Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock believes that Naby Keita is lazy in aspects of his game, doing the easy things wrong, but getting the difficult things right.
Jurgen Klopp handed Keita a rare start on Saturday at Dean Court as Liverpool eased to a 3-0 win over Eddie Howe's struggling Bournemouth side.
Keita did not disappoint as he scored and provided an assist, with Liverpool continuing to hold a commanding lead at the top of the Premier League table.
The midfielder had high expectations attached to him when Liverpool signed him from RB Leipzig, and Warnock admits he finds Keita a frustrating player.
The former Reds star thinks there is an element of lazy play in some of the things Keita does, while in other things he makes difficult things to do look easy.
"He's a player who frustrates me still because he's got so much ability and you think, when he does get on the half turn he often becomes lazy where he doesn't look over his shoulder or he doesn't listen to the shout of who's behind him and what he's doing", Warnock said on LFC TV post match.
"The goal is brilliant, getting on that half turn and playing the one-two, actually going past [Mohamed] Salah.
"A lot of people wouldn't go past him because they would think how can I go past him because he can't see that pass, but if you know Salah then you think it can arrive at my feet.
"The goal for Salah, the pass, is inch perfect, the weight on it is perfect.
"They seem like real simple things to do, but they are not; they are the hardest parts of the game to do. And he does them really easily.
"He does the easy things wrong. He doesn't see people coming on his shoulder. It is awareness, but it's the simple pass as well. He gets lazy because he thinks it's only five yards, it's the easy pass that I don't have to concentrate on. They are the ones you do have to concentrate on as well", Warnock concluded.
Keita has clocked just 104 minutes of football in the Premier League for Liverpool this season, but that number could rise substantially given the packed December fixture list which the Reds have now entered into.
