Top three villains as defeat hit in February

Naby Keita

He’s less than two seasons into his Liverpool career, but Naby Keita already divides opinion like no other. To some, the Guniea international has been unlucky. There have been bad injuries at terrible times. There have been momentum robbing moments and real flashes of clash.

To others, the man who beat up the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig will never show us what he’s capable of on a consistent basis. If he needs an uninterrupted spell in the first team to get there, he’ll never get there because he won’t get those concessions.

And the West Ham performed helped to prove that. With Henderson injured, there was a golden opportunity to prove his worth to the side. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was left on the bench in favour of Keita, who promptly discarded his chance.

To make matters worse, the Ox came on and did exactly what we wanted Naby to do. He played with dynamic intent, he broke the lines and he was a threat on goal.

It seems increasingly clear that Klopp can’t accommodate both players in his first team. It’s always been one or the other, and right now the other is Naby Keita.

And just like Lovren, his career seems to be going in one direction and that makes him one of the villains of the month.