Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has criticized Ibrahima Konate, Milos Kerkez, and Mohamed Salah for their performances this season to date. The Reds have been poor defensively in their first three games of the season, even losing 2-2 (3-2 (P)) to Crystal Palace in the FA Community Shield final (August 10).
The Reds have made a perfect start in the Premier League this season, defeating Bournemouth 4-2 and Newcastle United 3-2. However, they lost a two-goal lead in both games and had to depend on a pair of late winners to seal the three points.
While Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk has looked impressive, Ibrahima Konate has been unable to replicate the form he showed last season. The Frenchman was at fault for Antoine Semenyo's equalizer during the Bournemouth clash and looked all over the place defensively against 10-man Newcastle.
Additionally, summer signing Milos Kerkez has struggled to make much of an impact at left-back, despite replacing Andy Robertson in the starting XI. The Hungarian was unable to track Anthony Elanga during the Newcastle win and lost an aerial duel to Bruno Guimaraes, leading to the latter scoring.
Following their 3-2 win over Newcastle (August 25), Carragher told Sky Sports (via Liverpool.com):
"There are people for Liverpool who have made a really poor start to the season. Mo Salah is one of them, even though he has got a goal and an assist. Konate is another one. He has been all over the place. I want my center-back to go and win that [challenge for Newcastle’s equalizer]. He was all over the place last week. He is more interested in grabbing his arm. He was really poor in the first half as well. He is not at the races at all."
He added:
"I absolutely shudder to think where Liverpool would be without Virgil van Dijk who has been absolutely outstanding. At one stage I remember Anthony Gordon winning a header against Konate in the first half and thinking ‘that can’t happen’.”
“Kerkez has made a really poor start to his Liverpool career. He found it really difficult against Bournemouth in the first game; he was a little bit nervous. He was up against [Anthony] Elanga today - not easy - but this isn’t enough. You’ve just got to go and head the ball. He’s almost trying to stop the player. That is really, really poor. He’s not the biggest but you’ve got to jump, you’ve got to challenge in that situation.”
To his credit, while Mohamed Salah has yet to get into his groove, he has scored one goal and provided an assist in the Premier League to date.
Mohamed Salah helps Liverpool break 24-year record following Newcastle win
Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah has helped the Reds break a 24-year record following their 3-2 Premier League win over Newcastle United. With the scores level at 2-2, Salah provided an assist for Rio Ngumoha, who expertly grabbed the winner in the 10th minute of stoppage time.
As per data editor Michael Reid (h/t Rousing the Kop), Salah's (33) assist to Ngumoha (16) was the largest-ever age gap between scorer and assister in the club's history. With an age gap of 16 years and 75 days between the players, they broke Steven Gerrard and Gary McAllister's league record that was set in 2001.The Reds will next face Arsenal in the PL at Anfield on Sunday, August 31.
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Silas has been a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda for 2 years. A Computer Applications graduate, he is a versatile writer who conducts in-depth research and verifies information from multiple sources to ensure complete accuracy in his articles. Silas was introduced to the beautiful game back in 2008, watching the Premier League on television. Silas is a Liverpool supporter through and through and admires everything about the club – it’s history, culture, style of play, and all of its iconic players and managers. His favorite player is Steven Gerrard, who was also one of the primary reasons to get interested in football and support Liverpool. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Jurgen Klopp, who transformed the Reds from a mid-table club to Premier League champions. Liverpool’s fourth goal in their 4-0 win over Barcelona, scored by Divock Origi after the iconic ‘corner taken quickly’ moment from Trent Alexander-Arnold, holds a special place in Silas’ heart. Apart from Europe’s top five leagues, he also follows Major League Soccer and the Saudi Pro League. When not writing, he indulges in reading, traveling, fitness and gaming.
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