Michael Owen: ‘Liverpool Player Looked Lost During Defeat to Crystal Palace’

Michael Owen has voiced strong criticism of Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate following his shaky display against Crystal Palace.

Arne Slot’s Liverpool entered the new campaign as defending champions, having won all five of their opening Premier League matches, though they had yet to fully hit their stride.

In their sixth league game, the Reds traveled to Selhurst Park to face a Crystal Palace team on an impressive 17-match unbeaten run. That streak included a victory over Liverpool in the Community Shield via penalties earlier in the season.

Palace extended their fine form by handing Liverpool their first defeat of the season across all competitions. Despite a late equalizer from Federico Chiesa that seemed to have salvaged a point, Eddie Nketiah struck in the 97th minute to secure a deserved 2-1 win for the home side, leaving Palace as the only remaining unbeaten team in the league.

Several Liverpool players appeared off the pace, struggling against a disciplined and well-organized Palace side managed by Oliver Glasner.

After the match, former Liverpool striker Michael Owen, speaking to SPORTbible, singled out Konate for criticism.

> “He Didn’t Know What He Was Doing”

Owen was particularly blunt in his assessment of the French centre-back, who had difficulties containing Palace’s dynamic attacking trio of Jean-Philippe Mateta, Ismaila Sarr—who opened the scoring—and Yeremy Pino.

“I don’t know if it was down to tiredness,” Owen said. “A few players were rested in midweek for the Carabao Cup, so that shouldn’t really be an excuse. It’s still early in the season, so I’d be hesitant to put it down to fatigue.

“Konate, in the first half especially, just didn’t seem to know what he was doing. I can’t say it’s because he was rusty or tired. We’ve seen one or two performances like that from him already this season, and it’s becoming a bit of a concern.”

Liverpool’s defensive situation has been further complicated by the long-term injury to Giovanni Leoni, a summer signing from Parma, who is expected to miss up to a year after suffering a serious knee injury on his debut.

While Liverpool’s attacking options remain strong enough to sustain their title challenge, the lack of depth at centre-back is a pressing issue. Owen’s comments underline the urgent need for Konate to raise his game, especially with no reinforcements expected before January.