Naby Keita’s performance against Crystal Palace, according to former Liverpool captain Jamie Redknapp, summed up his time at Anfield. During the first half of the Premier League game at Selhurst Park, the midfielder was pulled off.
Since moving to Liverpool from RB Leipzig in 2018, Keita has struggled to live up to expectations. The Reds spent north of £50 million on the Guinean international, but in four and a half seasons, he has only made 129 appearances.
Keita’s tenure on Merseyside has been significantly impacted by injuries, and Saturday’s game was only his third Premier League start of the year. Following the demoralizing loss to Real Madrid in the middle of the week, Jürgen Klopp added him to his squad.
The 28-year-old, though, had a first half to forget. Redknapp believed Keita would be substituted at halftime after he had a booking midway through the first half.
He stated on Sky Sports that: “Keita has been cautioned; he will probably be dismissed if he plays in the second half. His Liverpool career has been characterized by his wayward behavior, thus I believe Harvey Elliott will be added.”
Redknapp’s recommended substitution was made by Klopp exactly. Elliott’s performance in the second half was expected to be better by the pundit.
He continued, “I have to be honest, even after his performance, you might have considered altering it because you need someone who is going to be slightly different, a spark, will desire the ball in tight situations. Elliott is quite popular with me.
For Liverpool in the first half in south London, it wasn’t just Keita who had difficulties. According to Redknapp, the repercussions of the crushing Champions League loss made all 11 players appear frail.
He remarked, “To put it gently, I think they’ve been average. This circumstance has happened to me. As the game has gone on, Palace’s confidence has grown, and Liverpool’s defensive adjustments are apparent. They are currently vulnerable.
“To a man, it spreads to everyone; it doesn’t only affect one individual. They’re really tense, and they just need someone to step up. It may be a young player, like Harvey Elliott, or it could be [Stefan] Bajcetic, who will step up and say, “Well, I’ve got no fear, I’ll come and get control of this game and force us to play.”
They must gain some possession and improve their overall appearance going forward because that hasn’t happened for them.