The Guinea international has struggled to get his career at Anfield going, but he remains an exciting option to have in the pursuit of European glory
When Liverpool announced the signing, a year in advance, of midfielder Naby Keita, there was little to suggest it would be anything other than a roaring success.
Think of everything that makes the Reds great: pressing, speed, dynamism right through the team, the ability to swarm and overwhelm opponents. Then remember just how unplayable Keita was at RasenBallsport Leipzig; his ability to command the midfield, to transition rapidly from defence to attack, and to crack in belters from the edge of the area.
It seemed both a no-brainer and a match made in heaven, so much so that waiting an entire season seemed a perfectly acceptable compromise.
However, in the close to two years since the Guinea international rocked up at Anfield, there remains a sense the Kop is still waiting for him to properly arrive.
His impact, when it has been felt, has been largely fitful, and while some of that is down to injury – this season alone he has missed a combined 11 weeks as a result – it is easy enough to see that he does not quite have the trust of manager Jurgen Klopp yet.
That is not to say that the Liverpool boss does not rate his skill set. It’s just that Keita is, for all intents and purposes, different from the general profile of the Liverpool midfield: more vertical, less defensively-minded in an overt way, and a better dribbler than just about any of the other options.
Still, Klopp is the first to admit he has a responsibility to show more faith in the 25-year-old.
Back in December, he admitted that players “need to have this evidence that the coach or the manager still believes in you”, but the timing of the statement was instructive: it came following a fine performance against Bournemouth, in which he scored, assisted and evinced the sort of menace one might expect from a player of his ability.
In there was, of course, a bit of a challenge to Keita as well, and he rose to it admirably. December saw him come alive in red in a major way, offering a glimpse of the breadth of his influence.
He dominated the game in Liverpool’s stand-out performance of the season: the 4-0 trouncing of Leicester City, scored in the Champions League win over former club RB Salzburg, and was pivotal to their triumph at the Club World Cup, scoring against Monterrey and making his mark in the hard-fought final against Flamengo.
However, just as he seemed to be building up a head of steam, a groin strain kept him out throughout much of January, defusing his momentum entirely.
Such has been the stop-start nature of his Liverpool career, and it is not helped by the fact he seems to require playing into form: his return to the starting line-up post-injury saw him underwhelm slightly against Norwich City, and as the Reds toiled, Keita missed the game’s best chance, failing to seize upon a rebound from a Mohamed Salah shot that had been saved by Tim Krul.
With the goal gaping, his finish was tame and smothered by the Dutch goalkeeper.
Perhaps we may never see the former Leipzig man at his flowing best week by week in England. It’s a gloomy prognosis, but his penchant for injury and the inability to plug-and-play right away in the manner of the likes of James Milner and Georginio Wijnaldum means he may only ever be great in bursts.
However, what is to say he cannot be influential still?
For one thing, his more nuanced skill set lends itself to Liverpool’s Champions League retention quest.
If there is one arena in which the Reds have been less than stellar all the way through this historic period of dominance, it has been on the road in Europe.
Of their last seven trips in the Champions League, Klopp’s side have lost four times.
Their most recent, a flat display against Atletico Madrid, saw Liverpool unable to truly hurt their hosts. Los Colchoneros matched their intensity every step of the way, robbing them of their chief attacking weapon.
They could have done with their one true midfield artist on the night, and if they do eventually progress, Keita could well be their trump card in Europe, giving them something slightly different to work with, something less mechanical.
They may be home and dry bar the shouting in the Premier League, but the Guinean could yet elevate their season.
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