OPINION
To be honest, you have to feel a little bit sorry for Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita this season. He has gone from being raved about to arguably being a club scapegoat.
In the win over West Ham in their season opener, many supporters would have thought that they had hit the jackpot after witnessing Keita walk all over the Irons with his eye-catching skill – and rightly so. He was excellent that day, and he set the tone for things to come.
However, since being injured, the 24-year-old has not been the same. It seems like the injury has savaged his confidence, and the player we saw at the start of the campaign had pretty much disappeared into the horizon.
That was until Jurgen Klopp gave him a chance on Friday against Southampton in the absence of Adam Lallana. Many were no doubt dubious, while some were obviously willing him to do well.
Well, let’s just say that Keita looked transformed against the Saints. He had a bit of a shaky start by giving the ball away in key areas, but after his goal made it 1-1, he was a different player.
Keita looked like the Keita of old when he was bombing forward for the Reds. If there is a way to go out and turn the fans’ heads, this was definitely the way to do it.
All he needs to do now is be consistent. If anything, Lallana should be sweating about his starting place after this display, as he definitely made a great case to Klopp to cement his presence in the first team fold.
Keita needed the platform to impress, and the fans will be glad that the manager gave it to him on Friday. Will we see the senior star play a more prominent role in the Premier League title run-in? Who knows. One thing is for sure, he has showed that there is plenty more to come from him this season.
Liverpool fans should be over the moon with this performance, even if there is still room for improvement.
