Jurgen Klopp knew there were problems with his starting line-up at Anfield and he saw further evidence of that when he had to make substitutions against Brentford.
“not ready” | Jürgen Klopp for KONATE Fitness
Liverpool defender Joel Matip put in a strong performance as Manchester United beat Brentford 3-0 in the Premier League on Sunday. It was the fourth clean sheet in 12 games this season and Matip played a key role.
Matip was unlucky and got a yellow card after a great tackle on Christian Norgaard. Matip made a decisive sliding block to stop Norway in the second half and even robbed Yoan Bisa with a pass to start the move that led to Liverpool’s first goal.
Jurgen Klopp may not have considered starting the Cameroonian, but it was a logical decision after Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate were injured in midweek.
The manager said the extent of Konate’s injury remains to be seen (via Liverpool’s official website). However, journalist Fabrice Hawkins reported that the schedule was manageable in about two weeks.
In that respect, he could be a bigger loss for France than Liverpool, who were forced to leave Didier Deschamps out for the upcoming internationals against Gibraltar and Greece.
Last month, Klopp said he “loves everything” about the centre-back but admitted the only “problem” is that he will have “injury problems” from time to time.
Although it’s only November, this is Konate’s second outing of the season, having already missed two games earlier in the season before the international break in September.
The Frenchman arrived at Anfield with a checkered fitness record.
Jurgen Klopp was forced to change his centre-back as Liverpool faced hosts Brentford.Jurgen Klopp was forced to change his centre-back as Liverpool faced hosts Brentford.
But he seemed to put those concerns to rest in his first season, when he was available for all but two games. But he missed 20 of Liverpool’s 52 games last year – less than 40 per cent – and his problems continued at the start of this season.
In the short term, this may not be a big problem for Klopp and Liverpool. Matip, who impressed on Sunday, returns this season after a difficult 2022/23 and while Konate is first-choice to play in Saturday’s week-long clash against Manchester City, the former Schalke player has back at least. . . Most supporters think so.
Perhaps the biggest concern is the long-term consequences. Konate, who signed from RB Leipzig for $44m at the age of 24, has also established himself as one of the best 10-15 centre-backs in Europe and Liverpool will look to build a back four in around him. Captain Virgil van Dijk is stepping up.
However, the club cannot rely on him in this way if injuries play a large part in his career at Anfield.
There is no clear solution to this “problem”, but it is clear that Konate will need special care on his return to give him the best chance of being fit for the rest of the season.
