da leao： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
da 888casino： Peter Crouch has told BT Sport that Naby Keita has played his way into the Liverpool team.
What did he say?
The former Liverpool striker was covering the Reds’ Champions League fixture against RB Salzburg for the TV channel, a game which the Anfield outfit won 2-0. Keita scored the opener.
Talking about the 24-year-old Senegal international, Crouch said: “It was a huge night for him. He has played his way into the team, after Bournemouth. He is a different player to the Milner’s or Fabinho’s – who they missed in the first half. He scored, he was a threat all game with his route into the front three.”
Fears of missing Fabinho allayed
When Fabinho went down injured against Napoli in the Champions League, there were some real worries about how that would impact Jurgen Klopp’s men. After all, he was called the best defensive midfielder in the world by Gary Neville (Sky Sports via Metro) earlier this year, which is huge praise.
However, that now looks to be anything but the case. Against Brighton, they managed to pick up just a 2-1 win, but since then they have won 5-2, 3-0 and 2-0. Whisper it quietly, but without the Brazil international they have actually dispatched their opponents with even more ease.
The former Leipzig man’s introduction to the starting line-up has been one of the main factors in that. With Jordan Henderson then reverting to a more central, defensive role, Keita has become the link between the midfielders and the forwards. He already has two goals and one assist in those two starts, and he has almost made himself undroppable already.
Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…
When Fabinho is once again fit, there is little doubt that Klopp will want to use him as much as possible. After all, he is still a fantastic player. However, the former Borussia Dortmund manager may soon find out that his team is actually more fluid without the £63m-valued midfielder – as per Transfermarkt. After 18 months, Liverpool may have just go their hands on the player they thought they were buying in Keita.
In other news, Liverpool fans react to one man’s stunning performance against RB Salzburg.