Jurgen Klopp enjoyed Naby Keita’s 45 minute performance against Tranmere last night.
The Guinean started alongside Fabinho in midfield as Liverpool took a 3-0 lead before our new signings exited at half-time.
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We didn’t think he was especially brilliant, actually, but Klopp was very impressed!
“I would really be a little bit too long [talking about] why I like him. He was two years ago, together with maybe Thiago Alcantara of Bayern, for sure the best player in the Bundesliga by far,” he told the official website after the game. “It was unbelievable how he played and then we wanted to get him in, but Leipzig didn’t think that was the best idea in the world so they kept him. And then last season was good but not as good as the year before, but it was still good. He is young, he is full of football skills, very stable, very good in small spaces, endurance-wise fantastic, quick, good finishes, good runs in the box. So that’s a package that’s really interesting and that’s why we thought we should take him.”
Fabinho was incredibly solid and composed at the base of midfield, and it’s very clear our two new signings are going to bolster our squad tenfold.
It’ll be interesting to see how Klopp deploys his various midfielders this season coming up.
We have an ever-improving Jordan Henderson, who skippers the side, Gini Wijnaldum, James Milner (the three of which just got us to a Champions League Final), a fit again Adam Lallana and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – who will be healthy a few months into the campaign.
Early on, we predict Klopp will use the players who’ve have bigger, more rounded pre-seasons, like Fabinho, Keita, Milner and Lallana.
Hendo will need a serious break after his World Cup exploits, so may be the one who sits out early on.