At last, following a summer filled with international football, the Premier League is finally back.
Hallelujah!
Jurgen Klopp’s pre-season preparations came to fruition as Liverpool thrashed the West Ham 4-0 in their Premier League opener at Anfield on Sunday afternoon with goals from Mo Salah, Sadio Mane (2) and Daniel Sturridge.
After a pre-season filled with goals, goals and more goals, Liverpool sent a message to the rest of the league with the thumping of West Ham and showed that they will be up there competing with title favourites Manchester City, who beat Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates.
It was an agonizing wait for our Sunday clash with the London side, to say the least, as anticipation was rising more and more as the weekend went on.
All of the confidence that I had built up during pre-season was slowly fading to uncertainty but when the Mighty Reds stepped out on the Anfield pitch, that uncertainty was long gone and I was ready for a Liverpool onslaught, which Klopp’s Reds didn’t fail to deliver.
It was a performance that we have come to expect week in week out with this Klopp team, being calm, collected, fast, strong and clinical.
There is no denying our major downfall last season; our ability to be consistent and overcome those Jose Mourinho ‘park the bus’, Gandalf the Grey ‘you shall not pass’ type of sides. This is what I believe we have the ability to now overcome, and that is down to the addition of one man.
Naby Keita has finally completed his switch from the Bundesliga to the Premier League and he will be revolutionary for Liverpool. I am by no means a fan of German football and had no real judgement on the Guinean international, only what I had seen on YouTube, but having seen him during pre-season for the Reds, he certainly showed what he is capable of, and someone that we will benefit from with some fantastic performances since his arrival.
That being said, could the 23-year-old do it in the most demanding league of them all?
Particularly, as Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher questioned how Liverpool will be creative in the final-third and break down teams, and if Keita is indeed that man;
Naby Keita, you would hope, can bring that quality. But there still could be a question mark. Who is actually going to get that ball and thread that pass through?
Well, Carragher was soon proven wrong.
Without a shadow of a doubt, Keita had the best debut I have seen from a Liverpool player. He is such a well-rounded midfielder with unbelievable qualities and he ran the show in the middle of the park.
It wasn’t his long-range passing abilities that were on display, but more his tactical understanding along with his determination, close control and decision making that really gave us a greater threat going forward.
Naby is already showing that he suits Klopp’s system down to the ground, with his constant pressure on the opposition coinciding with his sharpness to quickly attack the opposing defence, which was on display for Liverpool’s first goal of the new campaign, setting us on our way to an opening day victory.
Keita certainly looked the part for Liverpool and is already filling the void of the departed Phil Coutinho back in January. It may be argued as the season progresses as to who would we rather prefer, Keita or Coutinho.
Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp was also impressed with the Guinean after his outstanding performance and his adaptability on the pitch;
He has been everywhere. He has been dynamite. Keita has been the main man.
Following the full-time whistle, man-of-the-match James Milner spoke about the debut of Naby Keita and what he brings to the team;
He’s a top player we know that, and that’s his first game, he’s only going to get better I’m sure. Getting used to the way we play, the system, getting used to his new teammates and playing premier league football. He’s pretty much got everything, can win the ball back, high tempo, good ability, driving runs forward so he’s a great addition.
The 23-year-old had an 88.2% pass completion rate, completing 68 passes in the 90 minutes. One of which was a key pass that started the build-up to Salah’s goal when he picked up the ball and made a driving run, making a perfectly waited pass for Andrew Robertson to square the ball to last season’s golden boot winner.
Despite not really being tested by West Ham defensively, the Guinean was solid, having a 100% tackle success rate and making 9 recoveries, showing his willingness to win the ball back; a true Klopp player.
I know it is only the first game of the season, and yes, it was against a new look West Ham United, but his performance cannot be underestimated.
If he is capable of keeping up these type of performances, he will certainly be a contender for signing of the season. Not only that but he could also be the man to take Liverpool from title challengers to champions.
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