“We’ve waited almost a year to see Naby [Keita] in the Premier League but boy was he worth the wait!”
That was Jamie Redknapp’s (h/t Daily Mail) assessment after Naby Keita’s debut in the Premier League. The Guinea midfielder had to wait for a year before kicking the ball for us but the plaudits keep coming thick and fast from the former Red.
“He is unlike any Liverpool midfielder in the Premier League era. Keita is a pocket rocket brimming with pace and energy but also blessed with technical ability.”
Redknapp seems to be onto something as Keita found it easy against a new look Hammers. Even against Crystal Palace, the former Leipzig star was at his incredible best.
There was a moment where he spun deep inside our own half and lobbed a glorious pass for Mohamed Salah. Although the Egyptian lifted the ball over the bar, that piece of ingenuity, quick thinking and execution certainly got me excited for the rest of the campaign.
Naby Keita is really good. pic.twitter.com/yjgalaiNVm
— Foot Mercato (@Footy_Mercato) August 21, 2018
Jumping to the Premier League from another country is never easy for any player but Keita looks like he was born for this Liverpool side. I know, it is only two games into the season but the Guinea international has barely put a foot wrong so far.
The 23-year-old has played 177 minutes of football for us this season and even though he hasn’t created a goal or scored one, he is someone to keep an eye on for the rest of the campaign.
Brilliant on the ball for Liverpool
Keita has a pass success rate of 87% and makes 66 passes per game on an average – not a bad stat to be honest. The midfielder is fifth in the list of most passes at Liverpool and only James Milner is the midfielder who is ahead of Keita in this stat.
If we look at some of the defensive work he’s done for us, the Guinea star averages 3 tackles a game and is tied at the top of this stat with Joe Gomez and Andy Robertson.
In fact, his willingness to get into the game can be seen with the number of touches he has had. In his debut match against West Ham (h/t Whoscored), Keita got in 81 touches, which was only better by James Milner and a couple of defenders.
Against Palace (h/t Whoscored), Keita had 83 touches and only Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson got more touches than the Guinean.
While Keita is more often seen on the left side of the midfield, we should see him play a more free role in the games to come, should he continue getting into good positions for the Reds.
The midfielder’s passing range is not bad too as he averages one long ball per game but his best work is when he tries to take players on.
Naby Keita vs West Ham United#LFC pic.twitter.com/Ka6o2WcIEr
— Virgil van Dijk (@VanDijkLFC) August 13, 2018
Quick feet, quick decision making and covering almost every inch of the ground. Naby Keita seems perfect for Jurgen Klopp’s playing style at Liverpool.
His understanding with our front three seems good and it will only get better with more games under his belt, which is an ominous sign for our rivals.
One thing missing from his game so far is having cracks at goal but when we have the likes of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane in our ranks, you can leave the scoring bit to them.
Read more: Liverpool star closes in on Premier League record held by former Red
It was a bit of a surprise when Klopp was willing to wait a year to get Keita aboard but if the Guinean continues playing like this for the season, we might have a new king of Anfield.
