Aldridge calls for ‘lightweight’ Liverpool player to be dropped

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John Aldridge wants Naby Keita out of the Liverpool team, calling for an ‘unbelievable’ replacement. The Guinean has started recently.

Liverpool great John Aldridge shared his thoughts on the side for the Liverpool Echo this week. It comes after another defeat, this time a second failure at Brighton this month.

Naby Keita came under fire in his column. Aldridge doesn’t believe he should be in the starting XI – at least, not for games as tough as Brighton away.

“For me, I would play James Milner before Naby Keita any day,” said Aldridge. “I think when the chips are down, he’s lightweight [Keita] and careless with the ball.

“He’s just seeing his contract out. I think when you go to Brighton and places like that you need a midfield of Milner, [Jordan] Henderson and Thiago or young [Harvey] Elliott.

“You’re going to get more. Naby flatters to deceive for me.”

Naby Keita for Liverpool

Aldridge is also very positive on Milner, who he feels improves the side in midfield. The veteran player has been in decent form recently.

“I’m not sure whether Milner will get a new deal at the end of the season,” says Aldridge. “It’s a tough one and it’s between him and the manager, but he’s been unbelievable for the club whenever he’s played.”

Keita has always been a bit of an enigma at Liverpool. Jamie Carragher says he’s the ‘strangest’ player he’s ever seen – and that about sums it up. His talent is clearly fantastic but he also offers next to nothing in a lot of games.

At the same time, Keita’s introduction into the side this year has seen Liverpool look a little more solid. It’s hard to tell whether he’s had a great effect on his own or whether having Stefan Bajcetic there, too, has improved things.

Still, we can’t see Jurgen Klopp dropping him imminently – simply because the team has been slightly more solid. We agree with Aldridge on the whole, though. Keita really isn’t doing much with the ball and Liverpool still aren’t controlling games.

But that’s what makes this season so difficult for Klopp. Nothing works perfectly and finding a functional midfield looks impossible right now.