Naby Keita’s reintroduction to the
side this December, putting in back to back the 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 in July
2018. Football enthusiasts around the world can obtain Premier League Tickets online to enjoy its superb
performances.
That
performance against Bournemouth, in terms of G 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 a G 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 favor 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.
Keita is weak defensively
Interestingly,
in the 556 minutes played in those aforementioned big games, Liverpool conceded
only twice while Keita was on the pitch. One of those was Jesse Lingard’s goal
from a cross fumbled by Alisson. The other was a goal from a set-piece, scored
by Harry Maguire.
That
is a relatively small sample of games. Therefore, take a look at Liverpool’s
defensive metrics as a team for all league minutes when Keita was on the pitch
last season, compared to their season averages. The other players who played in
his position last season are also included by means of comparison.
It
is no surprise to see Liverpool concede fewest goals when Gini
Wijnaldum plays. This is consistent with each season under Jürgen Klopp, as his
desire to stay central when playing in midfield and his tactical level helps
the Reds stay compact and harder to play through.
However,
Keita is not far behind him in terms of goals conceded per 90 while on the
pitch, clocking 0.51 versus 0.49. James Milner on 0.56 and Jordan Henderson on
0.59 are a little higher.
However,
Alisson was a constant for all matches Liverpool played in the league last
season. Yet there is a considerable difference between the xG and Goals
Conceded numbers.
While
it is possible that certain midfielders allow Liverpool to play more compact,
which would lead to more blocked and missed shooting chances with a better
pressure on shot takers at the point of shooting, it is probably wise to treat
this as the variance.
Liverpool play better without Keita
Of
course, Liverpool possibly set up more defensively with Keita on the pitch
knowing that they need to cover for “his defensive liabilities”. It has been
suggested the team actually plays better and looks more threatening without him
in the side.
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