Liverpool are in with a real chance of ending their long wait for a Premier League title this season despite failing to secure wins in back to back league matches against Leicester City and West Ham United respectively. There is no doubt that Jurgen Klopp’s men need to improve over the next few weeks or else risk being overtaken by Manchester City at the top of the Premier League standings.
The Reds have been plagued with some high-profile injuries recently with essential players such as Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren all missing out in their last league encounter versus the Hammers on Monday night. Hence, Klopp has been forced to make some changes to his side with the likes of Naby Keita, Fabinho and Joel Matip getting a lot of game time in recent weeks.
Fabinho has looked like a great option in midfield for the Reds while Joel Matip has been a bit underwhelming with his performances at the back this season. Naby Keita, on the other hand, has looked like a class act at times but he has struggled to keep up the same level of high performance throughout the match which has resulted in Liverpool losing possession in crucial moments during a game.
The former RB Leipzig star has garnered mixed reactions from pundits and fans alike with a lot of people still trying to figure out whether he will come good for Liverpool. The 23-year-old has been carefully handled by Klopp this term as he is taking some time to cope with life in England.
Keita has made 23 appearances for the Reds this season but is yet to find the back of the net. To his credit, the Guinean midfielder has managed to grab one assist during his side’s home game against Crystal Palace when the Merseyside giants found a way to secure a narrow 4-3 win at Anfield last month.
Despite showing some signs of promise, Keita was guilty of giving away the ball on quite a few occasions against the Hammers on Monday night. His lack of desire to help out his teammates in defence should leave a sour taste in Klopp’s mouth as the German manager tries to rediscover the winning formula at the red half of Merseyside.
Keita has just made 0.9 tackles and 0.4 interceptions per match while delivering 0.3 key passes going forward this season. His stats have deteriorated considerably from last season which indicates that he is struggling to establish his identity in Klopp’s first-team. Hence, it would be wise for the Liverpool boss to keep the midfielder out of his starting XI for now until the Guinean talent is ready to start matches regularly for the Reds.
(All stats has been taken from Whoscored.com)
