Manager Arne Slott has urged Ibrahima Konate to maintain the excellent form that has helped Liverpool keep clean sheets ahead of Saturday’s game against Tottenham. The French defender has been a constant presence in the starting XI alongside skipper Virgil van Dijk in the Premier League this season. However, his performance came under scrutiny during a tough period in which the reigning champions suffered six losses from late September to November.
Despite this, the Reds are unbeaten in five games in all competitions, recording three clean sheets in that time, including wins over West Ham, Champions League wins over Inter Milan and last weekend’s 2-0 win at home to Brighton.
After the 3-3 draw with Leeds, Slott said the former RB Leipzig player was “too often at the scene of the crime” when goals were conceded. However, the Liverpool manager is encouraged by Konate’s recent response and plans to select him at Spurs.
“It’s not unusual for a centre-back to be at the scene of a crime if he concedes a goal, but he had some bad luck. In my opinion he played a good game, but the moment decided the game,” Slott said.
“We play a low-scoring game, football, that’s the good thing about football and why teams that aren’t that good can still win games. And when you get caught up in a moment like Ibou’s, it immediately affects the outcome. And maybe when you look at his performance, people aren’t as positive about it as they should be.”
“But lately he hasn’t been at the crime scene. And that’s how we prefer to meet him. We prefer all our players to meet (away from the crime scene), but it’s not just about him.”
“He has helped us more recently than before. We are less vulnerable in situations than we were earlier in the season. And that has an immediate impact on the centre-backs and Ibou is a centre-back, so let’s leave it at that.”
Slott also urged Curtis Jones to continue his excellent form after his excellent performances in his last three games marking his 200th appearance for the Reds.
He added: “He’s had a really good performance in the last three games and I don’t think it’s the first time, but it’s probably the first time since I’ve been here that he’s brought in three really good performances in a row.”
“He’s had good performances in the past, but then in the last three games he might not have liked his performances so much. It’s a challenge again going into the fourth, fifth and sixth games.
“But I don’t think I’m the only one who liked the way he played with so much confidence, such a high work rate, giving everything for the team every moment and being really comfortable on the ball.
“So his last three performances are the basis for us to predict how he will go forward, starting tomorrow against a difficult opponent in Spurs.”
