James Pearce highlights Konate’s nightmare outing as Liverpool lose to Forest | OneFootball

Liverpool limbered to a 3-0 loss against Nottingham Forest at Anfield. The Reds crashed down to 11th on the Premier League table.

Liverpool have already lost six league games this season, and there is seemingly no light at the end of this dark tunnel.

Several performances were not up to par for Liverpool, but fans and outlets pointed the finger at defender Ibrahima Konate.

His positioning for the first two goals Liverpool conceded was suspect, and his build-up play could have used improvement.

Liverpool journalist James Pearce said, “Konate is having a nightmare. Error after error.” He was hauled off in the 55th minute for Hugo Ekitike.

Konate has been poor this season, performing well below the levels he showed last term.

The 26-year-old Frenchman is struggling badly, and this drop in form has coincided with Liverpool’s decline.

While the transfer noise could be affecting the centre-back’s performance, it’s more likely the same drop-off that has bogged down the rest of the team.

Unfortunately for Liverpool, head coach Arne Slot has little choice but to keep starting him.

The lack of viable alternatives means Konate, despite his alarming form, remains a nailed-on starter simply by default.

Joe Gomez hasn’t moved the needle in his brief cameos, offering energy but no real authority or leadership at centre-back.

Slot is effectively forced to roll the dice on Konate every week, hoping the defender snaps out of this slump before the damage becomes irreversible.

The Reds will likely have to ride out these struggles until January, when a move for Marc Guehi could be on the cards.

The Crystal Palace man would undoubtedly raise the defensive floor, but even he might not be enough to plug all the holes in a rearguard with issues everywhere you look.

This is not a one-player fix. It’s a systemic unravelling. And until reinforcements arrive, Slot will have to manage a fragile defence with no real impetus.