Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate could have done a little better for France last night.
It was a big night for Reds centre-backs, as Konate and Les Bleus took on Virgil van Dijk’s Netherlands side in Amsterdam.
Predictably given the state of the two teams, France came out on top. 2-1 the eventual score. The one for the Dutch seems to have stuck in the craw of French outlet Le Figaro though, who have bumped down Konate’s rating.
On the whole, it sounds like Ibou did well. Typically, he’s said to have ‘shown his power’ at various times across the evening. So far, so good.
But Konate was only rated at a 5.5 out of ten. His perceived ‘lack of sharpness’ to allow Quilindschy Hartman to score appears to have done him some damage. Feels harsh.
Konate criticised for goal conceded
Watching Hartman’s goal back, it looks incredibly harsh to put the blame on Konate in any way at all.
The £35m Liverpool centre-back does get dragged out a little too far to the right, but he’s simply moving across in line with his defence. Steven Bergwijn’s quick little poke renders Konate redundant, as Hartman then runs through to score.
Perhaps Ibou could have got across to Bergwijn a little quicker, but it really wasn’t his job in the first place. The right-back is completely missing.
If anyone is at fault here, it’s Konate’s centre-back partner Lucas Hernandez, as well as goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
First of all, Hernandez is the one who fails to track Hartman. With Konate having to move across to cover Bergwijn, he was the dangerman, and he wasn’t followed.
Next, Maignan inexplicably allows the Feyenoord player to squeeze a shot past him at the near post, whilst diving completely the other way. The AC Milan ‘keeper is often praised, but this was poor.
Konate may not have been perfect in all of this, but to single him out is ridiculous.
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