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Liverpool dealt Ibrahima Konate blow, Arne Slot questions ‘big injury’ worry

The injury suffered by Ibrahima Konate in Liverpool’s game against Chelsea at the weekend could add a new problem to Arne Slot’s current woes.

Konate was substituted at Stamford Bridge just before the hour mark and replaced by Curtis Jones, as the Reds went on to lose 2-1 to the Club World Cup champions.

It’s Liverpool’s third consecutive loss, after being defeated by Crystal Palace and Galatasaray over the course of the previous week.

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Ibrahima Konate injury gives Liverpool boss Arne Slot some thinking to do

Liverpool boss Arne Slot is hoping his side can retain their Premier League crown

Arne Slot will have some thinking to do after a second centre-back injury in a matter of weeks (Image credit: Getty Images)

After the game, the Dutchman confirmed that Konate’s substitute was due to injury rather than a tactical shift.

“I don’t know if it is a big injury,” the Liverpool boss admitted. “But what I do know is he limped a little bit, and when I asked him, he said he felt his quad a little bit.”

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has welcomed four new faces to the club so far

Slot confirmed Konate’s injury in a press conference after the game (Image credit: Getty Images)

Slot went on to say it was a substitution he had in mind to shift Ryan Gravenberch into the backline, which he said was desirable due to the amount of the ball the player in that position was getting.

It does expose the deficiency the Reds have in that position, however, with new signing Giovanni Leoni succumbing to a lengthy injury, leaving Joe Gomez as the only other fit centre-back at Slot’s disposal.

Although the fact that the 28-year-old was on the bench yesterday and the Liverpool boss instead opted to drop a midfielder into his position perhaps suggests he doesn’t have the manager’s full backing.

But there may be some positive news for Konate, as according to a report from L’Equipe, the centre-back is expected back to France’s Clairefontaine base on Monday afternoon for further fitness checks, which surely would be avoided in the case of a significant injury.

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, this injury to Konate is, to some extent, exposing a slight lack of balance in Liverpool’s recruitment in the summer.

Tyler Dibling of Southampton under pressure from Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Liverpool FC at St Mary's Stadium on November 24, 2024 in Southampton, England.

A further update will be required to know how long Konate may be out for (Image credit: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

On Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, they spent a combined £194m for two forwards despite both competing for the same position in Slot’s one-striker setup.

Meanwhile, they entered the new campaign with just four senior centre-backs, one of which being the 18-year-old Leoni, and another the injury-prone Gomez. Just a fraction of their striker outlay being spent on the defensive would likely have left them feeling much sturdier through their current plight.

Konate is valued at €60m, according to Transfermarkt. Liverpool next face Manchester United, when Premier League action returns after the international break.

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Salah and Isak will click, insists Slot after Liverpool slip to third defeat | Liverpool

Arne Slot insisted that Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak would develop an understanding in attack, speaking after Liverpoolâ€s stoppage-time defeat by Chelsea meant they relinquished top spot to Arsenal.

Salah and Isak were disappointing as the champions fell to their third successive defeat in all competitions but Slot is confident that his big-name forwards will improve once they get to know each other.

“The more they play together the more they will connect,†the Liverpool manager said. “You have to work really hard to reach a certain level and then itâ€s very hard in football because you also play against very good teams to keep that level going. What I mean by that is consistency. But itâ€s clear that we had our changes in the summer. Players came in different moments.

“Last week thereâ€s hardly been any training time. Still we need to try to bring these players in. If the result would have been better today with a draw or a win then we would have had a great start to the season if you take into account everything that happened in the summer in Liverpool.â€

Slot, who had to rejig his defence after Ibrahima Konaté went off with a thigh injury in the second half, defended Salahâ€s wayward finishing. “What I like is that we brought him many times in the position he would like to be in,†the Dutchman said. “And I would like him to be in because heâ€s shown in his career and since Iâ€m here that in those positions he can score goals.

“He had many opportunities to do what heâ€s done so often. Heâ€s a human being and itâ€s not like every chance he gets is always a goal. We feel sometimes it is because of what heâ€s done last season.â€

Liverpool host Manchester United after the international break and Slot believes better finishing would have stopped his side from losing at Chelsea and Crystal Palace. “In both games weâ€ve created more chances than the team we have faced but the truth is that we have only scored once in both games and our opponent has scored twice,†he said.

Chelsea led through Moisés Caicedoâ€s early goal and it seemed they would have to settle for a point when Cody Gakpo equalised. But Enzo Marescaâ€s side moved up to sixth when Estêvão Willian, the Brazilian teenager, popped up in the 95th minute to score his first goal in English football.

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Estêvãoâ€s intervention sparked wild scenes and led to Maresca receiving a second yellow card for his celebrations. Chelseaâ€s head coach will serve a touchline ban when his team visit Nottingham Forest.

Willy Caballero, Marescaâ€s assistant, was left to conduct post-match media duties. “Heâ€s OK,†Caballero said of Maresca. “He cannot be here because of the red card. He wanted me to praise the players because of the effort they have done today. We deserved the victory because of the chances we created.â€

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