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Djibril Cissé acknowledges that Ibrahima Konaté's performances have fallen short of the standards anticipated at Liverpool during this campaign. However, the 2005 Champions League victor maintains he harbours no lasting worries about his fellow Frenchman, describing Konaté as a "top-class defender."
Konaté – who is dealing with a quad injury – has faced scrutiny for several recent displays as Arne Slot's league leaders suffered three consecutive defeats for the first time under the head coach's stewardship.
The France international featured in all three matches against Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, and Chelsea prior to the international interval but was substituted during the 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday due to concerns over a muscle problem.
Despite the inconsistent form, Cissé, who enjoyed three seasons with the Reds before departing in 2007, believes Konaté will ultimately demonstrate his quality, stressing he remains untroubled for the rest of the season. "When people criticize you, it means that you can usually do better than you're currently doing," Cissé told Poker Strategy.
"Which is what we're seeing with Ibrahima Konate right now. I think there's a case to be made that at the moment he isn't performing as well as he should be, but I'm not really worried because he's a top-class defender.
"I think he will return to his top level eventually this season.
"This sometimes happens with players – you go through bad periods, which is exactly what's happening to him and why he's getting criticized.
"However, he's still a top player and an important defender for Liverpool."
Konate was forced to leave the pitch shortly after half-time in Liverpool's thrilling 2-1 loss at Chelsea, with Reds head coach Slot later expressing concern that the player had sustained a quad injury.
Despite that, the centre-back joined up with the France squad on Monday ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan on Friday and Iceland on Monday, where his injury was evaluated.
France national team manager Didier Deschamps has kept quiet about Konate's condition, but his international colleague and Arsenal defender William Saliba has provided some insight into the Liverpool player's fitness.
"He hasn't been training because he has some minor injuries," Saliba revealed on Wednesday. "I hope he'll be back soon, but I don't know any more."
Konate, who was seen participating in some of France's training session that day, is out of contract at the end of the season and has attracted interest from Real Madrid.
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