'Alarm bells': Arne Slot explains why he took Ibrahima Konate off for Liverpool vs Chelsea amid injury worries
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Ibrahima Konate played less than an hour at Stamford Bridge. The Reds lost for the third time in just one week after falling to defeat against Chelsea, with fans starting to get a little bit concerned.Arne Slot’s side conceding another last-gasp winner, something they have been used to doing to other teams this season.Not only was the performance poor, but there are more things to worry about, one of these being Andy Robertson’s potential injury.As well as this, Konate was taken off in the 55th minute, leaving many to think that it was also due to an injury, and Slot has now confirmed the reasoning himself.Photo by Carl Recine/Getty ImagesWhy Ibrahima Konate was substituted against ChelseaA big problem with Liverpool in recent weeks has been in the defence, with Konate in particular taking most of the flak.The Frenchman has largely been poor all season and has not looked the player he once was, with teams seemingly targeting him as they know he is the weak link.Against Chelsea, he had a better game but was still not the most convincing, with Slot deciding to take him off just before the hour mark.This led many to worry about whether he had picked up an injury, and his manager has confirmed the reasoning why he made this decision.
“He felt his quad a bit. Then alarm bells go off with me,” Slot said as per BBC Sport.“If the game had gone on like this I would have made the change a bit later but did not want to take the risk.
READ MORE: Gary Neville believes Liverpool didn’t look ‘comfortable’ in one area of the pitch vs Chelsea“It wasn’t a coincidence when Ryan (Gravenberch) started to play there we started getting more and more in the game.”Reds fans will be eagerly awaiting an update, but with it now being the international break, the full extent of his injury may not be known for a while.Liverpool’s defence is a worryThe Reds’ biggest concern at the start of the season will be how shaky their defence has been, but what is worse is that it is not showing any signs of improvement. Yet again, the game could have been out of reach if it was not for their goalkeeper, but this time it was Giorgi Mamardashvili due to Alisson’s injury.The amount of changes Slot has made in this area of the pitch also shows that he is not entirely happy, with it clear that he does not know his best backline just yet.So with that said, the Dutchman has a lot to think about over the next few weeks, and the defence will likely be his first port of call.