Jamie Carragher has criticised Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate following the Reds’ 3-0 defeat to Manchester City.
The Frenchman endured a torrid afternoon at the Etihad Stadium, with his mistakes leading to a penalty and Erling Haaland’s opening goal.
Arne Slot’s side slipped to eighth in the Premier League table after suffering their fifth league defeat of the season, with their title defence fading fast as they continue to lose ground on Arsenal and Manchester City.
Liverpool head into the international break trailing the likes of Chelsea, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, and Manchester United, before hosting Nottingham Forest in their next fixture.
Konate has already faced criticism this season for a series of inconsistent performances, including from Carragher, who has once again taken aim at the centre-back for his role in City’s opener.
Haaland broke the deadlock after Konate’s attempted clearance ricocheted off the Norwegian striker and looped beyond goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Jamie Carragher said the 26-year-old is struggling for form, particularly away from home, and questioned his decision-making in the buildup to the goal.
“I just want to look at this match up in the middle between Konate and Haaland. Konate was heavily involved in the penalty again, he’s having a really tough time and it feels like we’re saying it week after week,” he said.
“It’s a bit of luck for Man City because Haaland doesn’t know much about it. Look at Haaland’s jump compared to Konate, he’s trying to flick the ball on and as a defender, that’s a last resort.
“He’s not even off the ground and he’s trying to flick it on, go and get as high as you can and head that ball away.
“I don’t understand at all what he’s trying to do. Konate, again, when Liverpool concede a goal or a problem, he is at the heart of it.
“He’s got a big problem away from home, which is when you need your centre backs, your centre backs need to play well to get results and too many times he’s gone missing.”
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