Liverpool SMASH Arsenal again: Slot's men show their brilliance at the back

It’s safe to say that Liverpool’s start to the season has been, for all intents and purposes, ideal.

Top of the Premier League by five points, top of the Champions League with the only 100% record in the competition, through to the fifth round of the League Cup with no major issues. Arne Slot couldn’t have wished for a better beginning to his tenure.

And whilst good performances by Liverpool have come to be expected over the past seven years, there has been a noted step up in individual performances that have allowed the team to excel as a whole.

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Ryan Gravenberch has often been singled out as the most stark example of this, but Ibrahima Konate has filled Joel Matip’s role as the assured partner for Virgil van Dijk with aplomb. As a result, their partnership is beginning to gain serious traction.

Pundit says Konate and Van Dijk better than Gabriel and Saliba

It has been noted on the pundit circuit too. Speaking on the BBC’s Football Daily show on Monday, former player Nigel Reo-Coker raved about the duo.

"I want to give a shout-out to Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate. People talk about Arsenal, about William Saliba and Gabriel being the best centre-back pairing in world football, but I think Van Dijk and Konate have to come into that [conversation] now.”

"Van Dijk is like a fine wine - he just gets better and better with age.” Reo-Coker continued, “And Konate is stepping up even more so by playing alongside Van Dijk. He's developing so well as a centre-back. All around, it was a great team performance."

And you would be hard-pressed to disagree with Reo-Coker on this. Van Dijk has been one of - if not the - best centre-backs in the world for years now, and that allows any partner of his to perform to their highest possible level. Having the world’s most effective safety blanket next to you will do that.

Konate has stepped into this, finally, with the consistency the Reds have been wanting to see from him since he signed for the club three years ago. He looks like he’s moving faster, recovering amazingly when attackers aim to get in behind him, timing his challenges both with his body and on the ground particularly well.

It is this that allows Liverpool to sit second in the league for tackle percentage and top for goals allowed. Long may it continue.

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