Arne Slot addresses Ibrahima Konate injury blow after Liverpool’s win over Brighton
The Frenchman looked in some discomfort as he made his way off the field.
Arne Slot says he is uncertain about the severity of Ibrahima Konate’s suspected wrist injury following Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Brighton but hopes the defender can return ‘as soon as possible’ given his ‘impact’ this season.
Konate, making his ninth consecutive start in the Premier League, lasted just 45 minutes of this afternoon’s clash, with Joe Gomez coming on in his place for the the second half.
The 25-year-old Frenchman appeared in some discomfort while being assessed by Liverpool’s medical staff, before using his shirt as a makeshift sling as he made his way off the field at Anfield.
The hosts would go on to complete a stunning comeback as Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah netted in quick succession following Ferdi Kadioglu’s early opener to take a two-point lead at the top of the table – with Manchester City and Arsenal both losing.
But Konate’s concerning injury took some of the shine of Liverpool’s victory and the Merseyside giants look set to be without the centre-back for some time, with games coming thick and fast domestically and in Europe.
‘We don’t know yet,’ Slot told reporters when asked about the seriousness of Konate’s injury at his post-match press conference.
‘He had a lot of pain but he hasn’t been to the hospital yet and maybe it’s not even necessary to go to the hospital, I don’t know.
‘But it’s always difficult to judge an injury in the first hour or the first ten minutes after it happened.
‘Let’s hope that he can be with us as soon as possible because he had a big impact on our season until now.
‘But Joe deserved the trust I gave him today because he played outstandingly in the second half.’
Slot was massively impressed by Brighton’s display but criticised his side’s lacklustre showing in the opening 45 minutes.
‘Credit to Brighton for the way they showed up over here. They were not afraid to play out from the back really well,’ the Dutchman added.
‘They had a lot of energy without the ball and we didn’t show up at all in every part of the game, maybe apart from the set-pieces part, but for the rest we were not there.
‘If you face a very good team like Brighton it’s not enough to run once, twice or three times… you have to keep on running.
‘We changed our tactics a bit but that had nothing to do with us coming out stronger in the second half, it all had to do that the players showed a different attitude and intensity.
‘I wasn’t screaming or fuming [at half-time], it’s just making sure the players understand that this was not enough and I think they felt that themselves as well.’
Asked whether a big opportunity had opened up in the title race following defeats for Manchester City and Arsenal, Slot replied: ‘No, not because of the fact they lost but what I do like a lot is that two times we went one goal behind, against Arsenal 1-0 and 2-1, and two times we were able to fight ourselves back into the game.
‘To come back so strong against a team [Brighton] that has spent so much money in recent years as well, led by a few very good managers, then to come back the way we did, that gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season.
‘But I also told the players that the 45 minutes of the football we played in the first half, that will in the end punish you somewhere so we need to show up from the start.
‘The crowd were incredible in the second half, our fans were incredible. Our players but our fans as well. It was the loudest since I’ve been here so let’s go now for Tuesday.’
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