Naby Keita

[memzey]

I'm not sure you've said anything any different for me to change my mind on the validity of the comparison really. I think a player's actual footballing assets are more prognostic.

Of course the signs are not as we'd hoped. If it doesn't work out though, I think it will be highly unlikely I end up comparing him to Cisse beyond what is really very superficial stuff surrounding delayed transfer.

I’m not trying to change your mind. I’m pointing out the validity of the comparison which you called into question. You can keep your mind the way it is thanks, no bother to me

As for the similarity of transfer format being “very superficial” - we’ve attempted two of these types of transfer in the past 15 years. It is certainly worth some analysis to spot patterns of what works and does not work. Whether we do it here or not I’m certain the club will be looking at this closely in order to determine whether such deals are worth pursuing in future. It doesn’t look like a positive recommendation would be forthcoming if the question were asked right now but hopefully Naby can swing that around by the end of the season (I’m not convinced he will though).

[The_weatherman]

He's a good footballer, at a good club with a fantastic manager, he'll come good, it's just a matter of him adjusting to the team/country and finding his rhythm.

[labourRed]

Maybe it's the lack of English speaking skills that's hindering him?

This point has been made loads of times and its bollocks in sofar as playing, it might affect a player settling in a new country.

In terms of playing however, you might need about ten words to get you through a football match. And there are umpteen examples (past and present) of foreign players playing in leagues without speaking the local tongue.

Also, neither Mane or Keita spoke much German (from a Mane interview).

To me, it looks a straight up confidence issue and not understanding his role fully.

[Vermilion]

He's a good footballer, at a good club with a fantastic manager, he'll come good, it's just a matter of him adjusting to the team/country and finding his rhythm.

[baitman]

This point has been made loads of times and its bollocks in sofar as playing, it might affect a player settling in a new country.

In terms of playing however, you might need about ten words to get you through a football match. And there are umpteen examples (past and present) of foreign players playing in leagues without speaking the local tongue.

Also, neither Mane or Keita spoke much German (from a Mane interview).

To me, it looks a straight up confidence issue and not understanding his role fully.

Before he joined us his play looked so effortless and instinctive, like he was just doing it without thinking.
I wonder if the more technical game that we play is too much of an issue for him, like hes over thinking everything to make sure hes playing to the plan and its stunting his natural game.
It'd be good to see him in a free role through the middle and see if he can regain some of his mojo.
Otherwise he will go down as the bggest flop we've ever had

[gratziani]

What i have seen of Keita he seemed to have a free role in the middle of the park at Leipzig.

One thing i am surprised about is his lack of aggression though.

Deffo think there is a player in there though.

[Mark79]

This point has been made loads of times and its bollocks in sofar as playing, it might affect a player settling in a new country.

In terms of playing however, you might need about ten words to get you through a football match. And there are umpteen examples (past and present) of foreign players playing in leagues without speaking the local tongue.

Also, neither Mane or Keita spoke much German (from a Mane interview).

To me, it looks a straight up confidence issue and not understanding his role fully.

Surely a language barrier would be a pretty massive hindrance here?

[Kenneth]

Maybe he's missing having red bull on tap.

[Tribute]

When Keita has started in a decent midfield he's seemed to play more openly. I think his performances to date have been pretty much dictated by the style of those around him. He seems more relaxed and confident with Gini and Fabinho. A run of games with those three in midfield might bring out the best in him longer-term...

Maybe Klopp's asking him to do two different roles for the team, depending on the midfield set-up and he's struggling with the defensive one, but not the other...?

[labourRed]

Surely a language barrier would be a pretty massive hindrance here?

Most championship clubs have translators and even if we don't I'm sure Fabinho and Mane can help him out.

[labourRed]

Before he joined us his play looked so effortless and instinctive, like he was just doing it without thinking.
I wonder if the more technical game that we play is too much of an issue for him, like hes over thinking everything to make sure hes playing to the plan and its stunting his natural game.
It'd be good to see him in a free role through the middle and see if he can regain some of his mojo.
Otherwise he will go down as the bggest flop we've ever had

And also the point that he seemed to have a freer role at RBL. We don't play like that at all, or at least or midfield plays with loads of instructions, otherwise or full backs wouldn't be able to do what they do. That said he seemed to play with a free role against Wolves or otherwise he played like that.

I can't remember where but i remember when he was scouted early they said he had all the talent, technically but had no tactical awareness whatsoever (which isn't unusual in African players) but the surprise came when he learnt to play with discipline at Salzburg. I didn't follow his career there but i wonder what his adaption period was like.

[Mark79]

Most championship clubs have translators and even if we don't I'm sure Fabinho and Mane can help him out.

Doesn't really sound ideal though, does it? Distilled instructions aren't often the clearest.

Sure plenty of players have gotten by like that, but we'd like him to do better than just get by.

[labourRed]

Doesn't really sound ideal though, does it? Distilled instructions aren't often the clearest.

Sure plenty of players have gotten by like that, but we'd like him to do better than just get by.

I can see what you're saying but the practicalities are, in changing rooms there can even be a few translators there for individuals that speak swahili or some ****. I dont know how Keita is getting his info, obviously.

Let's hope Klopp has more time to set aside for more one to one instructions this month given we have less fixtures. And we see an improvement from there.

[Fosterbloke]

Liverpool are more than halfway into the campaign, and with the exception of the team's domestic cup performances, the overall picture looks very promising.

Jurgen Klopp's side are four points clear at the top of the Premier League table after losing just once, and the team have a mouthwatering European tie on the horizon against German giants, Bayern Munich.

In addition, Liverpool's summer signings appear to have settled in comfortably after being eased in gradually during the first half of the season. Every signing it seems, except for Naby Keita.

After committing to Keita's talent a year in advance by agreeing a shrewd deal with RB Leipzig, many supporters were under the impression that the Guinean would make an immediate impact at Anfield. He started the first match of the season, a 4-0 win over West Ham, but the midfielder has played just 975 minutes in total.

In comparison, Xherdan Shaqiri has played 1085 minutes, and Fabinho has played 1092 minutes. Both Shaqiri and Fabinho had to wait until the end of October for their first starts, by which point Keita had already started three matches.

Regardless of minutes though, Keita's performances for the most part have been somewhat average, and although he hasn’t necessarily performed badly, he’s not been as influential as many fans had anticipated.

So why is this? Is this something to worry about? Is there an underlying aspect behind his general lack of influence? Let's delve into his game to determine.

Analysing the Numbers

Naby Keita holds off pressure from Romain Saissduring the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool FC at Molineux
A lot of the hype around Naby Keita derives from his time at Leipzig, and his performances there determined the hefty transfer fee that was paid. So, in order to address whether Keita is underperforming, it's important to use his displays at Leipzig as the base. The base from what is expected is Keita's 16/17 season, as Liverpool signed him on the back of that, so that's what he's being judged against, especially given he was unsettled for the large majority of last season.

The one transfer Liverpool should make in January - HERE
So using Wyscout, in terms of numbers, Keita's output is largely similar in a numerous areas. There's nothing excessive to be concerned about for the most part, and he's even outperforming his 16/17 Bundesliga numbers in some cases.

Passing

To be more specific, let's focus on passing first. Keita is averaging 48 passes per 90 minutes at Liverpool with 87% success rate, compared to 49 per match at Leipzig with 83% success. He's making about the same number of through-balls per 90, and is averaging about the same number of passes into the final third than at Leipzig, averaging 7-8, with a virtually identical success rate. Also, Keita is passing 3.2 times into the box compared to 2.8 in Germany. A more notable difference however, is found when focusing on his passing forward and backward, and his key passes. The midfielder averaged 20 forward passes per 90 at Leipzig and seven backward, compared to 14.5 forward this season, and 10 backward. Regarding key passes, he averaged 1.49 in Germany per 90 minutes, compared to just 0.48 at Liverpool.

So what does this mean? Well, Keita is essentially the same player, with the only difference being that he's less progressive in his passing. This is understandable given he's still finding his feet, as well as the fact he's now playing for a side that commonly dominates possession. With Keita now playing for a pragmatic controlling side for the most part as opposed to wild Leizpig, he's more careful with the ball, as any possession loss could result in conceding counters which is often the only means of scoring for inferior sides playing Liverpool. It's reasonable to suggest that Keita should be posting increased numbers in terms of his average number of passes per match, given that he's now playing for a more dominant team than before, but other than that there should be little concern.

Defensive work

Defensively, the story is similar. Keita won 8.3 duels per 90 in Leipzig compared to 7.6 this season, with an almost identical success rate once more. He's winning effectively the same number of aerial duels as before, and although he recovered more in the opposing half in Germany with 9.6 compared to 6.5, his success rate is better this season. The most notable difference is interceptions, as he's making 3.6 per match this season compared to 5.5 at Leipzig.

Once again, this essentially means that Keita is performing similarly to his 16/17 Leipzig season. His overall output is slightly less in most defensive areas, but not by enough for it to be concerning. The most logical reason behind that is the difference in style and standard between the two leagues. In the Bundesliga, the play is much more open, with an emphasis on pressing and counter-attacking, and the player level is generally poorer given the number of prospects that are given minutes. In the Premier League, players are a lot more developed with few immature talents given minutes, and overall the tactical approach is more conservative and defensive.

Attacking work

In an attacking sense and at the risk of coming across as repetitive, there’s not a great deal to worry about. Keita is averaging slightly more shots on target at Liverpool per 90, as well as hitting the target at a higher rate than at Leipzig, with 41% of his shots compared to 36% at Leipzig. In terms of dribbling, Keita was more proficient in Germany, but not by much and it’s likely that the reason for that is style and standard related in terms of the differences between each league, as stated previously. He made 5.7 dribbles per 90 for Leipzig with 76% success rate which is high, compared to his 4.4 in England with 69% success, which is still impressive.

In terms of Expected Goals (xG) and Assists (xA), Keita is offering a mixed bag. Regarding xG, Keita’s numbers are up very slightly in terms of the chances he’s being presented with, with 0.24 per 90 minutes compared to 0.18 in Leipzig. Interestingly though, Keita has over-performed his xG in his past two seasons, scoring eight in 16/17 despite being expected to score around five. Players that consistently overperform their xG usually do so because of their quality being advanced compared to the average player, so his numbers at Leipzig are encouraging. At Liverpool though, he’s underperforming his xG by being expected to score 2.02, but scoring none. There’s a number of factors that could influence this, but 2.02 isn’t exactly high, so variance is to be expected to an extent.

In terms of xA though, which measures the sum of Expected Goals off shots from a player’s key passes, Keita has offered little. This essentially represents how creative a player is, and the chances that he provides for his teammates. Keita’s xA per 90 minutes is 0.06, which indicates that he’s creating effectively nothing in terms of realistic scoring chances. When comparing this to his time at Leipzig, Keita contributes 0.19 per 90, which again isn’t great but it’s something in comparison to his current Liverpool figures.

Verdict

Overall, after focusing on Naby Keita’s numbers in a Liverpool shirt compared to his breakout 16/17 season for Leipzig, there’s not a lot of difference. His numbers for the most part are slightly down, but that’s normal considering the standard of the league his playing in has increased.

The style of the Bundesliga favours open, expansive and end-to-end football. Liverpool’s stylistic approach in seasons gone by under Klopp perhaps suited Keita more so than the present, because the play was more transition-focused, with an added reliance on pressing to defend, and an emphasis on passing forwards quickly.

This season, Liverpool are more pragmatic and have elite players in the defensive area of the field. Given that, Klopp has adjusted his tactical approach, as the defence is now reliable enough to soak pressure, and if a shot is conceded, Alisson is between the sticks. Thus, pressing ferociously isn’t as much of a defensive necessity as before, and in possession Liverpool are a lot more considered to ensure results, rather than simply trying to outscore their opponents.

In terms of where he can improve, it’s realistic to suggest Keita’s passes per match should increase given the controlling nature of Liverpool in most matches. Also, Keita has to be more creative moving forward. His xA and his key passes per 90 suggest he’s being a lot safer than before, or even perhaps Klopp is restricting him in that sense for tactical reasons. Regardless, it’s worth addressing because his skills and profile signify he’d be an effective asset in the final third.

Logic suggests Keita is merely adjusting to a new style, and a new league. He’s still evidently the same player as before according to the underlying numbers, and he’s shown flashes of an elite level midfielder, but it appears it’ll take more time before he’s regularly impacting matches.

[baitman]

Summary; meh