Liverpool star Naby Keita battered Arsenal.
The Guinea international has been a new man this season and looks to have cemented this place in Jurgen Klopp’s midfield.
He’s now started every Premier League game in 2020/2021 and seems to have put his fitness issues in the past. The former Leipzig man has also made an appearance in the Carabao Cup and Community Shield, highlighting his importance to the side.
Naby Keita hasn’t had it easy during his Liverpool career – and Klopp even admitted that he got worse with his coaching; as per Goal.com.
"“I started coaching him and he got worse! That’s maybe not the main reason but then he was a bit unlucky with injuries, that was the main reason.“Naby had to learn the language, to feel really settled in the squad and all these kind of things.”"
It’s clear Klopp is protecting the star as he’s yet to complete a league 90 minutes, but that doesn’t matter as the midfielder had an excellent game against Arsenal.
He was powerful, aggressive, good in the carry and caused plenty of panic among the Gunners as they struggled to deal with the 25-year-old.
It’ll be really interesting to see if Klopp continues to pick Keita when Jordan Henderson and Thiago return to fitness. Fabinho did well as a central defender and could drop down, freeing up an additional place in midfield.
The Athletic’s Liverpool writer James Pearce was certainly a fan of his work on Monday night as he contributed to their 3-1 success.
Great from Naby Keita so far. Not giving the Arsenal backline a moment's peace. All over them
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) September 28, 2020
Arsenal may have scored first but they were never on the front foot. Their goal came through a mistake from Andy Robertson, who bungled his clearance, but it only took Sadio Mane a few minutes to hit back.
Robertson then toe-poked home the second before Diogo Jota volley in the third; his first goal for Liverpool.
Keita might have been withdrawn but the groundwork he did was instrumental in laying the path for victory. He’s now started in important wins against Chelsea and the Gunners and it would be a surprise if he wasn’t involved throughout the campaign.
For a man who has been known for his frailty and inconsistency, Keita is turning into one of the most dynamic midfielders and because of it, his reputation is slowly changing.