Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita has a great chance to force his way into Jurgen Klopp’s starting line-up.
Jurgen Klopp has suggested to the Liverpool Echo that he thinks Liverpool’s Naby Keita can improve.
Keita started for Liverpool against West Ham United in their last Premier League match, but he was taken off just before the hour mark.
Liverpool struggled against the Hammers, and it wasn’t until Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came on that they managed to turn the game around.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s performance off the bench may have boosted his chances of starting for Liverpool in their next match, which comes against Watford tomorrow.
But Klopp insists that he does not want his two midfielders thinking that they are in a battle for one place in Liverpool’s starting line-up.
“They are not competing against each other,” Klopp insisted.
“They offer different things. Naby can play better obviously, but Ox came on and gave a different direction. In different situations you need different players, and they are all exceptional.
“Until the change we were more fixed in positions, it was not flexible enough, but the main problem of the game was second balls.”
Liverpool have a selection dilemma in midfield, as Jordan Henderson is currently out injured.
The England international is due to miss the next few weeks of action, so Klopp will be looking for one of his fringe players to step up.
Liverpool have a huge second-leg tie against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on the horizon, and Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita will surely be desperate to impress in the next few games to force their way into Klopp’s starting line-up for that fixture.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
