There were few complaints from Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool players, and fans.Ibrahima Konate tried to voice his opinion, but he knew it would be futile. Trailing 2-1 to Arsenal, the liverpool defender received a second yellow card for bringing down Kai Havertz in the 88th minute.
Finally his marching orders were given. The disappointing display at the Emirates Stadium was made worse by Konate’s red card. The Frenchman now faces a one-match ban when Liverpool face Burnley on Saturday. That means Jurgen Klopp will have to shuffle his bags against the Clarets. Virgil van Dijk needs a new partner in central defence. Most people would agree that the combination of Van Dijk and Konate is Liverpool’s strongest combination and attack.
Despite Burnley struggling in the Premier League relegation zone, the Reds are not underestimating them.Joel Matip is also likely to be ruled out for the rest of the season after injuring his ACL in December, meaning Klopp has two options as to who can play alongside Van Dijk. Jarell Quanza enjoyed a surprising and unexpected campaign. This time last year he was on loan at Bristol Rovers in League One for just two and a half weeks. Now the 20-year-old is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, with 17 appearances in all competitions so far. In fact, in Liverpool’s 2-0 win in Burnley’s comeback at Turf Moor, Kwansa sat alongside Van Dijk. England U21s will be looking for a fresh start against Vincent Kompany’s side.
However, Joe Gomez would like to get back on top and maybe get healthier overall. The versatile defender has reignited his Reds career this season, especially in the last six weeks. With senior left backs Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas sidelined with shoulder and jaw injuries respectively, Gomez filled in admirably. He has also been impressive off the bench this season.
The emergence on the right flank not only gave Trent Alexander-Arnold the opportunity to move into midfield, but Gomez’s scintillating score gave Liverpool another attacking weapon. The most important game was the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.However, Gomez’s favorite position is in the center of the backline. He made this confession only in November. But there were very few opportunities to take on that role. In 2023/24, he started his only Premier League game in this position in a 3–0 win over Aston Villa.
He played 14 games as a central defender last season, and made no appearances in 2021/22. But Liverpool Liverpool became an important partner of Gomez Van Dick when he defeated his first prime minister in 2019-2020. They played in 22 games because Red first took in 30 years. Gomez appeared in both matches as Klopp’s side won the Club World Cup in Qatar.Alexander-Arnold and Robertson form the rest of the back four this season, while goalkeeper Alisson Becker has conceded a total of 33 league goals.
Both Alexander-Arnold and Robertson are available again, the former coming off for Arsene with a knee injury before being replaced by Robertson in the 57th minute.Liverpool are in a three-way battle for the title with Manchester City and Arsenal. Since the race is expected to go all the way, there is little room for error. Gomez may no longer be a regular at Anfield, but his impressive performances could see Konate. The proof is that it is a combination that can become a champion.
