'Worried': Darren Bent genuinely can't understand why £36m Liverpool player has been so bad recently
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Liverpool have two wins from two at the start of the new season but there have been some worrying signs.
The Reds have had a hugely successful time away from the pitch this summer but on it, problems have persisted.
As usual, they are scoring plenty of goals, in fact they are already the highest scoring team, but they have also shipped far too many.
Both Bournemouth and Newcastle opened them up far too easily and very easily could have got something out of those games, although late winners helped save the day for Liverpool.
However, the performance of one player in particular has caught the eye of many, and not in a positive way either, with Darren Bent, just like many others, not understanding why he has been so poor.
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Although Liverpool have always been free-flowing in attack, this does not usually come at the expense of the defence, but this season is different.
On far too many occasions already, teams are finding it easy to get past the backline, with Ibrahima Konate in particular struggling.
The Frenchman is usually ever-reliable next to Virgil van Dijk but the Dutchman is having to work extra hard in the opening few games, with Bent confused about where this sudden drop-off has come from.
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“Based on his first two performances this season, I’d be worried,” Bent told talkSPORT.
“I think Konate is a good defender, I really do, but in the first two games, his body shape in terms of defending, his recovery runs, his positional play next to Virgil van Dijk, he has been all over the place.
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“I don’t know what’s happened.
He has looked nowhere near the player we know he can be.”
Despite him not costing Liverpool just yet, it very easily could in the future, and with Arsenal up next, Reds fans need him to be back to his best to nullify their attacking threat.
Bringing in another centre-back now will not exactly fill Konate with more confidence, but it should make him work harder to try and keep his place.
Right now, he looks more likely to join Real Madrid next summer rather than sign a new contract at Anfield, meaning Liverpool need to start planning for the future.
With that said, Marc Guehi is the obvious choice to replace him, with the Englishman keen to join and Crystal Palace wanting to cash in on him this summer.
Having him as an extra option will be a real help due to the amount of games Liverpool will be playing, while if Konate does continue to drop off, they already have an experienced replacement to play for him instead.