Topic: Naby Keita Watch

[andy07]

Disapointing tonight.  Would have hoped he would have had no fear and done his little runs throughout coupled with some incisive passing.   Jury out, hopefully we will see him pushing on as the season progresses.

[Xanderzone]

Has a lot to prove.

What worries me is that i dont see what he excells at.

I always look for good passing, good ball winning and ability to get forward in LFC CMs. Think they have to be good at doing at keast one of them.

And he doesn't look particularly brilliant at any of those.

Early days though.

[newterp]

So many surging forward runs - but then he would play it really safe.

I'm not worried - because it will all start clicking soon enough.

[Sammy5IsAlive]

There were times tonight when the ball was free to be contested and he looked like he was running through treacle. I don't know if it's a match fitness issue; whether he is protecting an injury; or whether he is struggling with the defensive systems and reluctant to commit 'without permission' but he just didn't look right tonight out of possession. It's not the first time either which would suggest to me it is more a tactical issue than a physical one.

I'm not worried though - whatever your opinion on the Bundesliga there's been more than enough moments from him in a red shirt already to demonstrate that he has the ability to be a top player for us once things fall into place for him. Obviously you'd hope that happens this season in time to help with the push for the league but my gut feeling is that he's going to need one more pre-season to really nail down Klopp's systems and 'start fresh' before we really see the best of him.

[Passmaster Molby]

Looked lost last night, really thought that was a game for him to step up. Still not seeing the reason why we paid big money for him but praying he shows it sometime soon.

[GucciMane]

He was excellent a level above every midfielder on the pitch yesterday. Better than Shaq imo has to play more.

[Frank Becton]

Looked lost last night, really thought that was a game for him to step up. Still not seeing the reason why we paid big money for him but praying he shows it sometime soon.

I am not as optimistic as many on here, for £50m I am a bit underwhelmed.
Its too easy to say he needs a run of games and time, he just hasn't been good enough.

He was excellent a level above every midfielder on the pitch yesterday. Better than Shaq imo has to play more.

Really? He made a few decent runs but he looked lost to me otherwise.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Some of you need to rewatch the games he's played in recent weeks and before his injuries at the start of the season. You either have short memories or you didn't watch.

[Agent99]

He needs a loan this month. Maybe to Cardiff to make up for the awful way we treated Neil Warlock with regards to Clyne.

[jillcwhomever]

I am not as optimistic as many on here, for £50m I am a bit underwhelmed.
Its too easy to say he needs a run of games and time, he just hasn't been good enough.

Really? He made a few decent runs but he looked lost to me otherwise.

There are reasons though its his first season, he's picked up niggly injuries which does not help with his rhythm. Also, the point is players sometimes do take longer to settle, he has shown his quality in bits and pieces. Once we go into the second part of the season he will find his form, but people need to give these players some support. It's not always easy settling in another country, why are some wanting to pressure the new players even more? 

[spider-neil]

I don't think you see the best of Keita until next season. He looks short of confidence.

[Doc Red]

He is clearly lacking confidence. He will be fine.

Klopp mentioned the same thing in his interview.
He'll come good in time, or when he realises how much better he is than the players he's playing against.
He's giving almost too much respect to the opposition.
On the other hand, it's never easy to shine when you're playing with the "B" team as a midfielder or striker. You really need the players around you to be close to your level if you're really going to show your best. But he certainly could have played better last night.
Surely only a matter of time now before he starts consistently showing his qualities.

[hassinator]

does naby have the engine for the prem or is it an issue of match fitness?

he fades so much in the second half.

[Funky_Gibbons]

Seems to have an annoying habit of holding onto the ball half a second too long or playing the pass half a second too late. The receiving player either runs off-side or need to check their run so when the ball is played it's too far ahead of them. 

Been underwhelming so far but you can see there's a good player in there.

[AndyMuller]

The way everyone was going on about him in here last season I thought we were signing prime Zidane.

A lot to prove for me at the moment, Fabinho looks miles better.

[Fitzy.]

A lot to prove for me at the moment, Fabinho looks miles better.

The interesting thing is that you would have been laughed out of town had you said this in October and even November.

The 'recency' element of football analysis has a huge impact on how players are perceived and valued. As recently as early December many fans were calling for Bobby Firmino to be rested, which now seems really daft. This is because fans are caught up in the 'now' and lack broader perspective. Things weren't clicking so Internet experts were calling for a change!!! We all do it to some degree, even if we're pretty clueless as to what the issues are.

Yes, Fabinho is looking a better fit right now but that has happened through toil and getting a run in the side. Keita has not been afforded that opportunity, for a variety of reasons. That doesn't mean we should be pleased with what we are seeing, but it does mean that our judgements right now are not necessarily a fair refection of what is to come from the player. For me, I do think it might be best to calm down a little on the Keita issue as I think it's temporary.

[JC the Messiah]

Some of you need to rewatch the games he's played in recent weeks and before his injuries at the start of the season. You either have short memories or you didn't watch.

He's definitely got the talent, but we've only really seen half-glimpses of him at Liverpool. His first few games he looked good, and he was the signing I was most excited about.

Now there are doubts creeping in. I know the talent is there, but for a multitude of reasons, we're not seeing the "true" Keita yet. If he does come good sooner rather than later, that will be a very welcome addition to the side.

[Qston]

He was excellent a level above every midfielder on the pitch yesterday. Better than Shaq imo has to play more.

I want him to succeed as much as anyone but he really wasn`t excellent

[lionel_messias]

The way everyone was going on about him in here last season I thought we were signing prime Zidane.

A lot to prove for me at the moment, Fabinho looks miles better.

Doesn't seem that long ago that some people were saying Fabinho looked "awful" and didn't have the pace for the Premier League.

What I saw of Naby last night, looked like he lacked confidence and bravery on the ball. Weirdly, both these things were assets for him at Red Bull.

I'd back Klopp to sort him out but he may have to wait a bit for a regular berth.

[spider-neil]

He was excellent a level above every midfielder on the pitch yesterday. Better than Shaq imo has to play more.

You can't be serious? He looked like a midfield short of confidence and not willing to take anyone on. Also, saying ' a level above every midfielder on the pitch yesterday' is a very low bar.

[clinical]

I'm pretty sure all of us will look stupid soon. The quality is there. Just missing something physically and mentally right now.

[Jookie]

He was excellent a level above every midfielder on the pitch yesterday. Better than Shaq imo has to play more.

No-one should be crucifying or even questioning Keita's long term ability at this moment.

But the above is just not true. It points at something that I find worrying about our fanbase and it's appraisal of players. Certain players will get slaughtered at any negative performance. Others will be given a lot more leeway. Naby Keita definitely fits into the latter category at the moment. I think because certain people have probably been so excited about him joining, proclaiming he'll take the league by storm, that anything good he has one is being over emphasised and any negatives are being deflected. I've nothing against supporting our players and being patient. In fact thats what I wish we all did with all the players. However, let's be fair across the board here. If certain other midfielders had put Keita's performance in last night then they'd have been hammered by parts of our fanbase. There'd have been no mitigating circumstances put forward for not influencing the game or going missing.

Where I am with Naby Keita hasn't changed from what I posted yesterday before the game. He was an outstanding footballer for RBL during the 2016/17 season. All action, and excelled both offensively and defensively. Last season at RBL, less so though he had those 'YouTube' moments in certain games to keep everyone excited. At Liverpool his form has been inconsistent. He's looked on the periphery of games for the majority of time he's been on the pitch. He's still giving odd 'YouTube' moment that keep you excited about his ability though.

However, in reality he hasn't taken the chances afforded to him yet. The rest of this season is now about Liverpool winning the CL and/or the league. Integration of Naby Keita is a secondary concern. For me he doesn't get anywhere near our 1st XI if everyone is fit. That's based on what I've seen of him for Liverpool, in our system, in our league. I'd have serious concerns about anyone's ability to judge football if they would currently pick Naby Keita ahead of most, if not all, our current options in midfield. Personally I'd play Wijanaldum, Fabinho, Henderson, Milner all ahead of him in a 2 man midfield. If it was a 3 man midfield then maybe he has more chance of being picked.

Long term I'm still confident that Keita can be an asset for this club. He still needs patience despite my (slight) criticism of his performances above. It's up to him though. He needs to force his way into the reckoning. In a way, he's lucky that we are doing so well or the focus on an under performing 50-60M midfielder would be much greater if we were 3rd or 4th in the league.

[harryc]

No-one should be crucifying or even questioning Keita's long term ability at this moment.

But the above is just not true. It points at something that I find worrying about our fanbase and it's appraisal of players. Certain players will get slaughtered at any negative performance. Others will be given a lot more leeway. Naby Keita definitely fits into the latter category at the moment. I think because certain people have probably been so excited about him joining, proclaiming he'll take the league by storm, that anything good he has one is being over emphasised and any negatives are being deflected. I've nothing against supporting our players and being patient. In fact thats what I wish we all did with all the players. However, let's be fair across the board here. If certain other midfielders had put Keita's performance in last night then they'd have been hammered by parts of our fanbase. There'd have been no mitigating circumstances put forward for not influencing the game or going missing.

Where I am with Naby Keita hasn't changed from what I posted yesterday before the game. He was an outstanding footballer for RBL during the 2016/17 season. All action, and excelled both offensively and defensively. Last season at RBL, less so though he had those 'YouTube' moments in certain games to keep everyone excited. At Liverpool his form has been inconsistent. He's looked on the periphery of games for the majority of time he's been on the pitch. He's still giving odd 'YouTube' moment that keep you excited about his ability though.

However, in reality he hasn't taken the chances afforded to him yet. The rest of this season is now about Liverpool winning the CL and/or the league. Integration of Naby Keita is a secondary concern. For me he doesn't get anywhere near our 1st XI if everyone is fit. That's based on what I've seen of him for Liverpool, in our system, in our league. I'd have serious concerns about anyone's ability to judge football if they would currently pick Naby Keita ahead of most, if not all, our current options in midfield. Personally I'd play Wijanaldum, Fabinho, Henderson, Milner all ahead of him in a 2 man midfield. If it was a 3 man midfield then maybe he has more chance of being picked.

Long term I'm still confident that Keita can be an asset for this club. He still needs patience despite my (slight) criticism of his performances above. It's up to him though. He needs to force his way into the reckoning. In a way, he's lucky that we are doing so well or the focus on an under performing 50-60M midfielder would be much greater if we were 3rd or 4th in the league.

He gets in every time before Milner for me, at least he knows how to play as a CM.

[Jookie]

He gets in every time before Milner for me, at least he knows how to play as a CM.

I think it's borderline in a midfield 2.

The other 3 (Wijnaldum, Henderson and Fabinho) are head and shoulders above the other options in a midfield 2. If we continue with a midfield 2 then with the games over the next 4-6 weeks relatively spread out I don't see the need to start anyone but those three lads starting in CM.

Milner will get games as RB (and maybe even LB) as the season progresses. Keita will be an option off the bench.

[DonkeyWan]

No-one should be crucifying or even questioning Keita's long term ability at this moment.

But the above is just not true. It points at something that I find worrying about our fanbase and it's appraisal of players. Certain players will get slaughtered at any negative performance. Others will be given a lot more leeway. Naby Keita definitely fits into the latter category at the moment. I think because certain people have probably been so excited about him joining, proclaiming he'll take the league by storm, that anything good he has one is being over emphasised and any negatives are being deflected. I've nothing against supporting our players and being patient. In fact thats what I wish we all did with all the players. However, let's be fair across the board here. If certain other midfielders had put Keita's performance in last night then they'd have been hammered by parts of our fanbase. There'd have been no mitigating circumstances put forward for not influencing the game or going missing.

Where I am with Naby Keita hasn't changed from what I posted yesterday before the game. He was an outstanding footballer for RBL during the 2016/17 season. All action, and excelled both offensively and defensively. Last season at RBL, less so though he had those 'YouTube' moments in certain games to keep everyone excited. At Liverpool his form has been inconsistent. He's looked on the periphery of games for the majority of time he's been on the pitch. He's still giving odd 'YouTube' moment that keep you excited about his ability though.

However, in reality he hasn't taken the chances afforded to him yet. The rest of this season is now about Liverpool winning the CL and/or the league. Integration of Naby Keita is a secondary concern. For me he doesn't get anywhere near our 1st XI if everyone is fit. That's based on what I've seen of him for Liverpool, in our system, in our league. I'd have serious concerns about anyone's ability to judge football if they would currently pick Naby Keita ahead of most, if not all, our current options in midfield. Personally I'd play Wijanaldum, Fabinho, Henderson, Milner all ahead of him in a 2 man midfield. If it was a 3 man midfield then maybe he has more chance of being picked.

Long term I'm still confident that Keita can be an asset for this club. He still needs patience despite my (slight) criticism of his performances above. It's up to him though. He needs to force his way into the reckoning. In a way, he's lucky that we are doing so well or the focus on an under performing 50-60M midfielder would be much greater if we were 3rd or 4th in the league.

Exactly this, he was peripheral and oddly removed from the game last night. I think the physical nature of the game has surprised him quite a bit and he is still adjusting.

Part of the problem though is everyone keeps expecting him to play like Kante when in fact he is actually an AM who happens to occasionally tackle.

[LallanaInPyjamas]

He gets in every time before Milner for me, at least he knows how to play as a CM.

Is this the same Milner who broke the assists record in the CL from CM last season?

Exactly this, he was peripheral and oddly removed from the game last night. I think the physical nature of the game has surprised him quite a bit and he is still adjusting.

Part of the problem though is everyone keeps expecting him to play like Kante when in fact he is actually an AM who happens to occasionally tackle.

He didn't 'occasionally' tackle at Leipzig. In fact his defensive work was a major reason as to why he was signed. He generally averaged between 2 and 3 tackles per game there and wasn't far behind on interceptions. Here, he's only just breaking one tackle per game and he's barely intercepting anything. It's strange.

[harryc]

Is this the same Milner who broke the assists record in the CL from CM last season?

He didn't 'occasionally' tackle at Leipzig. In fact his defensive work was a major reason as to why he was signed. He generally averaged between 2 and 3 tackles per game there and wasn't far behind on interceptions. Here, he's only just breaking one tackle per game and he's barely intercepting anything. It's strange.

Yes the same one who couldn’t pass his way out of a onion bag in the final.

Keita made more tackles last night than all the other midfielders combined.

[Dench57]

Isn't at the level required yet, any other time I'd be inclined to say give him a run of games but unfortunately the stakes are too high now and fitness/injuries permitting we need to be playing our strongest 3 (Wini/Fab and one of Hendo or Milner) in every game we can.

[Sharado]

He was so good at Burnley and he nearly scored a few. I wonder if it's something as simple as getting his first goal under his belt to jib his confidence on. I've still got no doubts about him. It's going to click soon and when it does it's going to be something else.

[thaddeus]

I thought he did OK last night and he improved in the second half.

I don't know if it's confidence or finding his feet in our midfield system(s) but he is hesitant when he receives the ball.  From the little I saw of him last season and more so his pre-season performances he excels at driving into small spaces, breaking through the initial tackle and committing the second line of defence to engage him.  That hesitancy allowed Wolves to close off those gaps before he could hurt them.

It feels like a run of games in his preferred (?) 8 role and he'd be fine.  I guess the issue for Klopp is that we don't necessarily have the luxury to give him those games when he has a reliable set of midfielders in Wijnaldum, Milner, Henderson, Fabinho and Shaqiri.  He's probably first reserve for Mane's role on the left and first reserve for central midfield currently.

[lukeb1981]

It was a difficult game for him last night when he did make runs forward ,there was nobody moving in front of him and no one to play one twos off , Milner was back behind him and sturidge was like a statue .I wouldnt judge him on that game as it was so disjointed.When he is surrounded by our top players then we will see the best from the lad. He has got a fair kicking in the past few matches as well.

[Jookie]

Yes the same one who couldn’t pass his way out of a onion bag in the final.

Keita made more tackles last night than all the other midfielders combined.

This is what I was talking about above.

Milner is being criticised for a performance in a CL final against Real Madrid after a CL run where he broke the individual assists record for a season.

Keita is being praised for putting the most passes together in a makeshift midfield in a 3rd round FA Cup tie against Wolves. Most of which was played at the intensity of a training match.

Where's the balance here? I'm not saying criticise Keita. But it's a case of people seeing anything positive about a player they probably championed for months before he joined, versus a player who isn't the most fashionable but has contributed significantly to the club's improvements over the last 2 to 3 seasons.

[Jookie]

Exactly this, he was peripheral and oddly removed from the game last night. I think the physical nature of the game has surprised him quite a bit and he is still adjusting.

Part of the problem though is everyone keeps expecting him to play like Kante when in fact he is actually an AM who happens to occasionally tackle.

I agree with the 1st part. Amongst other things, I think the physicality of the league has taken him by surprise. He was a whirlwind in midfield in the Bundesliga. Though smallish in stature he still seemed to have physical attributes that helped him impose himself on games. The Premier League is quicker and more physical. It's almost certainly higher quality as well. I do wonder if some of the qualities that helped him shone in the Bundesliga are currently being negated slightly be the physicality and pace of the Premier League.

On the 2nd point, I don't think he's a Kante like player. He has more to his attacking game than that. However, he's not a AM either. He looked more a box-to-box midfielder who could equally excel at the defensive and offensive side of things. The issue with playing that position in the PL is that you need to impose yourself on the game. Keita is too much on the periphery of games currently. Whether that due to adaption to the speed of the game, adaption to our system, confidence, physicality or he just not as good as he seemed will only come out in the wash over the next 12 months or so.

[Roger Federer]

Milner is a very good midfielder, but he’s not a number 6, and it doesn’t suit him to play with just one other central midfielder. Him, Wijnaldum and Keita started the season very well though, there is no need to deny that.

But both will most likely find it hard to get minutes now, as we’ve changed the set up a bit, and the third central midfielder is either replaced by Shaqiri, or playing slightly wider as Keita did against United, Bournemouth and Wolves. He was good in the first two considering the role, and injured against Wolves, now he come back into a makeshift side in a cup game we didn’t seem to take too seriously and all that seem to be forgotten. He hasn’t set the world alight (as I and many thought he would), but reading this last page or two you’d think he’d been terrible every time he plays. Apart from last night, he’s been either excellent (Burnley), very good (start of the season) or ok (in a different role).

[jambutty]

I want Keita to start every match the rest of the season until he either proves he belongs here or not.

[LallanaInPyjamas]

I want Keita to start every match the rest of the season until he either proves he belongs here or not.

I want us to win the league.

[kasperoff]

Is this the same Milner who broke the assists record in the CL from CM last season?

He didn't 'occasionally' tackle at Leipzig. In fact his defensive work was a major reason as to why he was signed. He generally averaged between 2 and 3 tackles per game there and wasn't far behind on interceptions. Here, he's only just breaking one tackle per game and he's barely intercepting anything. It's strange.

That tells me it’s confidence. He’s not playing his natural game. Technique and skill is there. He just need to settle and try get a run of games (won’t be easy). Injury was bad timing too.

[hesbighesred]

He was excellent a level above every midfielder on the pitch yesterday. Better than Shaq imo has to play more.

For me too. It's very odd, it's like people have watched two different games.

That little pass he threaded through a completely non-existent gap out on the right touchline - the way he's surrounded by players and seems to just appear on the other side with them chasing him like some kind of Looney Toons cartoon - there are things he does well which are orders above what anyone else in our midfield can provide, and a combination of talents that no-one else in the team has.

I really think he can transform our 4-3-3 (but really a sort of different 4-2-3-1 type formation with a nod to PoP and DeFacto) and I can't wait to see more of him.

I'd be delighted to see him start against Brighton, and everyone really. I must say, watching him yesterday, I was all the more disappointed he hadn't started against City.

But never mind. There's an absolute monster of a player there.

[hesbighesred]

Milner is a very good midfielder, but he’s not a number 6, and it doesn’t suit him to play with just one other central midfielder...

Agreed. I think Keita made a fair amount out of a pretty horrible midfield situation, against a strong team where midfield is their strongest area.

[stockdam]

It's pointless debating how Keita played last night. We played a makeshift team who hadn't played together and it showed. Our midfield was all over the place and at times only Keita appeared to be in midfield.

With better players around him who know what to do then we'll see how he slots in.