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Tag: Ibrahima Konate

Arne Slot, the manager of Liverpool ‘Unconvinced’ by $46 million, Jurgen Klopp Signing in just a few weeks

Ibrahima Konate’s future at Liverpool is allegedly uncertain due to rumours that the French defender has not yet impressed new Reds manager Arne Slot.

The future of Ibrahima Konate at Liverpool is uncertain as Arne Slot, the new manager, is not persuaded by the French defender.

Due to the 25-year-old’s struggles with injuries during Jurgen Klopp’s final season and his benchwarming role during France’s Euro 2024 campaign, it has been suggested that Slot is dubious about the defender.

Football Insider article Konate still hasn’t “convinced” Slot as Liverpool prepares for the upcoming Premier League season. The former manager of Feyenoord is said to have taken some time to reflect due to worries about his irregular availability and performance reports.

Konate is competing for a starting berth with players like Virgil van Dijk, Jarell Quansah, Joe Gomez, and Sepp van den Berg after Joel Matip left in the summer.

The later member of the quintet has lately been connected to several Bundesliga teams; according to Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Germany, Stuttgart and Hoffenheim are among the teams interested in van den Berg. Borussia Monchengladbach, Wolfsburg, Mainz, and Bayer Leverkusen are all interested in the 22-year-old who made an impression when on loan in Germany the previous season.

Plettenberg also states that Liverpool has turned down bids for van den Berg. The Reds are reportedly holding out for $25 million (£20 million/€22 million) for the defender, a sum that PSV Eindhoven, a Dutch team, is rumoured to have objected to.

Van den Berg is probably staying with the Reds this season because he doesn’t appear to be close to leaving Anfield this summer and Slot is apparently impressed with the way the defender has played in the preseason.

Van den Berg, a defender who is prepared for first-team action after spending last season with Mainz in the Bundesliga, may be forced to leave Anfield if he isn’t given regular playing time.

When asked about the asking price Liverpool had set for him, van den Berg responded, “If you want to leave, then £20m is quite a lot,” to reporters as the Reds were on their US preseason tour.

“I am aware that absurd things might occur in today’s market. They placed a price tag on me, which given my strong season the previous year, Liverpool could believe is fair. My initial thought was that it was pretty high! It is, of course, complimentary in one sense. It is evidence of my success from the previous year. On the other hand, it makes things a little more challenging. It wouldn’t be pleasant if all they felt I was worth was £2 million. However, £20 million might be a bit much.”

According to Liverpool.com, “It would be amazing if Liverpool opted to merely cash in this summer on the defender, but stranger things have happened, especially considering the amount of money they paid on Konate.

“Konate’s sale could result from Slot believing that van den Berg is a better match for his system; this would have seemed improbable before the summer transfer window opened. Nonetheless, Konate seems more likely to play for Liverpool at the end of the transfer window than van den Berg, who is now drawing a lot of interest.”

August 9, 2024
Life without Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool amid £68 million replacement discovered

We simulated the 2024/25 season without Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool amid doubts over the Dutchman’s future with the club.

Virgil van Dijk has revealed that the Netherlands’ Euro 2024 semi-final defeat to England has forced him to reflect.

Since joining Liverpool in 2018, Van Dijk has established himself as one of the best defenders in Premier League history, contributing significantly to the club’s recent success. The 33-year-old took over as Reds captain after Jordan Henderson left last summer, but with only one year left on his contract, the defender could be leaving shortly.

Following his country’s disappointing loss from Euro 2024, Van Dijk stated, “I will think carefully this summer about what I want at club level and as an international.” So, if the centre-back leaves Liverpool this summer, what will happen next season?

Let us have a look at Liverpool’s 2024/2025 season without Virgil van Dijk

To create this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to list Virgil van Dijk for transfer, with the defender joining Paris Saint-Germain for £37 million. We therefore made a new defence a priority for the Reds, and Arne Slot’s side signed Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni to replace Van Dijk.

In his first season with the club, Slot chose to keep Sepp van den Berg, with the Reds entering the 2024/25 season with five centre-backs in simulation. Ibrahima Konate and Bastoni were the two most frequently utilised centre-backs at the end of the season, with 51 and 48 appearances each.

Liverpool best defenders 2024-2025

Konate remained fit throughout the season, finishing as Liverpool’s best defender with an average rating of 7.14 per game. Jarell Quansah was the next highest (7.1), with Bastoni averaging the fourth-best rating (7.01) despite being frequently chosen over Quansah.

At the end of the 2024/25 season, Football Manager 24 compiled an overall best Liverpool XI based on performances, statistics, and other criteria. Here’s how it looked:

Liverpool’s best XI (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Bastoni, Robertson; Endo, Szoboszlai, MacAllister; Salah, Jota, Nunez.

Konate and Bastoni were the defensive pairing of choice to form the strongest XI, as expected given their extensive playing history together. Wataru Endo made the best XI in the midfield trio of Alexis MacAllister and Dominik Szoboszlai, while Darwin Nunez began ahead of Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz on the left as Diogo Jota

Van Dijk’s absence is significant on paper, and given Liverpool’s struggles when he was out during the 2020/21 season, the anxiety was reasonable. Despite this, the Reds fared well without their leader, placing second in the Premier League during the simulation.

Premier League table for 2024/2025

With 26 victories, four draws, and eight defeats, Liverpool finished the season with 82 points, the same as Arsenal in third place but with a higher goal difference. Manchester City strolled to another Premier League victory with 95 points, but without Van Dijk, Slot’s team finished the season with the league’s second-best defensive record, conceding only 32 goals.

Van Dijk was Liverpool’s hero in last season’s Carabao Cup final victory, but perhaps the defender’s presence was overlooked in the simulation as the Reds fell 3-1 to Arsenal in the 2024/25 final. The Reds also failed to win any trophies in the Champions League or the FA Cup, losing 4-2 to Real Madrid in the Round of 16 and 2-1 to Chelsea in the semi-finals.

Overall, FM24 forecasts that if Liverpool can find the perfect successor, Van Dijk will not be greatly missed in the 2024/25 season. Saying that one more season with their captain could be more valuable than extra money, with Slot presumably interested in having the Dutchman at the back for at least his first season as manager.

July 15, 2024
Didier Deschamps reveals why he dropped the Liverpool star for France’s match against Austria.

Didier Deschamps believes William Saliba was “more prepared” for France’s Euro 2024 match against Austria than Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate.

Despite being a significant member of Arsenal’s squad that finished second only to Manchester City in each of the last two Premier League seasons, Saliba has struggled to get consistent appearances at international level.

However, the 23-year-old was picked alongside Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano in a surprise centre-back duo for France’s first group stage match against Austria on Monday, with the latter also under fire for his club performances last season.

Deschamps’ choice proved right, as France kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory, with Saliba and Upamecano combining to make 12 clearances and nine recoveries while being dribbled past only once.

Deschamps discusses centre-back decision-making.

Despite a strong defensive performance, Deschamps was questioned about Konate’s exclusion from the starting lineup, with the 25-year-old coming off a season with Liverpool in which he appeared 37 times across all competitions.

But Deschamps, who has previously claimed Saliba does things he ‘doesn’t like’, defended his selection, revealing that he thought Saliba was’more ready’ for the challenge than Konate.

“I chose to play William Saliba because I believed he was better prepared than Konaté for such a contest. But I don’t want to lose anyone; we’ll need everyone,” Deschamps told reporters (via Get French Football News).

“They (Saliba and Upamecano) have only played 120 minutes together for the France national team, but they have this potential to be really solid in one-on-one [situations], and even though they could improve on some clearances, they radiated a lot of strength and composure. “We needed that against such an opponent.”

France faces a difficult assignment in their second Group D match against the Netherlands on Friday in Leipzig.

More news…..

Liverpool might make it third time lucky in the Real Madrid transfer rivalry this summer.

Latest Liverpool transfer news and gossip, with Lille defender Leny Yoro surfacing as a target for the Reds this summer, alongside Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Liverpool appear to be preparing to compete with Real Madrid for another summer acquisition.

This summer, the Reds are likely to be looking for numerous new signings. Arne Slot, the new head coach, will begin directing pre-season training next month and may help integrate new arrivals to his roster when the team travels to the United States for three friendly matches. One player that has been linked with a move to Liverpool is Leny Yoro.

The Lille centre-back has emerged as a target for the Reds during Slot’s inaugural summer transfer window.

The ECHO knows that Liverpool is keeping an eye on Yoro with the intention of making a transfer this summer, while Manchester United is also understood to be interested. However, the Reds are aware that Real Madrid is interested in the midfielder, and it is expected that Yoro would transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu due to his desire to join the La Liga giants.

However, Liverpool has a chance of beating the Spanish club to Yoro’s signature this summer. If a deal to Real Madrid fails, the Reds are ready to step up their pursuit of the centre-back.

Liverpool has faced a summer transfer war with the La Liga champions before. The Reds planned to recruit Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco in 2022, but the France international ended up moving to Spain for a fee of up to £85 million instead.

Just a year later, Liverpool was reportedly interested in signing Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund. Despite the Reds’ long-standing interest in the midfielder, Bellingham chose to sign to transfer to Madrid, and the club lost yet another target.

Liverpool may hope for a different outcome in 2024. If Yoro prefers a move to Madrid and the La Liga heavyweights have the resources to execute the transaction, the Reds may not have much hope.

However, Liverpool appears to be sticking in the race in the hope that an opportunity may occur. Following Joel Matip’s departure, the Reds might use a new centre-back, and Yoro would be an excellent choice.

June 18, 2024
Examining Further Into Liverpool’s Disappointing Crystal Palace Loss

We examine more closely at the implications of Liverpool’s first-ever home Premier League defeat for the Reds.

Even though they had to adjust to a brand-new midfield this summer and deal with injury after injury to elite players, Liverpool has found enough magic moments this season to unexpectedly be in the running for the championship. This week, the Reds appeared to run out of magic spells as they lost their first two home games of the season in the Europa League to Atalanta before putting on yet another terrible show against Crystal Palace.

Below, we examine a few winners and losers from the evening and make an effort to separate fact from fiction.

Winners

Remember the 97

You won’t ever be by yourself; you’ll never be far from our hearts.

Andy Robertson

In an attempt to prevent Palace from taking a 2-0 lead, the Scottish left back demonstrated his hustle by racing back to clear a ball that had halfway crossed the line. In the future, he was also among the most reliable players, producing four crucial passes.

Alisson

When the Brazilian goalie returned from injury, he was enormous in net. He prevented Crystal Palace from taking an even larger lead by making a number of point blank saves, giving Liverpool at least a chance to rally.

Losers

The Magic of Anfield

Liverpool lost a game at Anfield this season for the first time in the Premier League. Actually, the Reds’ lone other home loss of the season came against Atalanta earlier in the week. Liverpool had always seemed to find that spark of brilliance at Anfield when it was needed this season, despite all of the injuries, but it was missing today.

Woodworking

After a wild scramble from a corner kick, Endo struck the crossbar. This season, Liverpool’s chances of scoring have been thwarted by the woodwork 21 times. In that statistic, the Reds presently lead the Premier League by a significant margin.

Wataru Endo

The Japanese holding midfielder has been a key member of the team’s success this year, but against Crystal Palace, he appeared incredibly slow and lanky right away. At the interval, he was dragged off.

Konaté Ibrahima

It was not one of the French defender’s better games. He occasionally had trouble keeping Mateta and Eze within his defensive circle. He appeared to be among the players who found it most difficult to deal with the Crystal Palace press as well. In addition, Konaté performed rather poorly on the ball and appeared to have trouble making decisions.

Players from Liverpool Shooting

The Reds have been awful in front of goal lately on all fronts. Even though Dean Henderson made a couple of point blank saves (whether he was aware of them or not), Liverpool’s finishing once again fell short of expectations. Given how many opportunities there were that were missed, it is difficult to place blame on a single player.

2.87 – Liverpool’s xG total v Crystal Palace was 2.87 – their most on record (since 2010-11) in a Premier League match in which they did not score. Indeed, it was the most xG without scoring by any side in the competition since Brighton v Norwich in April 2022 (2.87). Wasteful. pic.twitter.com/bbmPLybUm0

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 14, 2024

Analysing the Story in Detail

The story about Liverpool appearing to be in it all the way to win the Premier League and Europa League has been put on life support throughout the course of the past week. Turn the script with two real losses to Atalanta and Crystal Palace after a draw that felt like a loss to Manchester United. It’s been an emotional roller coaster in such a short amount of time, especially considering this is Jürgen Klopp’s final ride.

Even though this will and should hurt, it’s important to remember how amazing this season has been overall. Following a dismal campaign in the previous year and the unexpected exit of several experienced midfield players, Liverpool seemed unlikely to make significant progress for a few more years. It became increasingly less likely that the Reds would be able to stay up across several competitions as important players continued to suffer injuries. In spite of this, Klopp’s team still has some hope as we approach the middle of April. Even if this week’s results have been disappointing, it has been an outstanding feat.

What Follows

On Thursday, Liverpool will travel to Bergamo hoping for a miracle—or at the very least, to try and turn the present trajectory around. In the Europa League quarterfinals, the Reds will attempt to overcome a three goal deficit.

April 14, 2024
Against Brighton, Liverpool may welcome back from injury two key players.

Against Brighton, Liverpool will attempt to maintain their Premier League title challenge.

When Brighton visits Anfield on Sunday afternoon, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp plans to welcome back two members of the first team. With Manchester City and Arsenal battling it out for the Premier League title, the Reds will probably need all hands on deck from now until the end of the season.

This season, Klopp has been without several of his key players for extended periods of time, including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, and Alisson Becker. Due to the cumulative effect of injuries, only Salah is expected to play against the Seagulls.

The Merseyside team is likely to benefit from Ibrahima Konate’s projected return to central defence. Since Liverpool’s 5-1 annihilation of Sparta Prague on March 7, the 24-year-old has not played for the club.

However, Konate was called up to the France team and participated in all ninety minutes of their 3-2 friendly victory over Chile on Tuesday night, playing alongside William Saliba, the competition’s main challenger.

In Konate’s absence, Jarell Quansah has played brilliantly with Virgil van Dijk, but the Warrington native will undoubtedly anticipate giving way to his more seasoned teammate on Sunday.

Another player who appears ready to play this weekend is Curtis Jones, who Klopp stated had a higher chance of playing than any of his injured teammates. Since leaving the game during the victory against Brentford in February, the midfield player has missed the last ten games.

In all competitions this season, Jones has scored five goals and assisted on three more, making him a true asset when in form. However, Jones could only be able to play a supporting role because Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister, and Dominik Szoboszlai have been vying for the three centre midfield positions in recent weeks.
Despite suffering injuries during the loss to United, Darwin Nunez and Andrew Robertson should be able to play against Brighton. During the international break, the former played for Scotland, and the latter pulled out of the Uruguay team to concentrate on his recuperation.

Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara, two long-term absentees whose contracts expire in June, might have played their last game for Liverpool, but the same cannot be said for them.

Stefan Bajcetic and Alisson are also anticipated to make another appearance before the season ends, although Diogo Jota and Alexander-Arnold are not expected to be back for the Brighton match. Instead, they should be back in early April.

More news……

Liverpool fans can rejoice because a vital player will be back in the starting lineup next week.

The good news for Liverpool is that Ibrahima Konate is expected to start for France against Chile on Tuesday night.

L’Equipe claims that the centre back, who has been sidelined due to injury for the past few weeks, is prepared to play in the friendly.

The defender was substituted out during Liverpool’s Europa League first-leg match against Sparta Praha. Since then, he has missed a number of important games for the Reds, including their FA Cup loss to Man United last week.

Prior to their match against Brighton at Anfield on Sunday, Liverpool supporters will be eager to see him return in the starting lineup, but the French player must win against Chile first.

How significant is Ibrahima Konate to Liverpool?

Given that the match against Chile is merely a friendly, Liverpool supporters will be hopeful that Konate survives. The centre back, who has played in 32 games for the Merseyside team this season, is an important member of Liverpool’s team.

It is no coincidence that the Reds have only triumphed in one of the three games in which the 24-year-old defender has missed due to injury. Klopp prefers the 24-year-old to combine with Virgil van Dijk.

With a few difficult games remaining and the desire to cap off his tenure at Anfield as best he can, the German coach will need everyone healthy for the last stretch.

March 29, 2024
Liverpool fans can rejoice because a vital player will be back in the starting lineup next week.

The good news for Liverpool is that Ibrahima Konate is expected to start for France against Chile on Tuesday night.

L’Equipe claims that the centre back, who has been sidelined due to injury for the past few weeks, is prepared to play in the friendly.

The defender was substituted out during Liverpool’s Europa League first-leg match against Sparta Praha. Since then, he has missed a number of important games for the Reds, including their FA Cup loss to Man United last week.

Prior to their match against Brighton at Anfield on Sunday, Liverpool supporters will be eager to see him return in the starting lineup, but the French player must win against Chile first.

How significant is Ibrahima Konate to Liverpool?

Given that the match against Chile is merely a friendly, Liverpool supporters will be hopeful that Konate survives. The centre back, who has played in 32 games for the Merseyside team this season, is an important member of Liverpool’s team.

It is no coincidence that the Reds have only triumphed in one of the three games in which the 24-year-old defender has missed due to injury. Klopp prefers the 24-year-old to combine with Virgil van Dijk.

With a few difficult games remaining and the desire to cap off his tenure at Anfield as best he can, the German coach will need everyone healthy for the last stretch.

More news…..

Fans of Liverpool receive a shocking morning update from Fabrizio Romano.

It is now believed that Real Madrid is “monitoring” Trent Alexander-Arnold due to his unresolved Liverpool contract problem.

The relevant information was posted by Fabrizio Romano on X, formerly Twitter. The fullback’s current contract is scheduled to end in the summer of 2025.

Although the player’s mental state is still unknown, the Merseysiders are unwilling to part with their vice captain.

🚨⚪️ Real Madrid are monitoring Trent Alexander-Arnold's contract situation at Liverpool.

Current deal expires in June '25 with no talks underway as of now.

Liverpool have not indicated any desire to sell at this stage.

There's no indication of player's views so far. pic.twitter.com/2rCywx2yjH

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 22, 2024

This summer, is Trent Alexander-Arnold going to be sold?

Nothing in football is guaranteed, of course, but we don’t think there’s a possibility in hell that our No. 66 will swap Liverpool red for Madrid white.

Now that the club has separated the two key positions of sports director (in Richard Hughes) and CEO of football (in Michael Edwards) with FSG, the 25-year-old’s problem should be settled soon Though the latter’s most essential assignment before formally joining the club on June 1 will be obtaining the services of Jurgen Klopp’s replacement.

Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah, Trent, and others need to have new contracts arranged as the next top priority

March 25, 2024
Liverpool news: Gabri Veiga confirms’strong’ transfer interest as the Reds gain an injury boost.

Before playing Brighton in the Premier League again, Liverpool will want to avoid having any more injuries during the international break.

As they represent their countries this week, many of Liverpool’s stars will not be able to dwell on their FA Cup agony against Manchester United because the international break is currently in effect.

As the Reds are ready to compete for the Premier League title and Europa League glory, Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that his players return healthy and that others are rejuvenated. Despite having numerous injury concerns in recent weeks, Liverpool is currently ranked second in the league, one goal behind rivals Arsenal on goal differential.

With the Egyptian winger not being called up this time, the German coach will be anxious to make sure he can bring star Mo Salah up to speed. The 31-year-old, who missed a large portion of 2024, has started Liverpool’s last two games.

The Merseyside players will need to focus on club football this weekend as they play Ajax as a Liverpool Legends team. Having said that, Mirror Football looks at the most recent Anfield news.

Injury boost

Ibrahima Konate’s return from Anfield may have Liverpool worried, but the French defender practiced with his country prior to matches against Chile and Germany. Alongside William Saliba of Arsenal, the defender finished training on Tuesday morning.

Konate suffered a thigh injury during Liverpool’s Europa League first-leg match against Sparta Prague, which caused him to miss the Reds’ match against Manchester United this past weekend, marking his fourth game out. When he returns, Klopp will be hoping he’s fully recovered.

Dream of Alexander-Arnold England

Trent Alexander-Arnold has reiterated his goal to represent England and win medals in international competitions. Due to injury, Liverpool’s inventive full-back was left off of the most recent Three Lions roster; however, he will be hoping to be added to the EURO 2024 squad in the summer.

“When I was younger, I dreamt of being able to play for my country, to win trophies for my country, to be a part of England teams that win titles,” said the Liverpool player. “Words can’t really express how I feel every time I get to wear the shirt, but I still have those goals.”

Veiga attests to the transfer interest.

Gabri Veiga, a former midfield target for Liverpool, seems to have acknowledged that he decided to join Al-Ahli despite receiving interest from teams in the summer, including Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool.

In an interview with AS, Veiga talked about his decision, acknowledging that money was a major factor. When compared to most of the more experienced players that joined the Saudi Pro League last summer, the 21-year-old former Celta Vigo star has a different profile.

“To be honest, I delegate all of that to my reps. He remarked, “I am very confident in them.

“I wasn’t aware of any rumours; I was just focused on finishing a dream season, which ultimately got complicated.” Maybe there was a lot of interest at one point, but as the lists go, another kind of profile becomes more prominent.

However, I can say that in August, I made the choice I felt was proper in a certain circumstance. It was unquestionably the best choice.

March 20, 2024
Liverpool news: Mohamed Salah makes his position clear and Jurgen Klopp handed Man Utd an injury boost

After the draw with Manchester City, Liverpool’s attention quickly shifted to the FA Cup and the Europa League as manager Jurgen Klopp looks to capture four titles in his final year in the role.

Just two days following their epic match against Manchester City, Liverpool are gearing up for yet another big match this coming weekend.

In his final season as manager, Jurgen Klopp will be seeking to achieve a quadruple for the Reds when they go to Manchester United on Sunday in the FA Cup quarterfinals. The German has been granted a significant injury boost ahead of the match.

Ibrahima Konate, the defender, is expected to get out of the treatment room in time to play at Old Trafford. The good news is that Mohamed Salah is clearly focusing all of his attention on Liverpool’s final stretch.

The Reds, who have not stopped venting their rage about not getting a penalty kick at the final second in the draw with City, were also supported. Mirror Football compiles the most recent Liverpool news here.

Salah clarifies Egypt’s position.

Following his exclusion from Egypt’s squad for the March international break, Mohamed Salah has committed to stay with Liverpool for the remainder of the campaign. Salah made a strong campaign for that exemption, as has now been made public.

In the Africa Cup of Nations’ opening group match, the attacker sustained injuries. He only played 30 minutes in Sunday’s match against City because he hasn’t been well enough to start on the pitch in previous weeks.

Furthermore, it is now being reported that he had discussions with Ashraf Sobhy, the Egyptian minister of sports, in order to prevent being called up this month. In order to make sure that Salah was not included and would instead stay with Liverpool, Sobhy communicated with manager Hosan Hassan.

Reds are favoured in the penalty dispute

Mark Clattenburg, a former top Premier League referee, has maintained that Liverpool should have been given a penalty kick in the last seconds against Manchester City. After Jeremy Doku kicked Alexis Mac Allister in the chest, Clattenburg criticised the decision to let him go.

“Liverpool should have been awarded a stoppage-time penalty against Manchester City but this is the problem in the Premier League right now – referees are making mistakes in matches and not being helped by their VARs,” Clattenburg stated to the Daily Mail.

“This would have resulted in a free kick every day of the week if it hadn’t been inside the box. It’s not a clean challenge just because it happened inside the box, but Mac Allister might end up playing connect the dots on his chest on Monday morning ”

Huge injury boost given to Klopp

Ibrahima Konate will play in Sunday’s FA Cup match against Manchester United, according to Jurgen Klopp, who withheld his inclusion from the draw with City. On Sunday, Jarrell Quansah, a young player, replaced the Frenchman.

Last week, during Sparta Prague’s pounding, Konate was forced off hurt. However, Klopp is now optimistic that the defender may return to action quickly in front of the trip to United.

He declared, “Ibou has a chance for United—a good chance.” “The state of our injuries is still terrible. It’s absurd how many players are unavailable. This team would have been just as good if we had only used the players who were unavailable today.

March 12, 2024
5 talking points from Arsenal’s 3-1 victory against Liverpool include errors, a risky choice, and viewpoint

Liverpool’s hopes of winning the Premier League title were dashed as they lost to Arsenal 3-1, with uncharacteristic errors turning the tide.

Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool

Goals: Saka 14′, Martinelli 67′, Trossard 90+1′; Gabriel OG 45+1′

Defeat dismal but not decisive

Undoubtedly, Arsenal could have lost this game and fallen eight points short of the top spot if either team had more depending on the line.

And that’s something Liverpool needs to keep in mind as they recover from just their second Premier League setback of the year.

Even though they lost the opportunity to completely eliminate the Gunners from the race, the Reds are still in the lead going into the final stretch of the campaign, two points clear of their rivals.

How they respond to this loss will be crucial to maximising their position; they need to go on an undefeated streak in order to win big in May.

Uncommon mistakes weaken Reds

Even though he may detest losing, you can bet that Jurgen Klopp won’t demand an investigation into how Liverpool lost this match.

Even though Arsenal got off to a fast start, the Reds did not appear to be being consistently dismantled in order to earn zero points in this match.

And when the stakes are so high for a fellow championship candidate, it is only right to admit that sometimes these kinds of performances are the best you can hope for from a trying journey.

In the end, you cannot undo the pivotal moment that resulted from an unusual mix-up involving Virgil van Dijk and Alisson, nor is it likely to occur again.

Therefore, it would be better for Klopp’s team to just brush this off as a bad day at work and make sure they swiftly resume their winning ways.

Konate does not need to be stupid in the end.

Ibrahima Konate’s decision-making over his late red card will undoubtedly have been the manager’s pet peeve throughout this match.

In that instance, Liverpool had cover and, even without it, they weren’t holding out for a lead that would have given them a commanding lead in the championship fight.

Because of this, the foul that resulted in the Frenchman receiving a second yellow card and a one-match suspension seems silly.

Konate will now have time to reflect on that insane moment while watching the next match against Burnley from the stands.

Gamble on Gakpo doesn’t pay off

When Klopp stated in a pre-game interview that he chose Cody Gakpo over Darwin Nunez as a tactical choice, it raised eyebrows.

Additionally, the manager will undoubtedly believe that this was a poor move after the Dutchman’s 58 minutes on the pitch, during which he failed to make an impression.

In almost an hour, Gakpo made just two defensive plays, made just one shot, and completed six of the eleven passes that were attempted.

It’s likely that Klopp will regret selecting him over Nunez, who is playing well.

imminent squad boost couldn’t come at a better moment.

It should not be forgotten that Conor Bradley and Dominik Szoboszlai’s absences prior of this match contributed to Liverpool’s already long list of absences.

However, now that this humiliating afternoon is over, there’s optimism that by the time the Reds play Burnley the following weekend, things will be much better.

If a minor recurrence of a hamstring injury turns out not to be significant, Szoboszlai has a chance to play, although Wataru Endo is almost certain to return.

And if fortune favours them both, Mohamed Salah and Kostas Tsimikas might even provide a team that has just welcomed Thiago back even more strength.

Liverpool needs that extra drive and quality if they are to get back on track and make sure they can compete on four fronts in the future.

February 5, 2024
5 things to consider after Liverpool defeated Bournemouth 4-0.

In Sunday’s late-afternoon kickoff, Liverpool easily defeated Bournemouth with a clinic in the second half, hammering the Cherries for four goals.

The Reds had a challenging first half, failing to produce much of note while Bournemouth looked to score at the other end.

But Liverpool picked up the pace after the interval, as four minutes into the second half, Darwin Nunez capped off a great team goal to break the deadlock.

After Nunez added to his tally to cap off an incredible evening at the Vitality Stadium, Diogo Jota scored a stunning brace to give the visitors the lead.

In a match that could have caused Liverpool a lot of issues, Jurgen Klopp’s team easily prevailed, increasing their lead at the top of the league to five points.

These are the contest’s five talking points.

THE FINISHING MASTERCLASS OF DIOGO JOTA

Diogo Jota might be this team’s finest finisher. He had a dull first half, but after the break he came alive, scoring two goals of his own to put the game out of reach after slipping past Darwin Nunez for the first.

Both goals were expertly taken, with one going into each of Neto’s goal’s bottom corners, giving the Brazilian little chance.

Today demonstrated just how valuable Jota is to this group. He has the capacity to emerge when you need him most and find a finish, going from being a completely unremarkable player on the pitch to a difference-maker.

IN THE SIX, ALEXIS MAC ALLISTER SHINES

This season, Alexis Mac Allister has been forced to work in the six, a role he has done rather well in despite being somewhat different from his usual position.

But judging from his performance tonight, you would have assumed he had been a deep-lying midfielder for decades.

In a dull first half, Mac Allister was by far the finest Reds player on the pitch, showcasing his talent and passing range while also always jumping into the battle.

After the interval, he carried on with his excellent play, controlling the action and assisting in maintaining Liverpool’s lead.

A true asset to the team

MORE ABYSMAL OFFICIATING

Brace for PGMOL apology

Justin Kluivert was clearly shown a red card in the first half, but he was saved by an outrageous decision made by the referee, which once again hurt Liverpool.

Although Kluivert clearly committed a red card infraction by digging his studs into Luis Diaz’s shin, the challenge was dismissed without warning or any VAR review.

Throughout the entire 90 minutes, the Dutch son-of-Patrick posed a serious threat to Bournemouth, and if he had scored and changed the outcome of the match, it would have been difficult to accept the fact that he wasn’t supposed to be playing.

CONOR BRADLEY’S DECENT LEAGUE DEBUT

With his first Premier League match while wearing a Reds jersey, Conor Bradley will be pleased.

The young player, who made history by being the first Northern Irishman to play in the league for Liverpool, was a solid defender who was always eager to take on new challenges.

Nevertheless, he posed a threat going forward as well, having two excellent chances to score his first goal.

A promising performance from a youngster who may be the impetus for Trent Alexander-Arnold to permanently move into the midfield.

KONATE ANKLE TROUBLE

The one potential downside of the afternoon.

After a collision that left him clutching his ankle, Ibrahima Konate appeared to be experiencing some difficulty well into stoppage time.

Given that all of Liverpool’s substitutes had been used, it appeared as though he may have twisted it during the ball-playing struggle. Despite being able to stand and walk or limp off, he was left with no other choice.

Since Konate has been playing so well this season, let’s hope that he doesn’t miss any more time due to injury.

January 21, 2024