Liverpool’s injury troubles worsened after centre-back Ibrahima Konaté was forced off during their 2-1 loss to Chelsea, handing Arne Slot yet another selection problem as his side continues to struggle for form.
The French defender, who was seen limping and said he “felt his quad a little bit,” now adds to growing concerns about the team’s defensive depth, already stretched thin by existing absences. His substitution came midway through the second half of a painful defeat at Stamford Bridge, sealed by a stoppage-time goal that extended Liverpool’s run of narrow losses.
Explaining the decision, Slot said he acted out of caution, noting that “all alarm bells go off” when a player limps after a sprint. He didn’t want to risk turning a minor issue into a serious injury. “I don’t know if it’s a big injury,” Slot told Liverpool Echo, “but when I saw him limp and he said he felt something in his quad, I had to take him off. You never know how another sprint might go.”
Slot added that the change was one he had already been planning, both to protect the player and to introduce Ryan Gravenberch for more creativity from the right centre-back position. “It might turn out well that he came off early,” he said, “but it was clear he had to be substituted because he was limping.”
With Alisson still unavailable and other defenders sidelined, Liverpool’s back line remains seriously weakened. Slot tried to downplay the concern, stressing that the decision was partly tactical, yet he acknowledged the team can ill afford another long-term setback in central defence.
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