'He was outstanding': Klopp 'absolutely' loved what he saw from £70k-a-week Liverpool player yesterday

 

Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for Ibrahima Konaté after the defender put in a fine performance for Liverpool vs Spurs. The Reds needed him at his best.

Jurgen Klopp showered Ibrahima Konaté with praise on Sunday as Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1. It was, amazingly, his first start in the Premier League this season.

Speaking in a post-match press conference, Klopp was asked whether he enjoyed the display from Konaté.

“Absolutely, absolutely,” he said, per Liverpoolfc.com. “Ibou first half already he was outstanding.

“A top game, absolutely. Of course, we are happy to have him, but we didn’t have him a lot, that’s how it is. This is now really intense for him, he had now two starts in a row.

“I hope he is fine and we can go from here.”

Ibrahima Konaté vs Spurs

Konaté was fantastic here, putting up a wall that Spurs struggled to get past. Okay, yes, their goal saw Harry Kane get the better of him – but that’s what Kane does. Sometimes, you can’t stop his finishing.

But on the whole, Konaté was outstanding. He made three tackles from three attempts, two interceptions, and a monstrous eight clearances. That latter figure was twice as many as anyone else on the pitch.

Positionally, though, Konaté showed his real strengths. The way he covered the space behind Trent Alexander-Arnold was magnificent, using explosive pace to sweep up whenever someone got goal side. Having that there simply makes the Scouser’s life a whole lot easier.

Hopefully, Konaté can stay fit, then. This was only appearance no.4 of the season and Liverpool have missed him. The hope will be that having a break with the World Cup allows Konaté to completely heal up and remain fit for the second half of the season.

If the Frenchman can do that, Liverpool have a much better chance of turning their season around. The £70k-a-week defender, per Capology, goes from strength to strength and the Reds clearly have a star here.