Ibrahima Konate had another game to forget in a Liverpool shirt.
The Reds had a golden opportunity to go into the international break with three wins on the bounce, although Man City put a stop to those hopes very quickly.
They swept Liverpool aside with ease, with their attack finding it very easy to break down the Reds’ defence, but mainly Konate.
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The Frenchman was targeted as the weakness of the backline, and they got joy down his side multiple times, with the 26-year-old really struggling to cope.
Jamie Carragher had also made a bold claim about him not too long before the game, and his performance has just proven him right.
Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool is beaten to the ball by Erling Haaland of Manchester City who heads the opening goal during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Liverpool can cope without Ibrahima Konate should he decide to leave
One of the main reasons why Liverpool fans will be frustrated with Konate’s lack of consistency is because he has still not decided whether he will stay or not.
His contract expires in the summer and many may argue that his mind is already elsewhere, with his performances suggesting just that.
Carragher also said Liverpool would not miss Konate should he leave, and based on his performance against Man City, he might just be right.
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“He’s not Virgil van Dijk. He’s a good centre-back who you hope will sign, but if he doesn’t want to sign, Liverpool will be absolutely fine,” is one of the things Carragher said, and it is hard to argue against.
This was also shown during the game as van Dijk had a fairly decent game, with the Dutchman even thinking he got his team level with an excellent header that was controversially ruled out by VAR.
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When Konate is on form, he is unstoppable, but as soon as he makes one mistake, he then makes multiple in the same match, with this being something that has cost Liverpool too many times this season.
Ibrahima Konate needs to make his mind up
It is understandable why he is yet to fully make his mind up as he has not been able to officially speak to other clubs just yet, but that suggests that Liverpool are not his priority.
If he wanted to stay, he probably would have signed by now, suggesting he is waiting to sign a pre-contract with another team in January.
This is something that he must do if he decides it is the best option, though, so that everyone, including himself, can be put at ease knowing what the future entails.
As Carragher said, many Liverpool fans will be hoping he puts pen to paper and commits his future, but if he does not, performances similar to what he showed against City show that he can be replaced.