Since the beginning of April, Ibrahima Konaté has really made money in the red shirt, when it was expected that he would do too much on the pitch. Jürgen Klopp then decided to change his approach system, as the German coach was searching for answers as his players struggled to deliver consistent results and performances. .
He instructed his players to adopt a new 3-2-5 formation whenever in possession, with right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold moving back into the midfield to play alongside Fabinho. At the back, Konaté used the right flank of Liverpool’s makeshift defender trio, with Virgil van Dijk in the middle and Andy Robertson on the left.
The 3-2-5 formation spurred a real flourish on Merseyside, with Klopp’s men winning seven out of 10 possible matches while also capturing three draws. Liverpool already look significantly better with the new attacking structure, but Konaté in particular is expected to cover more ground than all of his teammates.
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The French defender was almost a victim of the new arrangement, although his incredible qualities have allowed him to cope. With Alexander-Arnold drifting to the right and into the middle, Konaté is expected to manage the wide spaces at the back, as he has to carry out the two-player’s executive job efficiently.
Robertson’s attacks on the left flank of the Liverpool defence did not help the situation. The Scots are attack-minded by nature and as a result he has a tendency to move forward whenever he can. In the past that wasn’t an issue, but now Robertson has to play as part of a three-man defence.
«We can’t have one full-back in the middle of the pitch and the other constantly rising up the left wing,» Klopp said at the end of last season (via ECHO). «It’s hard, so Robbo has to assess the situations when he can get in and when he can overlap.»
Robertson tried to find balance, but his nature was to penetrate the bottom third of the pitch, and that did not lessen the demands placed on Konaté’s shoulders whenever the Scotland captain decided to overlap the line. , Van Dijk tended to drift to the left wing of the pitch to cover him.
When the Dutch do that, the space that Konaté has to manage will increase. The 24-year-old centre-back has almost branded himself as Superman over the past few months, as he has faced a series of one-on-one situations against capable opponents while also having to win countless races. against forward speed.
Konaté was dragged across the pitch in his attempt to secure the right flank without support, which could explain why Liverpool are interested in Levi Colwill’s service right now, according to Fabrizio Romano ( via Born and Red). The Chelsea defender will be hard to come by this summer, but he will do a lot for Konaté if he moves to Merseyside.
The Blues defender is left-footed and in Klopp’s 3-2-5, it’s reasonable to assume that Colwill wants to take Robertson’s place. At just 20 years old, he probably won’t be playing every week, but if he does play for the Reds, it’s reasonable to assume he’ll rarely go up or down in the bottom third.
Colwill is a natural-born centre-back who wants to continue at the back, so he will likely focus on managing Liverpool’s left wing without putting too much emphasis on going forward. His regular presence at the back will allow Van Dijk to stay in the center, and that will close the gap Konaté is expected to cover.
It remains to be seen whether Klopp’s charisma will attract the Chelsea prodigy to Anfield this summer, but if he does, his arrival will be seen by Konaté as a big positive. Colwill won’t be competing for his spot on the team, he’ll be the answer to many of his troubles as he persists with his taxing Superman impression.
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