THERE’S a bit of an irony to the discussion heralding the possibility of an imminent – and long-awaited – return of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to the first-team picture at Liverpool.
Much of that chat focuses on attributes the former Arsenal man can bring to Jurgen Klopp’s midfield – bursting from the centre of the park, scoring goals, providing assists, and basically offering a bit more guile than some of the team-mates he will compete with for a starting spot when fit.
The irony in it all is those are the very attributes – among others – many expected to be on display when Naby Keita took to the pitch in a red shirt.
The 23-year-old – a £52.75million signing from RB Leipzig – was pitched as a man who would chip in with goals, chip in with assists and quickly become influential to a side with its sights set on the Premier League.
So far, five months into a season which has developed into Liverpool’s most realistic title challenge in a generation, it has not gone according to plan for the player that also caught the eye of Barcelona not so long ago.
There is always the caveat that players take time to blossom under Klopp – from Andy Robertson to Oxlade-Chamberlain and again now with Fabinho. And Keita would no doubt point to some injury niggles that have not helped his cause.
Nevertheless, concerns remain around the Guinean as the title charge enters the home straight. Liverpool aren’t desperate for him to hit the heights many predicted – but it would certainly help with Champions League football back on the agenda in less than a month’s time.
The nature of Keita’s deal perhaps didn’t help with the issue of expectations, and nor did the fee. Liverpool struck an agreement in 2017 but the player’s arrival was delayed for a season as Leipzig clung on to a player who scored 17 goals and assisted 15 in 71 appearances for the German club.
That delay inevitably fed a thirst for Keita content among an expectant fan base – and by the time he arrived Liverpool’s support was plump on feasting on his best bits. Who wouldn’t be excited by a £50million midfielder who had bossed the Bundesliga arriving?
Naby Keïta on settling to life in England:
“I'm the only Guinean player at a top club so I have to work really hard. Everyone believes in me back home so not only do I have to do my job here for all the Liverpool fans, but I've got to do it for the whole of my country’ #LFC pic.twitter.com/Y26qiJC2wx
— THE LFC POLL (@TheLFCPoll) January 22, 2019
What the YouTube highlights binge didn’t prepare those who wolfed it down for was any lowlights.
So now, when they arrive, they seem stark by contrast.
Where is the man who ploughed his way through defences at will? Where is the box-to-box whirling dervish that took games by the scruff of the neck like a modern-day incarnation of Graeme Souness? What happened to the player that looked worthy of the Steven Gerrard shirt he seemed to be so confidently inheriting?
The truth is we’ve only seen him in fits and starts so far. That beautiful turn at Crystal Palace that left Andros Townsend hailing a taxi somewhere in South London and the instant pass that followed that could and should have led to a goal for Mo Salah.
A decent display at Burnley.
A double nutmeg at Bournemouth.
Bursting through players and releasing an instant ball to Daniel Sturridge at Wolves.
And he was impressive in pre-season, too.
Yet the fleeting flashes of the bustling Bundesliga star have just served to add to the frustration. And it’s not just coming from the stands – the player himself is feeling it. Witness, for example, the primal scream he aimed at inner Naby Keita when he overhit a pass to Salah against Wolves.
He knows, and he’s trying. It’s just not happening for him right now – and he might point to his position in the side when given a chance as part of the problem.
Nevertheless, for evidence that there is at least graft if not the guile, a dig into the detail of his last appearance, in the 4-3 win over Crystal Palace, is revealing.
The man described as the “complete midfielder” by Jurgen Klopp when he arrived in Liverpool in July 2018 may have yet to notch a goal in his 21 appearances.
But with only nine opportunities so far to start a game – and only four 90-minute appearances in red so far – he is at least seemingly aware of the need to impress.
The Anfield Wrap has recently teamed up with Statsbomb to gorge on extra information around Liverpool games. And one of the measures the data service adds to the usual statistics in the football media is “pressure actions”.
That Klopp expects every ounce of effort to be wrung out on the pitch every week is now well known. And against Palace, Keita, despite only being on the pitch for 71 minutes in a left-midfield slot, performed more “pressure actions” than any other player.
This isn’t a player throwing his toys out of the pram even if things aren’t panning out like he dreamt it.
There are more reasons to keep it under comtrol when it comes to Keita. That Liverpool take their time over transfers is now well-documented. Everything about a potential player’s history, their character, their make up, is pored over and examined. No transfer ever comes with the guarantee of success. But we can be sure that Klopp and co did their homework before signing cheques. History suggests that wasn’t always the case at Liverpool FC…
Naby Keita at his best. Be patient and wait for him to unleash. pic.twitter.com/XQJr8E7xfM
— ™ (@FuriousFirmino) January 17, 2019
Keita, like many of the team-mates he now plays alongside, has many traits that suggest he can emerge from his current struggles to again be the man so loved on YouTube.
In many ways he has already defied the odds to reach this point – from playing football with no boots in Guinea, to travelling to France at the tender age of 16 for trials minus any tactical know-how, he has hurdled arguably bigger obstacles than the one he faces now.
In an interview with Goal.com prior to his move to Liverpool, he said: “It doesn’t matter how poor you are, or where you’re from, if you are willing to make sacrifices, willing to work hard and to never stop fighting for your dreams, you can make them happen.”
And he added: “I’ve come this far, so what is the point of not targeting the very top?”
That’s where Liverpool are right now, and if that quote alone is anything to go by, it’s a place Keita can still reach too.
