Lopetegui Needs to Axe ‘Completely Fooled’ West Ham Star. Julen Lopetegui’s job is now on the line after West Ham United were put to the sword by Liverpool in an embarrassing 5-0 defeat at the London Stadium on Sunday (December 29). The Hammers were catastrophic defensively, and Lopetegui surely must be considering dropping the out-of-form Konstantinos Mavropanos.
Luis Diaz opened the scoring in the 30th minute for the visitors after the ball took a nick off Mavropanos, allowing the Colombian to pounce and fire his side in front.
The Greek defender was left with egg on his face and ‘completely fooled’ 10 minutes later when Mohamed Salah nutmegged him with a slick move in the box to set up Cody Gakpo.
Salah got himself a deserved goal in the 44th minute with a fabulous finish to cap off an excellent first-half showing. That was the polar opposite of Mavropanos’ outing as the West Ham centre-back was torn to shred by a ruthless Reds frontline.
It didn’t get any easier for Mavropanos and his fellow defenders in the second half. Trent Alexander-Arnold struck from range to make it 4-0 in the 54th minute. Diogo Jota came to the party in the 83rd minute with a tidy finish to hand Lopetegui’s side their eighth defeat in 19 league games.
Under-Pressure Lopetegui Must Drop Mavropanos
The Greek Centre-Back Was Poor vs five-star Liverpool
Mavropanos, signed for £20 million, had a torrid outing against a rampant Liverpool side at the London Stadium. Salah, Dias and Gakpo gave the Greece international and Max Kilman no time to breathe at the back.
The 27-year-old won just three of six ground duels, and although he was dominant in the air, he was toyed with on the ground. Every time the visitors ventured forward, they looked like scoring, and that was largely down to how vulnerable the Hammers were at the back.
Konstantinos Mavropanos vs Liverpool
Lopetegui has made a disappointing start to his reign with West Ham, and some of his decision-making has been questionable to say the least. Jean-Clair Todibo arrived on loan from LOSC Lille in the summer but has surprisingly failed to earn a starting berth under his Spanish coach.
Mavropanos could be at risk of the chop after a dismal showing against Liverpool, especially in the first half. Lopetegui could turn to Todibo to liven up a defence who have shipped 35 games in the league.
