Liverpool’s recent struggles on the pitch have been compounded by a series of fresh injury concerns, leaving Arne Slot facing an anxious wait over the fitness of several key players as the international break underway.
The Reds 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday not only deepened their slump a third consecutive loss in all competitions but also further highlighted the growing fragility of a squad already stretched by injuries and inconsistency in defensive areas
Ibrahima Konaté’s evening at Stamford Bridge summed up much of Liverpool’s current predicament: flashes of solidity followed by moments of uncertainty. When he was replaced early in the second half, many assumed Slot had seen enough. But the Dutchman later revealed that the substitution had been enforced.
The French defender had picked up a quadriceps injury and despite those concerns, Konaté still reported for international duty with France on Monday, where his condition was immediately assessed by the national team’s medical staff.
Head coach Didier Deschamps was typically guarded when asked for an update, insisting the issue was “not serious” and that the player would not have joined the squad if he wasn’t capable of participating.
“There are still injuries. I don’t have any additional information,” said Deschamps earlier this week. “We’ll have an update when the players arrive.”
However, by midweek it became clear that Konaté’s involvement was in doubt. He missed both Monday’s and Tuesday’s training sessions.
It was left to his international teammate William Saliba to shed light on the situation.
“He hasn’t been training because he has some minor injuries,” the Arsenal defender told reporters. “I hope he’ll be back soon, but I don’t know any more.”
Some positive news started to gather pace where he was seen jogging separately alongside Kylian Mbappé. as the duo appeared present in Thursday session alongside their teammates, and did so “without any apparent discomfort.”
Instead of taking part in match drills afterwards, though, the two players broke off to take in some light jogging. According to reports Mbappe is more likely to play in Friday’s game against Azerbaijan than Konate.
The 25-year-old has endured a frustrating start to the campaign, struggling for both form and fitness. His latest setback could not come at a worse time for Liverpool, who are already short at the back following Giovanni Leoni’s season-ending ACL injury.
Leoni, a summer arrival, had made an encouraging start to life on Merseyside before sustaining the knee injury in the Carabao Cup win over Southampton. His absence, coupled with Konaté’s inconsistency and the injury record of Joe Gomez, leaves Slot with only limited defensive options heading into a crucial stretch of the season even at this early stage of the campaign
Despite question marks over his form, the 26-year-old has started all but one of Liverpool’s 10 games this season, missing only the Carabao Cup win, to play the fourth-most minutes of any Red.
With a Manchester United visit looming after the break, Liverpool can ill afford another prolonged absence.
