Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate fouls Leeds United's Wilfried Gnonto and gives away a penalty during the Premier League match at Elland Road, Leeds. Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire.placeholder image
Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate fouls Leeds United's Wilfried Gnonto and gives away a penalty during the Premier League match at Elland Road, Leeds. Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire.
Liverpool shot themselves in the foot again against Leeds United with one man in particular more culpable than the rest.
Liverpool have conceded 24 goals in 15 league games, the sort of figure that Premier League champions have conceded over a 38 game season.
Arne Slot has complained about individual errors, but only five teams have conceded more goals, which suggests that the Reds’ issues at the back are more than down to the players not doing their job. They have also conceded a number of shots on target that would be expected from a team in the bottom half of the table. The issues are structural as well as being down to the individuals.
Arne Slot gives mixed messages as Konate blunders again
Slot, almost tried to defend Konate whilst accepting that the big defender doesn’t help his cause, via the Liverpool’s official website: “Unfortunately for him he does a lot of things well, but he has been a bit too much on the crime scene, that is something I've heard people saying before in England. That means he's involved in goals we have conceded. But if you are a centre-back that happens in football. Today (against Leeds) it was a tackle that came from effort and you try to do everything to block the cross.
“The ball went out, player already went down a little bit and then there was contact, that was obvious and clear that there was contact. Now the question is if the VAR interfered for that. Probably a lot of people will say that's correct. But the same people should look at some games this season where the VAR didn't come in moments like this.”
The long and short of it is, if Konate doesn’t make the tackle that leads to Leeds’ first goal, Liverpool probably win and Mo Salah doesn’t vent his frustration to the media.
Guehi opens up about Liverpool move collapsing
Konate’s form wouldn’t be an issue if Liverpool had signed Marc Guehi and hadn’t left it so late to sign someone for a key position. Slot obviously wanted to make changes at full-back so, the last thing he needed was inconsistency at centre-half. After a man of the match performance for Crystal Palace against Fulham, Guehi addressed the late collapse of his dream move to Anfield.
“I think everyone has this perception and idea that it was difficult. It actually wasn’t difficult,” he told Sky Sports.
“It wasn’t difficult at all because when you’re focused on what’s the most important thing it becomes easy. I know that you know God has a plan for me and whatever that plan will be will come into fruition at some point. But you know the goal and the focus is always been playing football and trying to do that the best I can and fortunate for me I get to do it with people like Max (Maxence Lacroix).”
Guehi, despite being in exactly the same situation as Konate, hasn’t put a foot wrong all season, in the same league and has led his team to the Champions League places despite losing Eberechi Eze to Arsenal. Richard Hughes has made the cataclysmic mistake once, making it again in January could cost Arne Slot his job.
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