‘I was S****** myself’: Steven Caulker reveals he was left ‘panicked’ after being brought on as a striker for his Liverpool debut, while also admitting he wondered if he was ‘sober’ after going out for a night
- Steven Caulker has revealed he wondered if he was ‘sober’ on his Liverpool debut
- The defender shared a story about how he signed for the Merseyside club in 2016
- He revealed that he had been drinking the night before a 3-3 draw against Arsenal
Steven Caulker has revealed that he himself was left ‘s*******’ after being thrown up front at the last minute by Jurgen Klopp on his Liverpool debut against Arsenal in 2016.
The defender, who was under contract with Queens Park Rangers at the time, moved to Anfield in January of that year as an emergency loan to cover the Reds’ injury-plagued defensive stock.
He remained at the club for the rest of that season, making three league appearances for Liverpool, before becoming a free agent at the end of the season and moving to Dundee in 2018 before moving to Turkey.
The 31-year-old, who is now on the books at Wigan, also admitted he wondered if he was ‘sober’ on his Liverpool debut, after claiming he had been drinking the night before.
But with Liverpool trailing 3-2 against the Gunners after Olivier Giroud put the London side ahead after half-time, things took a strange turn for the former QPR man, with Klopp opting to throw him up front, in a attempt to save from a late equalizer.
Steven Caulker has admitted he wondered if he was ‘sober’ on his Liverpool debut
The defender was brought on late as a striker and admitted that he had been left ‘in a panic’ before the game
Jurgen Klopp decided to play him at the top and gave him a high five after the Reds saved a late equalizer
“I was in the shit myself and thought, ‘I’m going to start here,'” Caulker told the Under the Couch podcast. Because they injured seven central defenders.
And I was like, “Oh my God, am I even sober? How the f*** am I going to do this?” That train ride up, I panicked for not taking care of myself, I was a mess.
“I don’t remember who the central defender was, but [Klopp] put someone else in. He told me to ‘go warm up’ but we lost 3-2. But he said “no, you’re coming. I’ll put you in front”.
“In the end we got the equalizer and after the game he just came to give me a high five [and saying] that “they all think it’s crazy until it works.”‘
Caulker would play his part in that goal, attracting the attention of several Arsenal defenders in the penalty area, freeing Joe Allan, who hit a low volley home in a cold and wet night at Anfield to halve the points.
Klopp would call up the defender again two games later, deploying him against Norwich and putting him on top, with Caulker again proving to be a nuisance in the penalty area.
Caulker would make just four appearances for the Merseyside club in 2016
Caulker was loaned out in January 2016 to protect the club’s defenders from injury
Caulker (left) is currently plying his Championship trade with Wigan Athletic
After being reduced to 4-4, the defender had a chance to secure the winner with a shot from close range, but it was narrowly blocked by a Norwich defender.
His shot bounced into the air and fell for Adam Llana, who would hit the ball into the top right corner of the goal to give the Reds a 5–4 victory.
During his 14-year career, Caulker has spent time at many different clubs across Europe, and recently opened up about his issues with alcohol during his time at Liverpool.
He now plies his trade at Wigan Athletic having signed as a free agent in January and has made eight Championship appearances for the Latics so far this season.