Arne Slot readies MAJOR statement in wake of Ibrahima Konate injury

It's happened. Liverpool's uber-positive start to the campaign finally has a negative.

Ibrahima Konate is injured and current reports suggest that Liverpool will be missing the Frenchman for quite some time.

EXCLUSIVE: Virgil van Dijk is STAYING at Liverpool

After having a brilliant day at the office in Liverpool's 2-0 dispatching of long-term European rivals Real Madrid, Konate was left with soreness in his knee, following an unnecessary challenge from Endrick on him in the dying moments of the game.

He limped off the pitch, leading some observers to think that he may be able to feature in some capacity, or at least be back firing in a few weeks or so, following some well-deserved rest and recuperation after an extraordinarily busy few months.

But no, according to an exclusive from journalist DaveOCKOP, the Frenchman is set to be sat on the sidelines until the new year. He has injured his knee and it will take between five to six weeks until we see him back on the pitch.

This would mean that Konate will miss the entirety of the Christmas period, which is possibly 10 games across all competitions, should he return in the one-week winter break during January after the Reds host Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The coming of age of Liverpool's defence

Led by Virgil Van Dijk, who has been ever-present in the starting XI ever since he arrived in 2018, Liverpool's defence will be set for its biggest test yet.

After Jarrell Quansah started Liverpool's opening game of the season against Ipswich and instantly struggled to get into the game, Slot took him off at half-time.

Since then, Quansah has featured in a few cup games and that's it - scoring an own goal against West Ham and creating an error that led to a goal at Brighton, causing Slot to substitute him in the 92nd minute.

His confidence is low, his form is nonexistent after playing so few minutes this season, and Arne Slot, whether he likes it or not, is going to have to rely on the young defender.

This is not to say that Slot dislikes Quansah, but the first impression he got wasn't exactly great and Konate has been a force to be reckoned with this season, so there has never been any reason to rotate the centrebacks.

Alongside Quansah, the other option is Joe Gomez, who is a seasoned professional in defence, able to cover both fullback roles while also occasionally playing his main role as a centreback.

Against Manchester City, it is highly likely that it is Gomez who will get the nod to partner Van Dijk ahead of Quansah, purely based on the level of experience he brings to the role against an opponent that has won the Premier League in each of the last four seasons.

This would be a significant statement on how Slot perceives Quansah, given he would theoretically have fallen down the pecking order to fourth choice centre back. If he's in, it shows the boss's faith in the young defender. If he's out, it shows the faith simply isn't there - even though it was when the campaign kicked off.

His talent is evident and the more experience he gets, playing in the limelight while the pressure is firmly on his shoulders, the better a player he eventually becomes.

But regardless of who Slot chooses, both of Liverpool's centreback understudies will be required over the upcoming weeks and both will have to step up their level in Konate's absence.

The long-term impact

Conceding just 12 goals so far this campaign, across 19 games, Liverpool's steady defence has been paramount to the Reds' mightily impressive form this season.

Winning 17 of the 19 games, largely with the same centre-back partnership deserves respect, but now that the personnel is set to change, the challenge ahead of the team is set to go up a level.

Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas have been battling it out at left-back for fitness and from, meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold had been able to keep Conor Bradley out of contention this season up until two weeks ago, when Trent felt tightness in his hamstring.

Yet the centrebacks were always the common denominator - the guys you could rely on, who undoubtedly saw the team through some difficult games when the opposition brought their A-game, while occasionally delivering the odd clutch header from time to time as well.

The task for Quansah and Gomez is massive. Continue the calmness and stability within the team, to not disrupt the run of form Arne's Reds are on, all while skilfully creating a case for themselves that they should have been starting matches from the beginning of the season.

Should they be able to do so, then Liverpool's threat in all three competitions they're playing in at the moment will remain and rival fans will be left speechless by the prospect that the Reds may actually be the most complete team around.

But should things go slightly off piece, then the team's aspirations for the season may be momentarily put on hold.

The pressure placed on them isn't fair, they've had such little preparation or notice for this, but playing at Liverpool means that you have to be ready to be called upon at all times.

Whether we like the tension or not, Liverpool's games just got a little bit more nervy over the festive season.

READ MORE: Alisson admits he wants to play for ANOTHER club