Richards ‘starting to worry’ as anti-Liverpool approach exposes new weak link under Slot

Richards ‘starting to worry’ as anti-Liverpool approach exposes new weak link under Slot

Micah Richards is “starting to worry” about one Liverpool star, who has been exposed as a weak link under head coach Arne Slot…

Liverpool have ridden their luck at the start of this campaign with an overreliance upon last-gasp winners to paper over the cracks, with most of Slot’s squad yet to get up to speed.

The immense individual quality possessed by Liverpool ensured they got over the line with five straight wins at the start of this season to march clear at the top of the Premier League, though they ran out of good fortune on Saturday as their 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace was deserved and overdue.

Last season, Liverpool’s success was built on having strong foundations, though Slot has made the conscious decision to make his side more free-flowing and turn them into the Premier League’s entertainers.

This has been great for neutrals, but it has exposed a few individuals, and Ibrahima Konate has rightly been criticised for his decline.

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Konate produced a dominant performance against Arsenal to keep Viktor Gyokeres at bay, but he’s otherwise been very shaky and was poor against Crystal Palace, who could have easily found themselves at least three goals in front.

And Konate’s display caught the attention of Richards, who commented on his struggles and the recent anti-Liverpool displays.

“Konate is starting to worry me a little bit,” Richards said on BBC Match of the Day.

“Him and Van Dijk have been a good partnership, but his individual errors at this moment in time are just making the backline look a bit nervy.

“You know Liverpool always look good in defence, Van Dijk always marshals the backline, but they give Palace too many opportunities for no actual reason, it was just being sloppy, and that is so unlike Liverpool.”

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Richards’ fears about Konate are justified and it was only ever going to be a matter of time before he was exposed, with the partnership with Virgil van Dijk very much carried by the club captain.

Slot’s altered system has shed light on Konate’s frailties, with the centre-back certainly far below the level reached by Van Dijk and other elite centre-backs.

The lingering transfer talk surrounding Konate, who is among the most valuable footballers due to be out of contract in 2026, could also be harming his performances, which will put Real Madrid off if he does not improve his discipline and cut out his needless errors.

Whether he stays beyond 2026 or not, Konate’s recent performances have only made it more clear that he has a short shelf life as a Liverpool starter ahead of Marc Guehi’s expected arrival on a free transfer.

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