This weekend was an encouraging one for Kopites. The Reds won comfortably away at Bournemouth. Jürgen Klopp’s men kept a first clean sheet in 14 games. Pep Guardiola and Manchester City were yet again dumped out of the title race, now 14 points adrift after a loss to Manchester United. One of the most heartening aspects of the weekend for Reds was the performance of our Guinean midfielder. Naby Keita has given Jürgen Klopp a selection headache with his display against Bournemouth.
The club record signing has struggled to get going since his 2018 arrival from RB Leipzig. Prior to the weekend, Keita hadn’t made a single Premier League start this season. The Guinean had been resigned to the bench due to injury and the strong form of the first team.
Naby Keita showed against Bournemouth just why the Reds spent so much money on him. He was bright and positive on the ball, grabbing a goal, an assist and the club’s MOTM award.
The issue now is where does he fit in? Jürgen Klopp has an embarrassment of riches in attacking midfield. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has stepped back into the side in a rich vein of form, scoring again at the weekend. Xherdan Shaqiri came back into the side in midweek, scoring against Everton.
Whilst these players can often play alongside each other against weaker opposition, when it comes to our biggest games there will likely only be room for one.
When we have a big Champions League game, who will Klopp play behind Roberto Firmino? The Ox or Naby? Whilst Oxlade-Chamberlain definitely has the edge at the minute, if Keita maintains his form then the decision won’t be so straightforward.
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