Ibrahima Konaté reveals Arne Slot’s tactical tweaks at Liverpool | OneFootball

Liverpool and France centre-back Ibrahima Konaté (26) has opened up on Arne Slot’s title-winning debut campaign on Merseyside to The Athletic. The 26-year-old defender is set to feature alongside Clément Lenglet tonight with Les Bleus against Spain in the UEFA Nations League semi-final. On Sunday, Konaté could play his last game of a gruelling campaign, whether that would be the Nations League final or the 3rd place play-off. The former RB Leipzig notably started the season on the bench as Liverpool travelled to Ipswich Town. A shaky first half from Jarell Quansah made Slot turn to Konaté, and from then on, the France centre-back would be an undisputed starter alongside club captain Virgil Van Dijk.

“The objective in my head was clear: I wanted to win everything this season and leave no stone unturned“, Konaté said. “Give nobody a chance, whether that’s the rivals for my position or my opponents. And that’s pretty much what happened.” Apart from an injury picked up in the closing seconds of Liverpool’s dominant display against Real Madrid in the Champions League, Konaté remained fit and had a rather full season, which culminated with the Reds winning a record-equalling 20th Premier League title, but the Sochaux Academy product wanted Liverpool to go further in the Champions League.

“We can be sad about that, but it came during a period when we weren’t at our best and a lot of fatigue had built up. In the end, we’re happy to have ended up with the Premier League.” Liverpool head coach Arne Slot became the first Dutch national to lead a Premier League team to the title, and the former Feyenoord boss’ tactics have not gone unnoticed. “He has a playing philosophy that’s a bit different (to Jürgen Klopp’s) — he’s more focused on build-up play and holding onto the ball a bit more. But he didn’t ask me to change anything specifically.”

GFFN | Bastien Cheval