Arne Slot has quietly begun to address real Liverpool issue as post-game comment telling

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Echo or go back to LFC Live.

For all the talk of the leaky defence and misfiring attack, for many the real issue for Liverpool of late has been a midfield that has struggled to properly support bothIt probably wasn’t the first word many supporters would have used to describe Liverpool’s season. But when Arne Slot assessed the striking inconsistency of his team’s results as “weird”, there will have been more than a few fans – and players – nodding in approval.And nobody has found things quite as odd as Ibrahima Konate.The Frenchman’s propensity for being “on the crime scene”, as Slot termed it, continued last weekend when a previously impressive performance was blighted by the needless concession of the penalty that allowed Leeds United back into a game in which the Reds were in complete control before ultimately having to settle for a rollercoaster 3-3 draw.READ MORE: Curtis Jones makes Liverpool dressing room feelings on Arne Slot clear before more Mohamed Salah talksREAD MORE: National media spot clear Arne Slot message after Mohamed Salah Liverpool storm - 'Big moment'It followed a trend for Konate, who had similarly done well against PSV Eindhoven before a calamitous misjudgement helped the visitors on their way to inflicting a humiliating 4-1 Anfield defeat.That Champions League reverse may well become regarded as the nadir of a campaign in which there have been many, with Liverpool subsequently embarking on a four-match unbeaten run that was extended by a memorable 1-0 win at Inter on Tuesday to reignite their European endeavours.Konate’s ill fortune appeared to have continued when having a goal contentiously ruled out in the first half.

“The hardest thing for him and me is during large parts of the game he has played very well when he’s had a part in goals we have conceded, such as the PSV game,” said the Reds boss.“I’m so happy for him we kept a clean sheet and he wasn’t involved in anything that happened. He has been unlucky that if you make a mistake it has more constantly gone in.

That’s a situation we have been in for months.”With Konate out of contract at the end of the season and there being no sign yet of an agreement over a new Liverpool deal, it hasn’t been difficult to draw the conclusion the 26-year-old is being affected by the speculation surrounding his next move.And if Konate is playing for his Reds future, he will need more of this display, even if lack of options mean his starting place isn’t under any immediate threat.However, for all the talk of the leaky defence and misfiring attack, for many the real issue for Liverpool of late has been a midfield that has struggled to properly support both.A long-time advocate of 4-2-3-1, available personnel compelled Slot to revisit the diamond midfield that has been seen in some fashion on several occasions this season to mixed results.While there was no doubting its effectiveness as a defensive shield at San Siro, it was only after the introduction of Florian Wirtz from the bench for the final quarter for Alexander Isak – and Liverpool loosely moving to a five-man midfield – that the Reds became a consistent creative threat from the engine room.It didn’t help that ahead of them Isak and striker partner Hugo Ekitike highlighted the fact it was only the second time they had started together by completing precisely no passes to each other. “I don’t think I would do justice to only tell you our midfield worked so hard,” said Slot.