Retired footballer turned pundit Matt Le Tissier has criticised Jamie Carragher for his heavy criticism of Liverpool player Ibrahima Konate. The defender was far from his best during the Reds' 4-2 win over Bournemouth, but Le Tissier has insisted he deserved 'a little slack'.
Arne Slot's men got off to a flying start in their Premier League opener as they took a two-goal lead vs the Cherries, with Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo finding the back of the net. However, Antoine Semenyo – who was racially abused during the game – then scored a brace as he levelled the scores in impressive fashion.
Although Liverpool would ultimately win 4-2, with late goals from Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah, Carragher could not help but slam Konate for his struggles on the night.
Carragher Slammed Konate
Jamie Carragher
The iconic former Liverpool defender was on commentary for Sky Sports, and did not hold back as he claimed Konate had a 'really, really poor night'.
In full, after the second goal, Carragher said: "It is unbelievable. Arne Slot's made those changes to make sure things like this don't happen. Fantastic from Semenyo - but Liverpool have had this problem. How many players were ahead of the ball - maybe eight players - when they were winning 2-1? That can't happen. It's absolutely shocking at this level.
"For Semenyo to run that far and get his shot away is incredible - but where Konate is going? He had a really, really poor night tonight at centre-back. That is not right. It's not. It's not only game on top of the Community Shield - but I've watched enough football in my life. This idea that everyone bombs forward, it's not for me. I don't like it."
Le Tissier Defends Liverpool Defender
Le Tissier, however, hit back at Carragher. Although he accepted that it was far from a vintage display from Konate, he suggested that the Liverpool ace deserved to be 'cut a little slack'. He explained via Football Insider:
“Ibrahima Konate’s performance last night was an interesting one. Not one of his better games for Liverpool.
“He was slammed by the commentator [Jamie Carragher] during the game.
“I think we’ve got to cut the boy a little bit of slack. It’s the first game of the season, it’s pretty early to be jumping on his case.”
It certainly would be unfair to write Konate off after one bad game, especially having been a key part of the title-winning Liverpool team last year, but he'll have to improve soon enough or else risk losing his spot. After all, 18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni has just arrived from Italian side Parma for a fee of £26m plus add-ons, while Marc Guehi could also soon arrive at Anfield.