Naby Keita is playing some great football at the minute; the 5’6″ midfielder scored a header against Southampton and bagged the opener in the first-leg of the Champions League quarter-final against FC Porto.
He was electric in the opening 45 against Portuguese giants, but it’s not just that he’s easy on the eyes – the stats back up Keita’s performance too.
The Guinean international was a big helping hand for his team-mates at Anfield; he managed eight successful tackles in the first-half – twice more than any other player.
No player on the pitch won more tackles (6) or completed more take-ons (2) than Naby Keita in the first half vs. Porto
He won twice as many tackles as any other player. 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/yyxAgaDQ0C
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) April 9, 2019
This is considerably more impressive when you consider that he was deployed in the most advanced role of the midfield trio.
Jurgen Klopp likes his players to press high up the field and these kind of numbers will be music to his ears.
That, along with the goals that Naby has been chipping in, will give our manager some serious thinking time when it comes to selecting the starting XI vs. Chelsea.