Ibrahima Konate was a standout for Liverpool at Arsenal, and Arne Slot spoke highly of his centre-back, who has undergone tweaks to his programme to help keep him fit and available.
The Frenchman ended last season behind Jarell Quansah in the pecking order and started in similar fashion under Slot until halftime on the opening day.
In the 12 games since, Konate has started 11 of them to play 975 minutes of a possible 1,080 – a notable nod to his ability to stay fit after battling injury woes in the past.
It is a significant boost for Liverpool to be able to consistently lean on the 25-year-old, and asked if anything had changed to help keep him fit, Slot explained:
“That I cannot tell you because I wasn’t there last season. The only thing I know is that these players, from the moment that I stepped in, put a lot of effort in themselves to stay fit.
“I said it many times, our performance staff and medical staff is one of the best in the world – which is normal if you are in Liverpool because it’s one of the best clubs in the world, they should have a very good performance and medical staff, and that’s also what we have.
“But the main thing is that the players buy into it because they have to do the work and they have to recover, they have to go into ice baths and all these things we are asking from them to be prepared in the best possible way.
“That’s what, until this moment, Ibou has done.
“The programme that we offered him has maybe helped him a bit as well, but in the end, it’s always about the players. They have to make the effort to stay available.”
Konate has been rested just once this season – against West Ham in the League Cup – and his performances have spoken for themselves, though that doesn’t mean he gets the plaudits he deserves.
“But for me, the one that stood out today was? That’s a question!” Slot asked reporters in his post-match press conference. “I think Konate was also very good for us today.
“He doesn’t always get the attention he deserves, in my opinion.
“He’s asking to be the Man of the Match all the time, but he’s coming closer and closer and closer to achieving that because I think he had a great performance today as well.”
In the 2-2 draw at the Emirates, Konate completed seven clearances, had six recoveries and won three of the four duels he contested – as per FotMob.
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