We may be out of December but the fixture list still remains hectic and Arne Slot has confirmed some early team news before our next match.
Speaking after the game with Manchester United, our head coach was asked why Ibou Konate made an immediate return to action and said: “Because he was fit.
“If he wouldn’t [have been] then we wouldn’t have started him, then he doesn’t train with us. The moment he starts to train with the team he is fit again.
“It is not to say that he can immediately play two games a week, but he can definitely play 90 minutes, like he showed today.
“Like you saw, except for the first game when I chose [Jarell] Quansah, all the other games when Ibou was fit he started, so that’s the answer I think to your question. The moment he is fit, he can start.
“But if you have been out for such a long time it’s difficult to immediately play then two games a week, so it must not come as a surprise if he doesn’t play on Wednesday.
“But he played today for 90 minutes and I think he showed in that 90 minutes that he was ready to play.”
It’s good to hear that our No.5 got through the game unscathed and that we are providing a mid-week rest as precaution more than anything else.
Liverpool are looking to defend our Carabao Cup and a two-legged affair with Tottenham presents an opportunity to do this but also another frustration as to why this game needs to be played twice.
The rules are changing for this in the future but as we battle to manage minutes, it feels very unnecessary to have to put the squad through an extra game.
Those are the cards we have been dealt though and now it seems clear that Jarell Quansah will be starting the match in London.
The last match he started was in the cup against Southampton and a late scare showed why there may have been a lack of trust from our head coach in playing the 21-year-old against Ruben Amorim’s side.
Wataru Endo was very impressive as he performed a central defensive role at St. Mary’s too and it’ll be interesting to see whether Virgil van Dijk is afforded the same opportunity to rest.
There is set to be chances for our squad players and let’s hope that they take them.
You can watch Slot’s comments on Konate via Liverpool FC on YouTube:
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