Liverpool’s former striker John Aldridge believes that neither Naby Keita or Adam Lallana are up to the required standard to make any relevant contribution at Liverpool.
Writing in his column for the independent.ie, Aldridge commented that the Liverpool team has lacked balance in recent weeks and the front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané are not getting the service they require from the midfield.
Aldridge went on to specify where he thought the main issues have been, saying:
‘I know Klopp was forced into changes due to injuries, but Adam Lallana and Naby Keita cannot play together in midfield again, as they are just not up to the job for a title-winning team.
My first impressions of Lallana when he came to Liverpool were not positive and while he proved me wrong to an extent with some good performances before his recent injury problems, it looks like he is struggling to get back to those levels once again after so long in the treatment room.
As for Keita, he has not settled at Liverpool and has failed to deliver the performances we were expecting from him, with Klopp and his coaching staff fighting to get him up to speed and still waiting to see if he will be good enough to play in this team.’
While the former Liverpool and Ireland striker may find many agreeing with him around Lallana’s input to the first team, it seems quite harsh that he is sticking the boot in on Naby Keita already.
Keita made only his 12th Premier League start against West Ham United and, after a poor first half, he was one of Liverpool’s better performers as they chased a winner after the interval.
Keita is low on confidence currently but we have seen some glimpses of what he is capable of and I, for one, would be hoping the former Bundesliga star is given at least another season at Anfield after this summer.
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