Liverpool’s Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain raised more than a few eyebrows, with Arne Slot’s decision to expose Ibrahima Konate in a back three central to the Reds’ failures.
It was a bold decision from the Dutch coach, and though it arguably offered greater defensive structure, it created a scenario which PSG were only too happy to exploit.
Konate, deployed as the right centre-back, was repeatedly drawn up the pitch, leaving acres of space in behind for the hosts to attack. And according to former Liverpool winger Steve McManaman, Slot was to blame for creating a scenario which continuously hung his No. 5 out to dry.
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Jeremie Frimpong takes throw-in for Liverpool in front of Arne Slot
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Slot’s instructions left Konate exposed vs PSG – McManaman
Konate’s role was one which demanded near-perfection in both timing and positioning, and against elite opposition with pace to burn, even the slightest misstep was punished.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, McManaman didn’t hold back in his assessment, highlighting how the Frenchman struggled within a system that appeared to work against him rather than for him, planting the blame squarely on Slot.
“He [Konate] found himself in a lot of trouble throughout the game,” said the pundit. “Arne Slot on the sidelines was telling everyone to push forward, Konate was overly aggressive in the middle of the park and kept getting caught.
“I felt for him at times, I felt for a lot of them because they were going in half-hearted because they knew the threat is over the top.”
Ibrahima Konate passes the ball during Liverpool's UEFA Champions League quarter-final match against Paris Saint Germain at Parc des Princes.
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Slot’s system left Konate with an impossible task
There’s a strong argument that Konate was set up to fail here. Asking a centre-back to step high and engage in midfield is nothing new in modern football, but the execution has to be precise and, crucially, supported by the structure around it.
Against PSG, that structure simply wasn’t there. Each time Konate stepped out, the space behind him became an open invitation, one which the European champions gladly accepted.
For a player unused to playing such a system against such lethal opposition was always going to be difficult, and it is on Slot that he dropped his players in it on such a big stage.
Konate earns £70,000-a-week, Liverpool surely need to make a big offer for him to stay?!
Ibrahima Konate during Burnley v Liverpool - Premier League
Credit: Visionhaus/Getty Images
Worse still, the Reds looked caught between instructions. Slot was urging them forward, yet the fear of PSG’s pace in behind led to hesitation, exactly the kind of indecision that top-level attackers thrive on.
Konate, in particular, ended up in no man’s land. Too aggressive to sit, too exposed to recover. It’s little surprise he was ‘getting caught.’ There were some good flashes from the 26-year-old going forward, but this only further exposed his inefficiencies in getting back.
Criticism will inevitably come Konate’s way, but this felt less like an individual failing and more like a systemic one. On this occasion, the manager’s tactical gamble didn’t just backfire, it left one of his most important defenders hanging out to dry.
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