On the day that Loris Karius’s problems really began, Eddie Howe was the manager of the opposition.
On December 4, 2016, Liverpool were drawing a mad game 3-3 with Howe’s Bournemouth. Karius had just made a very good save that nobody remembers when he fumbled a shot in stoppage time and Bournemouth knocked in the rebound to win the match.
It was, on reflection, the start of a story of Karius and English football that will, one way or the other, reach a conclusion when the German goalkeeper plays as fourth choice for Howe’s Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester United this weekend.