Arne Slot‘s go-to change, taking off Ibrahima Konate, is not working – Liverpool’s record is very clear on that.
It has been a familiar tale this season: chasing the game after a disappointing first half, Liverpool have withdrawn Konate and moved Ryan Gravenberch to centre-back in an attempt to improve their attacking threat.
This was also Slot’s go-to move last season when the Reds needed a goal.
Since arriving at Liverpool, Slot has taken Konate off on 11 occasions when Liverpool have been chasing the game.
The Reds have gone on to win just once in those 11 attempts.
Six of those ’emergency’ subs have come this season. Liverpool lost five of those matches and won just once, thanks to Mo Salah‘s late penalty against Burnley in September.
They did, however, achieve their target of scoring in four of those games, but the fact they still lost on five occasions is symptomatic of the problem created by taking off a centre-half.
In theory, it is a good idea to take your weakest technical player off and move a gifted midfielder into defence to help with the build-up, while adding an extra body in attack.
However, in practice, Liverpool are often left disjointed.
Take Liverpool’s defeat at Molineux, for example. Konate was withdrawn so Chiesa could be added to the forward line. This meant Gomez moving from right-back to centre-back while Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool’s most influential midfielder, covered at full-back.
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - Tuesday, March 3, 2026: Liverpool's goalkeeper Alisson Becker react to conceding their side's second goal during the FA Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Liverpool FC at Molineux Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Just like bringing on an extra centre-half to help see out a narrow win can sometimes do more harm than good, moving players around when they are just beginning to maintain pressure with attacking patterns of play can weaken a team’s threat.
Liverpool’s defensive changes late in games have, in part, led to Liverpool losing five league games in injury time this campaign – a record number for a single season in the Premier League era.
In all competitions last season, Slot tactically withdrew Konate five times. Liverpool got their goal on four occasions but still lost three and drew two of those.
The evidence points to this Konate change not working and it has now become a signal that indicates Liverpool are getting desperate in games, with nothing working in their mission to break down the opposition.
Arne Slot has already defended his ‘brave’ changes
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 28, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot before the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and West Ham United FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Slot has defended his attack-minded changes on multiple occasions.
Even at the end of last season, he said after a 3-2 away loss to Fulham: “I took him off for a player who can score a goal a bit easier than Ibou.
“Taking him off has nothing to do with how well he did with the ball. It was simply, ‘We are 3-2 down, let’s bring as much goals on the pitch as we can, let’s take as many risks as we can’.
“I think we created quite a lot afterwards, which isn’t to say we wouldn’t have with done him on the pitch, but it did work out in terms of chance creation, but not in terms of scoring.”
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Monday, November 3, 2025: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot (L) speaks with Ibrahima Konaté during a training session at the AXA Training Centre ahead of the UEFA Champions League match between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid CF. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Quizzed again on the subject in November, after being beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest at Anfield, the head coach added: “I think we ended up a lot, a lot, a lot of times on our side with Cody and with Mo, but we struggled to create a chance [from] that because they were defending with so many players in and around their box.
“Then if you’ve tried for 75 minutes with four defenders, three midfielders and three attackers – although the defenders were midfielders, but that comes from injuries – then the idea was, but again I’m responsible for that, to make an offensive substitution.
“Which I did last season as well, took Ibou (Konate) off and brought Diogo Jota in and one minute later – away at Forest, I mean – we scored the 1-1.
“Then, it was brave. Now, it is probably stupid.”