yes it does…id say he was better than OK, but i think the way you put it describes his game…does some really good stuff…
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Should be nincompoop but poppycock is good! 
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I think he is very much what many would call a stats footballer… But not in a bad way, just that in particular what the club may want to see from him and our other midfielders is possibly a lot more industrial than many would like, but the pass completion is probably more of a priority for us. He obviously is capable of much more, but where our midfield would really shine is simply being able to assert control and free up our more attacking players like our wingbacks.
What the hell am I trying to say here? I can’t figure it out.
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Thought he did well in an understated way. Not dissimilar to the kind of performance we came to expect from Gini over the years but with a tad bit of added creativity. Neat and tidy, no thrills, just a solid presence in the middle of the park. Certainly thought he had far more of an influence on the game than Ox who again was pretty much non existent, there are absolute levels between the two of them.
Yawn Dutch isn’t impressed what a surprise haha 
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I would say he definitely made more of an impression than Ox today but considering how little league football they played in recent seasons with any consistent runs, we only hope that staying fit mean 2 damn good options for us this season. Keita tried to impose himself more which I thought was important because previously in prior seasons, thought he showed lack of confidence but I thought today while our midfield was not as controlling as our first choice midfield, Keita did some that he wants the ball and is willing to play himself into the game. Hope this is a start of more to come.
Nabi played well today.
Only 37 more games to go!
It’s pointless at this stage. Some people have decided to be critical of him no matter what.
He was excellent today. Got a bit heavy legged in the second half but he put a shift in so I’m not surprised. Him and Mane pressing were a joy to behold though, both of them terrific I’m doing the unsexy stuff that actually makes this team tick.
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Nope Numpty is the bestest ever & betterererer than any other English word
But…
He was shit against madrid tho!
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That he was and I wouldn’t have minded him being binned off after and tbf, he didn’t get much of a look in after that either. When he was available, that is. No doubts about his quality buy the last two seasons have been pretty brutal when it comes to Keita.
That said, he’s stayed, he seems fit and yesterday was a really good performance. If he can keep available, I have no doubt that yesterday is a baseline performance for him that we can expect on a regular basis and hopefully with some standout performances in between.
Got to admit I didn’t think he’d done this well but it is a role where you only really catch the eye if you go off plan, do something massively wrong or the team is really under the kosh.
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It’s all there to be seen (of course, it’s not only a matter of seeing, but evaluating). It’s not only big moments or big mistakes what makes a performance, but a ton of little things (and sometimes those simple ones are hardest to maintain consistently). It can escape a lot of people these days if they’re on mobile phones during the game, commenting on the game while the game is happening…
Especially when your team is playing as fast as our does. 
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For me his problem has always been his positioning and the discipline of taking up the right positions at the right time.
I didn’t see enough of yesterday’s to comment on how he did on that front. Cross fingers he works it out.
He was excellent, will be even better with Thiago/Hendo/Fabinho (two or these) next to him as well.
Really hope he stays fit, he has everything we need and some.
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Would like to see both Thiago and Keita play much more in that LCM role this season. Opens up a ton of passing lanes for us when their strongest foot (and not only that, but their technical ability and vision) is ‘facing’ the game more. RCM will be mostly Hendo’s spot. Though of course, doesn’t have to be literally like that all the time. We can have different partnerships. And let’s not forget, always the ability to flip to 4-2-3-1 (perhaps more in some smaller games), as long as our main front 4 are fit. In that system, even Elliott can get some minutes as well.
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Elliot linked up really well with Salah and Trent in pre-season. Really looking forward to more of that. For an 18 year old he plays at their level in both movement and vision its a bit crazy how quickly he’s slotted in.
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Naby Keita, you never lost me. 
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I was beginning to think I watched a different game to everyone else on Saturday. I thought he was excellent with his intercepting and tackling, thought his distribution forward was good as well, all early on when the game was still scoreless and up for grabs. I had him behind Salah in my voting.
There’s a lot of confirmation bias when it comes to Naby. Myself included. I’m probably only seeing his positive parts due to rating him over the off-season as much as those negative about him are probably doing so because they were pushing for his sale.
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