Upon his first Premier League campaign, last season, Liverpool’s Naby Keita was widely criticised, receiving some scathing reviews after failing to match the expectation after joining from RB Leipzig.
It may not have helped the midfielder that the deal was agreed a year in advance and his outstanding Bundesliga performances during that period only served to heighten the interest surrounding the move.
The Guinea midfielder has also been incredibly unfortunate with injuries, missing 153 days since joining the Reds, but against Norwich City, he provided the level of display which attracted Liverpool to Keita in the first place.
Despite Jurgen Klopp’s side dominating possession, keeping 64 per cent, whenever they lost control of the ball, Keita was immediately in the hunt to win it back, and no player for the Reds was more successful at doing so, with the midfielder providing five tackles. Furthermore, once he had regained possession, Keita attempted 70 passes, over double the number of passes of teammate Georginio Wijnaldum, 30, who has recently received praise from his manager. Though the Guinean’s pass accuracy was the second-lowest of any Liverpool player, 75.7 per cent, the figure highlights the lofty standards his colleagues hold themselves too.
Meanwhile, in attacking areas, Keita was at his most threatening and showed glimpses of the form which saw him have a hand in 15 Bundesliga goals, by taking on three shots, two of which troubled Tim Krul; the most of any Liverpool player. Additionally, he provided an opportunity for a teammate to score by creating a chance with one key pass. Keita also dribbled around Norwich City players on two occasions, more than Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino combined, which epitomised how the opposition struggled to contain the tricky midfielder.
One performance is not enough to suggest that Keita has justified his £54m price tag. But when the midfielder has been able to play this season, his displays have impressed, particularly in the Champions League, where he is Liverpool’s fourth-highest rated player with an average match rating of 7.4. If the Reds are to progress deep into the competition for the third consecutive season, Keita is hitting form in a timely manner and could be a critical player if Liverpool are to retain the European trophy.
