"Doesn't always get the credit he deserves" - Arne Slot praises Liverpool star after their draw against Arsenal
Liverpool manager Arne Slot praised centre-back Ibrahima Konate after his side’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, October 27. Slot believes that Konate doesn’t always get the credit he deserves.
Arsenal and Liverpool locked horns in the ninth round of fixtures of the 2024-25 Premier League season on Sunday. However, there was nothing to separate the two Premier League title rivals at the Emirates Stadium as Liverpool battled twice from behind to salvage a point in the contest.
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate was one of the standout performers in the match. Despite the fact that the Reds conceded two goals, the Frenchman was solid in his defensive duties against the Gunners.
Konate won all three of the duels he contested. He made the most clearances (6) and recoveries (6) and won 100% of his tackles (2/2). His performances didn’t go under the radar, as he was named Liverpool’s player of the match against Arsenal.
After the match, Arne Slot said that the French defender is underrated.
"Konate doesn't always get the credit he deserves," Slot said (via The Athletic’s James Pearce on X).
Ibrahima Konate has been a regular starter under Arne Slot this season since he replaced Jarell Quansah at halftime in the opening EPL game of the season against Ipswich Town. He joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig in 2021 and has scored five goals and provided three assists in 102 appearances across competitions for the Reds.
Liverpool boss plays down title race aspirations and says he is happy to get a point against Arsenal
Arne Slot has stated that it is too early to start discussing his side’s tile credentials. The Dutchman took over from Jurgen Klopp in the summer and has exceeded expectations so far, winning seven of the side's first nine league games.
In the post-match press-conference, Slot stated that he is more concerned about his side getting a result away from home against a big club. He said (via the club’s website):
"I know you guys like to talk about title contenders and where we are exactly in the league – that's also part of your job. The only thing I look at is, 'Can you get a result in a difficult away game as this one?' And the way we did it pleased me a lot and we're only nine or 10 games into the season. But to see that we can compete with such a strong Arsenal team in their stadium, that is very pleasing to see. But what it exactly will lead towards in the end of the season, I cannot tell you yet."
On his team’s performance, he added:
"Going two times behind against a very strong and good Arsenal team and then to get a point is pleasing to see, especially because we had to play an away game in Europe this week. We had one day less to recover and to prepare and then to go two times behind with the fans being so loud and us coming back so strongly [in the] second half – because I think we deserved to be 2-1 down or one goal down at half-time – then is very pleasing to see that we had the energy and that we were so strong to fight ourselves back in the game [in the] second half, also because the ones that came in did really good but also that we were physically really strong today."
Liverpool will next be in action against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Round of 16 of the EFL Cup on Wednesday, October 30.