Liverpool star’s HORROR show is a win for Arne Slot

The international break has so far been pretty devoid of positives for Liverpool supporters.

A goal from Cody Gakpo in the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw with Spain has been just about the only thing for Reds to celebrate the week after crashing out of the Champions League and losing the Carabao Cup final.

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There have also been a number of concerns for the Anfield faithful keeping their eye on Liverpool players representing their national teams this week.

Both Alisson and Ryan Gravenberch appear to have suffered injury setbacks, and a horror show first-half saw Ibrahima Konate hooked at the break as France lost 2-0 to Croatia.

Konate’s disappointing display

This season, Konate has consistently shown that he is one of the best defenders in Europe, but Thursday night’s display in the UEFA Nations League didn’t show the Frenchman’s quality.

Konate, who made no tackles or interceptions, found himself substituted at half-time with his side 2-0 down having given away a penalty for handball - which was saved by Mike Maignan.

Although reports initially stated that the 25-year-old had picked up a knock, France boss Diddier Deschamps has since confirmed that the decision was a tactical one.

“I know it's tough, but I saw him struggling, not at his best, so I preferred to substitute him,” Deschamps told the media after the match.

The French national team’s official X account even posted saying that Konate had been taken off due to injury, but it does now appear that this was not the case.

The hidden positive of Konate’s poor performance

Although the coaching staff at Liverpool will want to see their players doing well on the international stage, they may well secretly be pleased with how things went for Konate on Thursday.

Deschamps is now unlikely to pick the defender to play in the second leg of the Nations League quarter-final on Sunday and so Konate may be in line for an unexpected, and much needed, rest.

The 25-year-old has already played more minutes this season than he has managed in any campaign since the 2018/19 season, when he was just a teenager playing for RB Leipzig.

Liverpool have nine games left to secure their 20th Premier League title and, with Joe Gomez injured and Jarell Quansah being deployed as a makeshift right-back, Arne Slot will be desperate to have Konate fit and available.

Although his poor performance for France may not have been a positive for the defender, the rest that it could result in will almost definitely be a win for Slot and Liverpool.

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