Liverpool enters the international break with a number of question marks over important players.
Aside from the long-term challenges, a couple more problems have arisen recently. Jurgen Klopp said after Sunday’s defeat to Manchester United that he should have substituted three Liverpool players.
In light of this, Darwin Nunez has withdrew from the Uruguay squad, while Luis Diaz has skipped Colombian training. Nervous times lay ahead as we wait to see the extent of their different problems.
Meanwhile, Ibrahima Konate, surprise, was part of his country’s preparations. After missing Liverpool’s last three games, Konate was likely to sit out France’s two friendly. But there he was, on the squad.
Despite being unable to even make the bench against United two days ago, the 24-year-old was seen looking upbeat at France training yesterday. While it’s nice to see Ibou back in action, you have to wonder how fit he is and if all of this is truly necessary.
Konate is back in training.
It’s great to see Konate back and available, even if not for Liverpool. We’ll need him throughout the run-in.
Nonetheless, one can only imagine Jurgen Klopp’s reaction to the news.
While Konate’s injury was apparently not severe, he did miss ten days. With France’s two upcoming friendlies, selecting the centre-back appears to be a risk that was unnecessary.
Konate will have been out of action for more than two weeks when Les Bleus face Germany on Saturday. If he plays a key role in that game, Klopp will be concerned.
Ibrahima Konate
Liverpool can’t afford another Konate absence, which right-back Conor Bradley recently described as ‘unbelievable’.
Jarell Quansah has excelled in his absence, particularly against Manchester City at Anfield. But there’s no denying that Ibou is Liverpool’s second-best center-back.
As a result, they’ll be crossing their fingers that he returns healthy from his time abroad with his country.
If he does, Konate will almost certainly return to Liverpool’s lineup. If not, Klopp will lose his cool.
