schäfer from approximately 13 meters in the 54th minute before Tom Rothe headed against the crossbar one minute later. The former Liverpool goalkeeper then produced one of his best saves of the evening when Rothe found space on the left and drove a low effort toward the far corner. Karius reacted quickly to get down and preserve Schalke's two-goal advantage.
Tim Skarke tested him again with a powerful effort from distance shortly after entering, but the former Union keeper remained equal to it. Eventually, Union broke through. Skarke converted from close range in the sixth minute of stoppage time to reduce the deficit to 2-1 and transform what had appeared a comfortable Schalke victory into a frantic finish.
Two minutes later, Karius delivered again. Skarke found himself with another opportunity from approximately six meters following a chaotic sequence inside the penalty area. This time, Karius blocked the attempt and prevented Union from completing the comeback. Schalke subsequently broke in the opposite direction, with Maximilian Wöber finishing off a counterattack in the 13th minute of added time to seal the 3-1 victory.
Friday represented the continuation of an exceptional two-match sequence for Karius. Only six days earlier, the Schalke keeper had been the central figure in his side's 0-0 draw with reigning champions Bayern Munich . Longtime Germany No. 1 Manuel Neuer endorsed Karius as the Man of the Match in that encounter. Karius officially received the honor this week.
Against Bayern, Karius helped an almost entirely defensive Schalke performance survive 90 minutes against overwhelming possession and pressure. Against Union, the promoted side produced an excellent first half, carried a deserved lead into the interval and created enough opportunities to potentially settle matters much earlier.
When Schalke's defensive structure finally began to bend, their goalkeeper ensured it never completely broke.
Karius also shared something with Schalke goalscorer Robin Gosens on Friday evening. Both were returning to a former club. Karius spent the 2020/21 season at Union on loan from Liverpool as he attempted to rebuild momentum following spells in England and Turkey.
His time in Köpenick proved relatively brief. Karius served primarily as understudy to Andreas Luthe and made only five competitive appearances for Union before returning to Liverpool at the end of the campaign.
There was nevertheless a neat piece of symmetry attached to Friday's return. Karius' first Bundesliga start for Union came in February 2021. The opponent was Schalke. More than five years later, Karius returned to the Alte Försterei wearing Royal Blue.
Two outstanding performances in the space of six days have inevitably begun generating discussion beyond Schalke. Karius was asked after Friday's victory whether Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp had already contacted him regarding a potential return to the German national team .
The two know one another particularly well. Karius played under Klopp at Liverpool and reached the 2018 Champions League final during his time on Merseyside. To date, Karius has still not represented his country at senior level.
"No, there hasn't been any contact yet," Karius told reporters. "I have neither realistic nor unrealistic expectations. I'm not thinking about it at the moment, to be honest. When others bring me into the conversation, it's a nice validation of my work. I just try to help my team on a weekly basis. I just keep going and work hard every day. Everything else either comes or it doesn't."
The national-team question followed Muslic into his post-match press conference as well.
One reporter framed the matter particularly forcefully.
"In what universe is it conceivable that Jürgen Klopp won't nominate Loris Karius for the next international break?"
Muslic declined the invitation to lobby Germany's head coach publicly.
"I think Germany has a fantastic national team head coach," the Schalke trainer replied. "And I'm completely relaxed about his ability to nominate the right people."
