Paul Robinson delivers withering Ibrahima Konate verdict after 55th-minute withdrawal v Forest | OneFootball

Ibrahima Konate won’t care to remember the afternoon of 22 November 2025 with much fondness.

The Frenchman is one of just five senior defenders that Arne Slot had available for selection for today’s match against Nottigham Forest, and he once again started alongside Virgil van Dijk at centre-back.

However, with Liverpool trailing 2-0 early in the second half, the Reds’ head coach took affirmative action in the 55th minute as he substituted the 26-year-old to bring on compatriot Hugo Ekitike in an attempt to salvage a result from a bleak situation.

Robinson rips into Konate

Konate looked dismayed as he trudged towards the bench, and his performance at Anfield drew a withering appraisal from Paul Robinson.

Speaking on punditry duty for BBC Radio 5 Live, the former England goalkeeper remarked: “The way Konate has played today, I reckon Ekitike could even drop in there and do a better job.”

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Not a good day at the office for Konate, sadly

Liverpool’s number 5 has had to deal with plenty of criticism already this season, and even with Slot feeling compelled to roll the dice with an attack-minded substitution at 2-0 down, it’s still not a great reflection on the Frenchman’s performance to be withdrawn before the hour mark.

The Liverpool Echo lamented the 26-year-old’s ‘erratic distribution and hesitant defending’ during an ‘alarming first-half showing’, and whatever about the controversy surrounding Murillo’s opener, his defending for Nicolo Savona’s goal to double the lead just after half-time was frightening.

Konate allowed the Italian to breeze in front of him and then run off him, being left criminally unmarked as he fired past Alisson to deepen the Reds’ gloom even further.

It’s not the kind of performance which’ll help the France international to earn a new contract at Anfield, with just over seven months remaining on his current deal amid ongoing uncertainty over his future.

Even with Liverpool struggling for centre-back depth (and defensive depth in general), the Frenchman shouldn’t feel that his place in the line-up is guaranteed. This was a sobering afternoon for him, and for the rest of his teammates.