David Lynch heaped praise on one ‘towering’ Liverpool player following his performance in the 2-0 win over Brentford on Sunday.
Having replaced Jarell Quansah at half-time against Ipswich the previous weekend, Ibrahima Konate was in from the start at Anfield yesterday, and he rewarded Arne Slot’s faith with an imperious display at centre-back.
On his eponymous Substack page, the journalist wrote of the 25-year-old: “The Frenchman was towering here, winning all four duels he was involved in and making three headed clearances – vital contributions against a physical Brentford outfit. He also completed 96% of his passes to make a mockery of suggestions that he has weaknesses in possession.
“If there is an upside for Quansah, it is that the past week proves things can change quickly, but he has a tough job on to dislodge his fellow centre-half on this evidence.”
We’re delighted to see Lynch reserving special praise for Konate, who was indeed superb against Brentford on Sunday.
The journalist already referenced some impressive statistics from the Frenchman – 100% duels won, 96% pass completion – to go alongside his one shot on target, two successful tackles and two accurate long passes (Sofascore).
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Slot candidly declared that the 25-year-old’s introduction against Ipswich was intended as an antidote to Liverpool coming off second best in the majority of aerial duels, and it was telling that the move which led to Luis Diaz’s opener yesterday stemmed from our number 5 winning a battle in the air off a Bees corner kick.
Konate came in for plenty of criticism as his form dipped towards the end of last season, a slump which cost him a starting berth for France at Euro 2024, but as Lynch says, it’ll be impossible for the Reds’ head coach to drop him if he maintains the standards he’s showing at the start of this campaign.
If the Frenchman felt that he had a point to prove after his downturn in fortunes during the spring, he’s already going a long way towards answering his naysayers. Let’s hope that continues well into the autumn and beyond!
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