Jurgen Klopp has made an early decision on Ibrahima Konaté ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Fulham this weekend. The Frenchman is one of the first choices at the back.
This comes from the Liverpool Echo. They believe that Jurgen Klopp will start with Joel Matip against Fulham instead of Ibrahima Konaté.
Matip, of course, was in the XI for Liverpool’s Community Shield win over Manchester City. He typically rotates with Konaté in the first-team but the Frenchman has a problem.
He left the friendly with Strasbourg this weekend during the second half. The injury isn’t necessarily a problem as such but the Reds won’t risk him from the off at Fulham.
That leaves Matip retaining his role alongside Virgil van Dijk at the back. Konaté, it seems, will need to wait his turn with Joe Gomez.
Ibrahima Konaté to sit out vs Fulham
Not exactly a shock, of course, but we did predict that Konaté could get the nod for this one. Liverpool will likely play a very high line against the newly promoted side and that typically means the Frenchman steps in.
At the end of the day, there isn’t a massive difference between the two. They’re two of the best centre-backs in the country and Liverpool keep a world-class defence with either of them in there.
Klopp can certainly consider that a luxury. He boasts four elite defenders to pick from, with only Van Dijk noticeably on another level. But then, he’s on another level to every defender in world football.
Konaté, though, is certainly something special.
“We’ve created a bond, we get along so well,” Trent Alexander-Arnold recently told LFCTV. “He’s an amazing lad and an unbelievable player, the potential he has is ridiculous.”
While he may miss Saturday’s game, Konaté is certain to play a massive role this season. He’ll be back in that XI in no time.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
