Destroying every ridiculous myth about Naby Keita's Liverpool career so far
Naby Keita has been good for Liverpool, and this is the proof
Naby Keita’s reintroduction to the side this December, putting in back to back man of the match performances against Bournemouth and Red Bull Salzburg, has seen the discussion spark up once again about the Guinean international signed for £52.75million ($69million) in July 2018.
That performance against Bournemouth, in terms of xG Chain*, came to 1.53; this was the highest of any central midfielder for Liverpool, and the fifth-highest amongst all Liverpool players, since the start of the season.
As well as having three shots and creating three chances - resulting in a goal and an assist - Keita was also credited with an xG Buildup* of 0.80 for his involvement in creating chances, for which he neither was the final shot taker or played the final pass against Bournemouth.
However, there has also been some shade thrown his way: “it was only Bournemouth”, “he was poor all of last season” or that “he is a defensive liability” were all common responses to his showing.
So, lets now take a look at some of the more common criticisms against Keita and try to measure whether they are legitimate concerns, or myths masqueraded as unchallenged facts.
Klopp doesn't trust him in big games
Last season, Klopp started Keita in the league versus Spurs, Manchester United, Chelsea and Leicester. He also played the majority of the match Manchester City after an injury to James Milner in the opening minutes of the match.
In the Champions League, he started in Naples and Barcelona, as well as the first legs against both Bayern Munich and Porto at home.
He has been out of favour following a spate of injuries, starting after picking up a groin injury against FC Barcelona. This was aggravated in the summer playing in the African Cup of Nations, and since he has struggled to get back to full fitness.
It seems his cameo against Manchester United has quickly been forgotten, where he came on in the final seven minutes and was instrumental in changing the game for Liverpool.
On this evidence, Keita missed some big games last season more due to injury rather than a lack of trust from his manager. However, when he has been involved, either from the start or as a substitute, he has had a positive impact on our performances and results.
Ref:liverpol,com
Ref:liverpol,com
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