6 hours ago
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Rio Ferdinand has leapt to the defence of Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate, joining fellow ex-Premier League defender Conor Coady in dismissing criticism of the Frenchman's performances this season.
Arne Slot's team has come under intense scrutiny following a wobble in their Premier League title challenge over the past seven days. Yet Konate's displays have emerged as one of the primary talking points throughout the campaign, with Liverpool appearing vulnerable at the back despite winning their opening five matches.
The 26-year-old's contract expires next summer, leaving the Reds facing a comparable situation to the one that saw Trent Alexander-Arnold depart for Real Madrid amid controversy.
Los Blancos have maintained a long-standing interest in the former RB Leipzig defender, with speculation suggesting Xabi Alonso's outfit could seek to capitalise on the free transfer market once more.
Against the backdrop of ongoing uncertainty over his Anfield future, Konate has struggled with inconsistent form this term. He responded with assured showings against Arsenal and Everton, yet faced criticism for mistakes during the Bournemouth, Newcastle United, and Galatasaray fixtures.
Ferdinand has argued that ongoing speculation linking Konate with a switch to Madrid has made him a scapegoat owing to the uncertainty surrounding his future.
"There's no way that Konate has a bad performance last season and he's getting the headline treatment," he said. "It's only because of the interest from Real Madrid, and there's going to be disgruntled fans and people in the media that support Liverpool who are going to now start pointing the finger and blaming him.
"Or, whenever there's a little mistake here, and if there's blame to be put between two people, he'll probably get it now because of that situation."
Liverpool's defense has been underwhelming this season, with late goals conceded overshadowing their own last-minute scoring efforts. In their previous two Premier League matches, the champions have managed to equalise after trailing, only to lose in added time, with Estevao Willian's goal echoing Eddie Nketiah's late strike a week earlier.
New defensive signings Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez are under increased scrutiny, while Conor Bradley's form has also taken a hit. Siding with Ferdinand on Konate's struggles, Coady suggested that the Liverpool defender's errors and poor performances can be attributed to insufficient cover from his right-sided teammates.
Coady said, "I look from a centre-back's point of view and Konate is getting a bit of stick at the start of the season, let's be honest.
"But you've got to remember he has got to play a different way now. What I mean by that is that he's having to defend in the channel now because Frimpong or Conor Bradley are out of position or Szoboszlai is out of midfield.
"They exploited that channel and Konate has got to go out and defend and I'm telling you now, from a centre-back's point of view, you do not want to go out there and defend as a right-back.
"It's hard, there's a reason you're not out there, you're not quick enough.
"Trent would go into midfield but I always thought he was there. He got a lot of stick for his defending but now there's no full-back in position and whenever the ball is in transition, the space is vacated so Konate is having to defend in the channel with a massive space.
"I'm telling you now, no centre-back wants to defend there and there's a reason you play centre-back and not right-back."
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