Liverpool have a simple fix to get Ibrahima Konate out of the team while protecting Joe Gomez - opinion
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Arne Slot must take some drastic action in order to stop Liverpool’s slide towards the bottom half of the Premier League table.The Reds slipped to 11th after an unthinkably bad 3-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.There were plenty of reasons for Liverpool‘s abysmal performance, but one of the worst on the pitch once again was Ibrahima Konate.Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis. Gomez was not fit enough to play on Saturday, but after Konate’s latest horror show, Slot has to come up with a different plan.Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty ImagesWataru Endo is key to Liverpool’s plan BWhile Gomez would be the best option to play instead of Konate, he certainly cannot keep up with the fixture list Liverpool are faced with this winter.On Saturday, Slot decided to pull Ryan Gravenberch back to centre-back after taking Konate off, and this looks like a good plan moving forward.Gravenberch has been disappointing recently, looking a far cry from the Young Player of the Premier League season of last year.READ MORE: Nottingham Forest hand Arne Slot new reason to hate them as Liverpool boss fails to learn key lesson Should Liverpool sack Arne Slot?
6 and Gravenberch behind, Liverpool will already look more solid.Endo struck up a brilliant partnership with Alexis Mac Allister during the 2023/24 season and there’s no reason the two players cannot rekindle that in the coming weeks.Slot does not often trust the Japan captain, but he has shown in the past that he can be trusted in this Liverpool team. In lieu of other options, this looks like a way home for the Reds.Liverpool must find solutions without Ibrahima KonateWhether Konate is entering his final months as a Liverpool player is not yet known.
Should Liverpool sack Arne Slot? He should no longer be Slot’s first choice pick.Clearly, a natural centre-back would be preferred – and Liverpool can solve that in January.