A struggling start for Naby Keita, but flashes of excellence show he deliver for Liverpool

Liverpool endured a long, arduous wait for Naby Keita. The Premier League leaders signed the Guinean international from Red Bull Leipzig in the summer of 2018, after agreeing the transfer 12 months prior to that.

His life at Liverpool has started slowly, the success of the team has meant it be harder for Keita to intrude on the midfield that works so well. Minor injuries have also hampered his first season in England, in the Premier League, the Guinean has made just eight starts with a further six from the bench.

To date Keita has no registered a single goal or assist. But flashes of ability when dribbling with the ball still water the mouths of the Liverpool faithful. WhoScored credit the 23-year-old with a rating of just 6.6 across his 14 appearances this season.

Across the 2015/16 season and 2016/17 campaign Keita netted 20 goals and registered a further 16 assists. It was this production that convinced the Reds to cough up a hefty £54 million for his services in 2017. During his final season with Leipzing he would score a further six goals and lay on another five.

Such production was missing from Klopp’s midfield. Last term the midfield quartet of James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and the now departed Emre Can combined for just four league goals across a grand total of 118 a league appearances between them.

Keita made his debut for Liverpool against West Ham United on the opening day of the season, playing the full 90 minutes in a 4-0 win. Alongside Milner and Wijnaldum, Keita was the creative spark in the midfield, driving forward and cutting through the West Ham backline with his vision and passing ability.

The form was recognised by his manager, 

“Everybody saw, not only at the beginning of the season, how brilliantly he played in the first part. Tottenham [away]was a fantastic game from him without thinking too much.

“The we made a change around the PSG game. The boys have to deal with it and then a little injury here, little injury there.”

Keita continued to be heavily involved until an injury in the Champions League against Napoli, which saw him leave the field on a stretcher. This injury kept the diminutive midfielder out of actions for a few weeks, muscular problems cited as the issue.

Since his return from injury, form coupled with Liverpool’s fantastic run have meant Keita has struggled to nail down a spot in the side. The July acquisition has completed 90 minutes just once, in a win at Burnley, and his manager has admitted the Guinea playmaker has not yet reached the levels he was at his previous club.

“Is he exactly the player in his best time with Leipzing? No, but he is still adapting – that is how it is,” Klopp said to reporters about Keita’s limited involvement.

The Premier League is the most unique in Europe, the skills needed to succeed are a blend of every physical, technical and mental attribute a footballer can muster.

At Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp demands a certain level of athleticism and work rate, making it an extremely hard environment to succeed in with the fabled gegenpressing the fulcrum of their entire philosophy.

Keita has yet to disprove anyone he does not possess the necessary tools to be a success at Anfield, but the ‘settling in’ period at clubs is becoming shorter with every season. If Liverpool fail to bring home silverware this season, questions will be asked of not just Klopp, but the playing staff as well.