When we looking back at the Jurgen Klopp era at Anfield, the German’s reign will likely be seen as a period where the club finally pulled in the same direction both on and off the field. The European, World and soon-to-be English champions are not only a juggernaut on the field, but they have also managed to get the fans universally back on board after some dark years at Anfield.
As a Liverpool fan, there is little to be pessimistic about these days with the team sweeping all before them and usually playing beautiful football in the process. Even players such as Jordan Henderson, once much maligned, has been subject to widespread praise due to his recent performance with Klopp having created a team that is as likeable as it is excellent.
However, if there is one exception to the consensus around Anfield, it revolves around one man who has struggled so far to adjust to life on Merseyside – Naby Keita. The Guinean midfielder has seen injuries curtail his adjustment to English football with the former Red Bull Leipzig man having started just 19 Premier League games in the last 19 months.
According to some, Keita is the Reds’ most gifted player and the man Klopp should be looking to build his midfield around after impressing during his 2 seasons in the Bundesliga. However, for others, the Guinean is too lightweight for the division, as evidenced by his injuries, and has the capacity to drift through games when things don’t go his way.
Of course, as usual, the truth is somewhere in the middle of these 2 positions, not that that has stopped Keita become one of the rare points of differing opinions among the fan base. Keita is undoubtedly a supremely gifted player, of that there has never been any question, though Klopp’s patience will begin to wear thin if the Guinean can’t find consistency soon.
On Saturday, Keita started just his third Premier League game of the campaign, and his first of 2020, as the Reds eeked out a 1-0 win over bottom of the table Norwich City. Once again, Keita’s performance saw him singled out for praise among the pundits after an all-action performance that enabled the Reds to dominate possession.
Part of what makes Keita so hard to characterise is that the Guinean is capable of doing a little bit of everything – he is capable of dictating the tempo from deep, dribbling past a man or arriving in the box late to score. In fact, Keita almost pulled off the latter against Norwich but saw his effort from close range smothered by Tim Krul in the Norwich net.
It was a glaring chance and the way in which Keita approached the ball with seemingly little conviction feeds into the narrative that he is not cut out for the rigours and physicality of English football. However, after otherwise putting in an excellent performance, it was also clear to see why some, including Klopp, are so willing to give Keita all the time he needs.
Against the Canaries, Keita recorded 3 shots, 2 shots on target, 2 dribbles, 1 key pass and 5 tackles, with all of those stats among the highest among any player at Carrow Road on Saturday. However, the Guinean also gave the ball away quite a bit and recorded just 75.7% passing accuracy, a significant drop on his season-long average of over 90%.
However, no matter how impressive the Guinean performs in an individual game, his big challenge now is to replicate that form over a period of weeks and months. While we would all like to see Keita succeed, the former Red Bull Leipzig and Salzburg man wouldn’t be the first to fail to adapt to English conditions.
It is also worth remembering that, having recently turned 25, Keita is no longer a kid and needs to be getting consistent minutes if he is to fulfil his potential. Injuries have been a large part of his failure to feature regularly at Anfield so far but with Klopp spoiled for options in the middle of the park, Keita can’t afford to waste the chances he is given.
While the Guinean might not yet be in the last chance saloon to save his Liverpool career, Keita could use a run of fitness and form to repay the faith in him that his manager has shown to date. If not, Keita may just become one of the few talented Reds to look back on this potential era of dominance for the club with regret.
The Anfield Chronicle 