20 Apr 2022 20:24:54
Evening ed1, have a couple of questions if your about.

Naby Keita, you really laid into him this season as he has only shown fleeting glimpses of his abilities. Is never fit for more than 2/ 3 games. can't really argue with you but the last 6 or 7 games he has stayed fit. ish and seems to be playing a lot better and making a difference. He is even tackling, something you always said he shyed away from. Is this enough for you, should he still go.

Secondly. Curtis Jones/ Phil Foden. Seem to have gone in different directions this season. You fvoured CJ at the time but what do you think about them now.

Cheers matey.

{Ed001's Note - on Keita, if it is enough for Klopp than that is enough for me, though he needs to keep it up throughout a whole season really.

Jones has been injured, so he has dropped a long way behind Foden at the moment, but I wouldn't touch Foden with a bargepole as he is trouble. His best mate was Mason Greenwood and he knocks around far too much Grealish and the wrong crowd. That is what worries me about him more than his ability. It is fine now to be misbehaving but catches up to you quickly.}

21 Apr 2022 04:32:53
Let’s not get carried away with naby lads he’s had a few decent games he’s here a few years and a few isn’t enough! I’m delighted he’d picking it up but let’s wait and see! I love Nottin better then a player making me eat my Words but as ed25 says one swallow don’t make a summer!

21 Apr 2022 08:28:46
Yeah, can’t wait until he fails and we all get back onto script. Or we could get behind one of our players who is hitting form eh? Who knows perhaps Klopp was right about the player he wanted.

21 Apr 2022 09:49:36
Keita's fitness record has been good enough this season (as have Ox and Gomez' btw. They just haven't been selected much. So maybe we've made some improvements on the medical end), he's only had one spell of about 6 games out through injury. So hopefully that's not a worry for him anymore.

Performance wise though, I've only been genuinely impressed with him three times: Man U, Benfica first leg and the FA Cup Semi Final against City. Now two of those are in his last three starts, so maybe he is going to finally really get going for us and the City performance will be the defining moment in his Liverpool career. Let's hope so.

I know I'm going to get it in the neck for not declaring him a player reborn (cos I did for not getting excited about his pre season form), but we've had false dawns with Naby before, so you'll have to excuse some caution.

As for Jones, I do think he'll become a good player. The main deficiency in his game is his decision making. And that hasn't gotten better this season, if anything it's worse. I think the only way he fixes that is by playing most games, which even without injuries, is going to be difficult for him here. Especially if Keita does string more performances together and then carries the improvement into next season.

So I think we need to look at a loan move for Jones so he can develop under less pressure. Whether the squad will be in a position both to have the numbers to not need him next season, but then have a place for him the following season is another matter. Cos there's no point in loaning him without a proper plan to re-integrate him into the squad afterwards.

I certainly wouldn't want to see us give up on the lad and sell him off at this point.

21 Apr 2022 09:49:36
Keita's fitness record has been good enough this season (as have Ox and Gomez' btw. They just haven't been selected much. So maybe we've made some improvements on the medical end), he's only had one spell of about 6 games out through injury. So hopefully that's not a worry for him anymore.

Performance wise though, I've only been genuinely impressed with him three times: Man U, Benfica first leg and the FA Cup Semi Final against City. Now two of those are in his last three starts, so maybe he is going to finally really get going for us and the City performance will be the defining moment in his Liverpool career. Let's hope so.

I know I'm going to get it in the neck for not declaring him a player reborn (cos I did for not getting excited about his pre season form), but we've had false dawns with Naby before, so you'll have to excuse some caution.

As for Jones, I do think he'll become a good player. The main deficiency in his game is his decision making. And that hasn't gotten better this season, if anything it's worse. I think the only way he fixes that is by playing most games, which even without injuries, is going to be difficult for him here. Especially if Keita does string more performances together and then carries the improvement into next season.

So I think we need to look at a loan move for Jones so he can develop under less pressure. Whether the squad will be in a position both to have the numbers to not need him next season, but then have a place for him the following season is another matter. Cos there's no point in loaning him without a proper plan to re-integrate him into the squad afterwards.

I certainly wouldn't want to see us give up on the lad and sell him off at this point.

21 Apr 2022 11:06:56
If Klopp is happy with Naby then I am happy with Naby. Klopp must be the only manager in world football that only plays with 10 men as he’s too stubborn to admit that Naby and Gini used to go missing. Or perhaps Klopp sees something that we don’t.

Will be interesting to see what we do with Jones next season. I think he’s a good midfielder (you can’t be anything but a good player to play in the premier league otherwise all of us armchair players would be playing there) but I can only ever see him being a good squad player for us at the moment. Which there is no criticism there as you need good squad players to compete. What I mean is I can’t ever see him being the first midfielder on the team sheet like a Fab or Thiago.

Elliot and Carvalho will also be here next season and all will be wanting minutes so the competition for Jones as well as the other 2 will be extremely tough. I could imagine maybe one of them going out on loan as it’ll be hard to get them all minutes but I suppose only time will tell.

I think Milner and Ox could be gone so obviously their minutes will be up for grabs but again both of them haven’t had lots and lots of game time this season with quite a few of their minutes coming outside of the midfield 3.

On a plus note I suppose it’s a great problem for Klopp to have.

21 Apr 2022 08:35:27
Agree with everything you have said, ED. The Keita we saw at RBL no longer exists, IMO. If this version of Keita suits Klop then like you, I'm here for it. As for Jones, I would take him over Foden any day. Why? Jones NEVER hides in games. Foden for majority of the time I've watched him this season, has been non existent. In fact, I forget he is on the pitch until he touches the ball. The off the field stuff? City are welcome to players like him and Grealish.

21 Apr 2022 08:35:45
It could be argued that Keita makes our first 3 in midfield although as Ed says, a full season not injured and inform would really make the difference. Thiago also, no doubting his quality, just needs to be fit more often than not. Add to that Jones and Elliott getting back to form then maybe our midfield wouldn't be so bad after all?

21 Apr 2022 12:33:41
Kudos to the medical team this season. I don't want to jinx it but they have done a great job with Matip, Naby and Ox. C.V. outbreak aside, availability of our players has been excellent this season.

On Naby, whilst I think he lacks the recovery pace, he is finally showing his many other qualities. He's both a good counterpresser (see his performances vs Kante and Silva) and is press resistant under pressure. He's also got a goal or two in his locker (the CL away games come to mind) . But, I am not deluded - he needs to keep this up if he wants a future at the club.

On current form though, he's making a case to get in our midfield ahead of Henderson. I love our captain but he's really struggling to influence games at the minute. PS I would be more than happy for Hendo to prove me wrong and repeat his Goodison performance on Sunday - which was his best of the season!

21 Apr 2022 12:34:24
Interesting one is Naby - Against the grain, I’ve always been a supporter, Injury has blighted career imo. I remember a few seasons ago he went on a run of games without being injured and we started to see the player. Then the inevitable happened, got injured and slipped back. I think we are starting to see a bit more from him again and if, by any chance, we can keep him fit, can be a good addition to the midfield. Big if!

21 Apr 2022 12:36:28
Foden and Grealish will never be great footballers absolutely impossible mark my words.

21 Apr 2022 14:02:49
Naby deserves credit. Prior to this season, he was shocking and seemed to coast in games. This season, have to give him his dues as he’s working a lot harder. I still think we can improve on him but he’s proven to be a useful squad member.

I’m a big fan of Curtis and think he has a lot of potential. Needs to learn to release the ball quicker but he’s young and has time. At this time, for me, he’s ahead of Elliott in a CM role. But foden is considerably ahead of him. Don’t know much about his personality but on pure footballing ability, he could be a great imo.

21 Apr 2022 13:45:55
Jones NEVER hides in games

lol.

21 Apr 2022 15:17:20
If you’d have asked me before the season started I’d have said Keita should be sold as he’d underperformed in his time here. However this season I think he has begun to show what he’s about and has played well for the most part. I’m sure that but for that awful challenge by Pogba he’d have gone from strength to strength.

As for Foden, Poundland Eminem lookalike who if it wasn’t for football would be twocking cars and fathering multiple illegitimate children on his council estate whilst smoking spice.

21 Apr 2022 18:12:44
Aorus, don’t laugh. Prove me wrong.

22 Apr 2022 01:47:04
I don’t get the hype with Foden. To be honest I haven’t seen that much of him but what I have seen doesn’t make you worry too much about what he might do against us. Maybe I’ve just seen him on 8 or 9 off days but I think, like Grealish, he is destined to be a small fish in a big pond.