Naby Keita

[Ne Moe Imya 3,666]

6 hours ago, aws said:

He's not as bad as some people think, nor as good as some other people think. 

I actually think it's very difficult to tell how good he is.

 

We're so used to defining a "good" midfielder by whether or not he scores/assists goals (attacking midfielders) or lots of tackles/interceptions (defensive midfielders), but Liverpool's #8's really don't play that way. Wijnaldum was a great example - virtually invisible in most major statistical categories, but hugely important to the way we play and you could see a visible difference in our results when he wasn't in the side.

 

Keita is similar - except for Virgil, he has the highest winning percentage of any player in our side, meaning he's clearly vital to us playing well and getting results. However, he himself doesn't seem to be doing anything, at least not on first watch, or given a glance at the stat sheet. But he's clearly doing something, or Klopp wouldn't keep picking him and we wouldn't keep winning games with him in the midfield.

[Pungkoq Hang 24]

Jonathan Liew is singing his praise in the Graun shortly after match report went up.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2022/may/10/resurgent-naby-keita-keeps-liverpool-going-when-the-limbs-are-screaming

 

Jonathan Liew is sound.

[Mudface 5,395]

17 minutes ago, Pungkoq Hang said:

Jonathan Liew is singing his praise in the Graun shortly after match report went up.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2022/may/10/resurgent-naby-keita-keeps-liverpool-going-when-the-limbs-are-screaming

 

Jonathan Liew is sound.

Quote

 

By the end, Alisson was trying to waste time. Sadio Mané was listlessly dribbling the ball into the corner in an attempt to burn away a few more seconds. Deep into injury time Naby Keïta started rolling around on the turf in apparent agony. Was it a cruciate? A broken leg? A debilitating muscle tear that would put him out for the season? Happily, as a victorious Keïta disappeared into the embrace of his teammates just a few seconds later, we have to conclude that he may just survive the night.

Curiously, given his famously forthright views on teams adopting cynical tactics in an attempt to win games, Jürgen Klopp had very little to say about any of this afterwards. But then, perhaps it was understandable that aesthetics would be the last thing on his mind at Villa Park.

 

 

He must have been watching a different game to me. I don't recall Alisson wasting time, or Mane 'listlessly' dribbling into the corner and Keita went down because he'd not long been whacked in the balls- even so, he wasn't 'rolling around in apparent agony'.

[sir roger 8,994]

Hendo and Keita are totally different players, so which is in our best 3 midfielders will change depending on the opposition.

[J-V 4,077]

Jonathan Liew is so “sound” he makes things up the useless cunt.

[Scott_M 6,859]

Well, he’ll be starting Saturday…

[rb14 1,901]

4 hours ago, Ne Moe Imya said:

I actually think it's very difficult to tell how good he is.

 

We're so used to defining a "good" midfielder by whether or not he scores/assists goals (attacking midfielders) or lots of tackles/interceptions (defensive midfielders), but Liverpool's #8's really don't play that way. Wijnaldum was a great example - virtually invisible in most major statistical categories, but hugely important to the way we play and you could see a visible difference in our results when he wasn't in the side.

 

Keita is similar - except for Virgil, he has the highest winning percentage of any player in our side, meaning he's clearly vital to us playing well and getting results. However, he himself doesn't seem to be doing anything, at least not on first watch, or given a glance at the stat sheet. But he's clearly doing something, or Klopp wouldn't keep picking him and we wouldn't keep winning games with him in the midfield.

To be fair, I agree with a couple of points you make:

..."see a visible difference in our results when he wasn't in the side". 

And

"...he doesn't seem to be doing anything..."

 

I actually give rather less than half a fuck about his goalscoring record. I posted the stats in reference to Dave's dig on Grealish. If Keita were a fraction of the player Wijnaldum was, I'd be made up. 

[Pungkoq Hang 24]

Seems some folks are so entrenched in their views regarding Keita that they are more than willing to overlook all the plus points he brings to the team (the ones Klopp sees in him on a daily basis in training) and choose to magnify the so-called weaknesses, shortcomings and other negativities. Missing games out injured? Losing his bearings in the opposition penalty box with only the goalkeeper to beat? Pitchforks at the ready!

 

We've seen this talking picture before. It's titled Wijnaldum. Fingerpointer-in-chief meanwhile, hardly a peep despite some below-par performances recently. Tough crowd.

[Pungkoq Hang 24]

23 hours ago, J-V said:

Jonathan Liew is so “sound” he makes things up the useless cunt.

Well there's no telling what team he roots for but generally he digs us, writes some superb stuff in the Graun and is well regarded by his peers. Yup, he's sound.

 

He ain't a patch on Bluto though.

[A_S 2,187]

He could justify his transfer fee in the next 2 weeks, given the Fabinho situation. 

[Total Longo 3,688]

39 minutes ago, A_S said:

He could justify his transfer fee in the next 2 weeks, given the Fabinho situation. 

...or get injured.  

[VladimirIlyich 9,778]

On 12/05/2022 at 08:49, Scott_M said:

Well, he’ll be starting Saturday…

What position does Jonathan Liew play?

[A_S 2,187]

55 minutes ago, Total Longo said:

...or get injured.  

Let's hope I am right!

[aRdja 2,922]

1 hour ago, Pungkoq Hang said:

Well there's no telling what team he roots for but generally he digs us, writes some superb stuff in the Graun and is well regarded by his peers. Yup, he's sound.

 

He ain't a patch on Bluto though.

Liew and Ronay and two of the best football writers around IMO. 

[rb14 1,901]

16 hours ago, Pungkoq Hang said:

Seems some folks... ...choose to magnify {Keita's} so-called weaknesses, shortcomings and other negativities.

They don't need magnifying. And they're not "so-called"; they're abundantly self-evident. 

 

I'm gagging to be proved wrong. Unfortunately, other than in a handful of games (where he's shown a few glimpses of being marginally less dreadful) he's been utter garbage. 

 

 

[3 Stacks 3,455]

The thing to Keita's credit is the semi final against City. That was really top level and I'm not sure that Henderson can replicate a performance like that these days. Henderson seems to be the safer player, though.

[Rushies tash 2,878]

8 hours ago, 3 Stacks said:

The thing to Keita's credit is the semi final against City. That was really top level and I'm not sure that Henderson can replicate a performance like that these days. Henderson seems to be the safer player, though.

Keita would be more likely to give the ball away, but that's only because he's also more likely to try a positive pass than Henderson, who'd rather play safer and retain possession. Keita's touch has been excellent since the turn of the year and I think he may have been coached to play how Wijnaldum did for us. Am looking forward to seeing how he does in a midfield containing Kante later.

[magicrat 7,107]

Keita is not the man to get a grip of a game when we’re under the cosh imo. He’s good when the team are playing well. True of many players so I think much of the criticism is unfair . He’s no Gerrard but very few are.

[Jennings 4,228]

Please not Naby in our finals.

[stringvest 14,258]

Who else is it going to be?  Frankly I'm not happy with our midfield either, but Henderson and Keita are the natural selections while others are suffering injury and lack of form.  I would expect Milner to be on to protect our two goal lead in the second half.  

 

Anyway, we have a chance to win the FA Cup in its 150th year.  Come on you red men! 

[Mook 20,752]

27 minutes ago, Jennings said:

Please not Naby in our finals.

He was very good in the League Cup final.

[Red74 1,638]

Thought he played well today

[Red74 1,638]

He needs telling that he’s good enough to take these games by the scruff of the neck and start dominating them. All he’s missing is the arrogance now. He’s got the talent, just lacking that wee bit of confidence to take command. 

[Joey8FrogsLegs 1,061]

44 minutes ago, Red74 said:

Thought he played well today

He did. Lots of important tackles and interceptions. And always looking forwards trying to create things when in possession.

[TheBitch 3,963]

Anyone got his stats for the day?