Plenty of Liverpool stars have shone during the November international break, including defender Ibrahima Konate with his nation France.
Les Bleus were in UEFA Nations League action over the break, knowing that they would have to win both games to have a chance of reaching the finals of the competition.
A frustrating 0-0 draw with Israel in the first game set up the gargantuan clash with Italy to book a place in the latter rounds.
An Adrien Rabiot brace and a Guglielmo Vicario own goal cancelled out a finish from Andrea Cambiasso to ensure that France won 3-1 and finished top of their group.
At the heart of it was Ibrahima Konate, with the Liverpool star featuring as the captain of the side on the evening, outlining his importance and progress in the absence of usual captain Kylian Mbappe.
So with that said, here’s a look at how the French media rated the defender’s performance during a famous win over Italy.
French media verdict on Ibrahima Konate performance vs Italy
With Konate taking the armband, there was a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of the Liverpool defender for such a huge game.
Only a victory would secure a place in the next round of the Nations League, along with the added pressure of doing so away in Italy.
France did well though, with the new captain guiding the team towards glory and with hope of adding more silverware to the cabinet.
There were some good reviews from the national media to back it up, with Footmercato giving the centre-back a rating of seven out of ten.
An excerpt reads: “Captain of the evening, the Liverpool defender delivered a flawless performance. Intractable and impactful in the duel, always guided by this little head start in his anticipations, he even gave us a few laser passes to break the Italian lines.”
Maxifoot also handed the star a seven out of ten rating, claiming: “Chosen as captain for this match, the central defender of the French team answered the call. With the Italians not very dangerous, the Liverpool player was attentive to monitor Retegui’s movements in his zone.”
Dicodu Sport handed a slightly lower rating, giving a six-and-a-half out of ten, but struck many of the same chords as the rest.
The review reads: “Overall well placed, he didn’t have that much work to do (five defensive interventions). His power allowed him to get the better of the opposing attackers. On the restart, it could be better (another nine balls lost this Sunday evening).”
It places the defender in a good position to hold a place in the France backline for the future, showing exactly what he is capable of.
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Ibrahima Konate message after captaining France
After the Liverpool star captained France to another Nations League finals appearance, he took to social media to say his thanks for the opportunity.
“A huge honour [captaincy] a great victory to close 2024!”
With another impressive performance now in the bag, the 25-year-old will now be looking to kick on with the Reds for the next stretch of the campaign.
The defender has featured in all 11 Premier League games so far this season, though it’s worth noting how he had to fight back under Arne Slot.
In the first game of the season, it was Jarell Quansah who was preferred to him against Ipswich Town in a lacklustre first half.
Konate came on at half time and helped add that solidity that was required of the occasion and he hasn’t looked back since.
With Virgil van Dijk’s future at Liverpool uncertain and the small matter of a potential Premier League title chase, Liverpool will need the Frenchman to step up as he did for his nation over the international break.
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